Letters to the Editor
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WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
This is important not because Hillary Clinton is making the accusation herself. It's important because it goes to the crux of the Obama campaign: The campaign that has promised new beginnings, breaking with the past, turning pages, and all that. He' supposed to be running a "different kind of campaign," isn't he? One that is not reflective of the politics of old?
I, too, have heard words that I believed were strikingly similar to John Edwards' "Real Solutions" from 2004. Indeed, a TV spot running now in the Columbus, Ohio area actually says the words "real solutions" while talking about the need to penalize corporations that don't pay taxes and take jobs overseas: A very frequent and familiar line from John Edwards in 2004.
Now, those in politics understand that message is the key to winning any campaign - that and tactics to communicate that message. But, I would have to say that the Obama campaign is border-line hypocritical with it's Obama Stump Stew - mixing every platitude and one-liner spoke in numerous campaigns in order to define itself as unique. Seems to me this is just a rationale efficient - and lazy - way to run a campaign and establish ones own positions: Whatever sounds good.
Maybe Bill Cinton was right: The whole campaign is a myth; a fantasy.
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@Ironocrat
Ironocrat: "What do you do for a living such that you can compose these sentence-by-sentence refutations of anti-Obama comments all day (which by the way are not particularly endearing to your cause)?"
I invented Post-Its.
Seriously, what do you care what I do? Why aren't you asking the 15 Hillary supporters who go around posting the same spam-like attack posts against Obama? Start with factcheck1 and factcheck2, move on Notorious W.E.S. and AKA Smith, then keep going with the former Cythera45 and whoever keeps posting things under Anonymous. Be sure to ask each of them what they do for a living between jumping on whatever bogus pseudo-controversy they think might help their beloved Clinton get 10 more votes. Then be sure to tell them that their unethical methods are not particularly endearing to their cause.
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Lateagain, just to add
No, not a drop out worthy offense as long as there is nothing else more significant. You can bet though that opposition research, both McCain's and Clinton's, will start going over every word he has ever said or written with an eye to uncovering something.
BTW, what do you think of the lyrics of Robert Hunter?
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No. But.
"-but what if it turned out that Bill Clinton was writing many of Hillary's speeches. Would this still be considered plagiarism since he was not given credit?"
If Bill Clinton was writing his own speeches between 1992-2000 (or from his earlier term as Governor of Arkansas), then gave large chunks of them to Hillary to use on the stump, without referencing Bill as the original deliverer of the words, then it would be the same kind of deal.
No one expects Obama to write every word he speaks, but we have every right to expect that Obama's speeches are newly crafted, and not stitched together from other existing speeches, Frankenstein-style.
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@Xrandadu
AKA Smith is not in the same league as those spambots on your list. Her prose sounds polished because she is an excellent writer. She has been posting on Salon (mostly at Broadsheet) for years, and is a respected member of the community. Just sayin'.
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Good stealing vs. Bad Stealing
I am not proposing any remedy or punishment. Like you say, people will decide.
But you sound disappointed, at least. I confess to being wicked confused now (more so than usual).
If Obama had inserted into his speech words to the effect of "And as Deval Patrick, the governer of the great state of Blah Blah said [more Blah Blah Blah]... " would that suffice?
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@ Uncle Fester
Yes.
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AKA Smith responding to Uncle Fester...
But Obama apparently did exactly that when he said a similar thing in New Hampshire. So couldn't it be argued that he inadvertently dropped the line on accident in the heat of giving the speech?
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Thanks melthough,
I just want to say that I respect your contributions as well, even on those rare occasions when I disagree. However I have only been here about a year. It just feels like more. I write too much here instead of writing what I should be writing.
I will be punished.
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@AKA Smith
Thank you for articulating what I have been arguing over at Broadsheet. (Several of the 500 comments on the thread that started out as a snide comment Obama made about HRC's "moods").
I was called an idiot, incapable of grasping logic, and - of course! - "Honey." I'm just gratified that other people are of similar minds on this topic. Lucky for you, no one has flung monkey poo at you over it.
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@ Number Six
Sure he could argue that, but if it is not actually true that wouldn't be honest, would it? Actually Obama was there when Patrick once delivered the speech. I think Obama should stick to the truth. It's always easier to remember.
Whatever he says, it should probably begin with: I am just human. I make mistakes. If there is nothing else then he should be okay.
Look, I am a Hillary supporter. I want her to win. However, if she is not the nominee, I want to be able to vote for Obama in the fall. Most of all, I want the Democrats to win. On many issues, I think McCain would be a competent president, but I want the war to end and I want a Democratic president to be the one making those SCOTUS nominations.
Obama is lucky in one thing today. Fidel Castro has resigned. It is at the top of the news.
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AKA,
We only started disagreeing occasionally when John Edwards dropped out of the race. :) Was Clinton always your second choice? I didn't have one, unless you count Kucinich. And I still haven't decided. I think it is a mistake to watch everything as closely as I am watching, trying to decide. It only depresses me.
As for writing what one "should" be writing, I freelance (marketing copy) for a living and write poetry on the side. I've often felt furtive and guilty about how often I read and post here, but, ironically, more people end up reading my posts on Salon than anything else I write. And those of us who take care to craft good arguments and avoid calling names raise the intellectual and social standards here, and all over the Web. That is not a small thing - or, at least, no smaller than the other projects to which one might apply one's energy.