Obama: Hopes, Dreams...Plagiarism?
Barack Obama is being accused by the Clinton campaign of molding one of his key arguments around speeches by Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts during his 2006 campaign. The contention made by both men is that their rhetoric amounts to much more than empty yet inspiring words. But did he "plagiarize?" You be the judge.
Well, he did choose most of the same quotes, with the exception of "Ask not what your country can do for you..." from JFK's inaugural address. This is because Obama's motto is the opposite: "Step right up and tell me what your country (ahem, government) can do for you!"
It seems Governor Patrick was following the Obama formula of Hopes + Quotes = Votes. I had never heard of Deval Patrick, but then again, no one had heard of Barack Obama before he announced he was running for president. Some of us are still wondering exactly who he is.
While the speeches are very similar, it seems a few things are going on. After being propped up and given life (some would argue by the Clintons themselves), Mary Shelly's Obama is slowly being exposed to those who pay attention as the empty-promises-anything-for-a-vote politician he is. This is one reason why many can't wait to see him debate a Republican. But give the guy a break, at least until the convention.
In the YouTube generation, follies like these can circle the globe in moments. Someone should have told Hillary that before she used this "borrowed" line:
And how many of her lines have come straight from Karl Marx? She's built on "borrowing" ideas because she doesn't have any of her own. The consensus seems to be that the Clintons are grasping at straws at this point. Are we about to see Hillary go negative? Is the Wicked Witch of the East River going to unleash her army of flying monkeys?
If this is the best dirt her team of campaign excavators can dig up, we are probably witnessing the spiraling downfall of Hillary Clinton – a downfall which will be undeniably exquisite.
This story is getting way, way, way too much play. The facts have come out, and it's the opinion of this writer that Obama didn't "plagiarize;" you're witnessing the last act of a desperate woman (and her husband.)
It seems Governor Patrick was following the Obama formula of Hopes + Quotes = Votes. I had never heard of Deval Patrick, but then again, no one had heard of Barack Obama before he announced he was running for president. Some of us are still wondering exactly who he is.
While the speeches are very similar, it seems a few things are going on. After being propped up and given life (some would argue by the Clintons themselves), Mary Shelly's Obama is slowly being exposed to those who pay attention as the empty-promises-anything-for-a-vote politician he is. This is one reason why many can't wait to see him debate a Republican. But give the guy a break, at least until the convention.
In the YouTube generation, follies like these can circle the globe in moments. Someone should have told Hillary that before she used this "borrowed" line:
If this is the best dirt her team of campaign excavators can dig up, we are probably witnessing the spiraling downfall of Hillary Clinton – a downfall which will be undeniably exquisite.
This story is getting way, way, way too much play. The facts have come out, and it's the opinion of this writer that Obama didn't "plagiarize;" you're witnessing the last act of a desperate woman (and her husband.)
Labels: Election 2008