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Michael Moore Points To Hillary's Plagiarism
Hillary Clinton as many readers including me pointed out yesterday has a long history of stealing lines and slogans but for some reason isn't really being called out on it by the mainstream media including TPM. I guess the Clinton team was savvy enough to know that the media would be gullible and eat it up to try to raise sort of dust up on Obama. Michael Moore pretty quickly yesterday put up just a few examples of Hillary's line stealing.
There was a New Republic article that also gave examples called Hillary the Thief yesterday that I didn't plagiarize and posted yesterday. And as noted in TPM, the Huffington Post list some line lifting that Hillary did from her own husband. One great point that one reader made was amazingly, Hillary plagiarized Deval Patrick's Republican opponent Kerry M. Healy in her attack on words during their run for governor of Massachusetts. The Boston Globe had a story about it. So why isn't the MSN or TPM reporting the original source that spurred Deval Patrick to urge his friend Barack Obama to use his words?
I'm sure in researching ways how to attack a dynamic black candidate, Camp Hillary was looking at the Republican playbook in Massachusetts when they stole the "more fluff than substance" and "just words" attacks. It probably slapped Deval Patrick in the face when he heard the lifted attack being thrown at Obama. Hillary should have considered that Deval Patrick won, and that she has borrowed far more lines than any presidential candidate.
See the HNIC report for more.
Comments (10)
Aw, hell.
ALL political candidates co-opt ideas from each other. To anyone who has followed the campaigning so far, it's been OBVIOUS they've been copying each other. The "outrage" surrounding this non-issue is insulting--the vacuous distraction "du jour."
Deval Patrick and Barack Obama have been friends for over a decade and admit to borrowing each other's themes. They admitted this publicly in a piece by the Boston Globe back in April of 2007.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/16/patrick_obama_campaigns_share_language_of_hope/
You wanna know who else Obama co-opted a lot of his campaign themes from??? Check it out:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/02/coming-back-to.html
February 19, 2008 8:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is nitpicky beyond believe! So what if Obama quotes or paraphrases a close political ally? Nothing more natural than that. It's working together, learning from someone whose in a similar situation! They're both young black Democrats ploiticians. This is as ridiculous as those who accuse Hillary Clinton from stealing lines from Bill.
get real, get a hobby.
February 19, 2008 10:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the media is waiting to see if this news cycle takes hold or not - as to whether or not to report on HILLARY'S plagiarizm.
Sadly, because this can hurt even the best of candidates.
Coonsey's View
www.freewebs.com/coonsey/
February 20, 2008 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Stealing political slogans isn't "plagiarism". I'm sorry - it just isn't.
February 20, 2008 11:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
During Obama's first (8) eight years of elected service (in Illinois) he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:
*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law)
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law)
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, (passed by the Senate)
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law)
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee)
In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD, FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"
HILLARY CLINTON, WHO HAS SERVED FOR 6 YEARS IN THE U.S. SENATE, AND CLAIMS TO KNOW HOW TO "GET THINGS DONE" HAS MANAGED TO AUTHOR AND PASS NTO LAW ONLY TWENTY (20) PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONLY FIVE (5) OF WHICH HAVE ANY REAL SUBSTANCE:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.
February 20, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hillary herself has brazenly plagarized - and not just a campaign theme. She lifted words directly from someone else's speech while campaigning in New Hampshire, according to this Pittsburg Post-Gazette article from last month:
"she defended her earnest speaking style by saying, in an indirect reference to Mr. Obama, "you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose."
That particular political maxim was first uttered in a 1985 speech at Yale University-- by Mr. Cuomo.
"She didn't attribute it to me, although it's in Bartlett's Quotations and they did," the former governor said, laughing."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08011/848437-176.stm
I can't claim the credit for finding this - I'll have to credit Anonymous on another blog. And sorry about the formatting. I've given up on trying to code in HTML.
I just hope if this plagarism stuff doesn't die down soon that someone starts scrutinizing McCain's speeches for plagarism...
February 20, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
What idiot would want to claim that McCain was plagarising him? Would anyone really want to claim credit for his first-grade level words?
If you really want to claim that McCain is copying your words, you need a major reality check!
February 20, 2008 7:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Michael Moore has turned out to be a big wind bag any more. First he helped cost Al Gore the race in 2000 by backing Ralph Nader. Then he backed down from that hack doctor on CNN and caved with a half ass apology from him. Hillary wants healthcare for everyone but does he back her, no way. So called health care activest, doesn't back the candidate that want everyone to get health care. How many jobs did he bring to the GM plants in Flint after Roger and me.? He makes these movies gets peoples hopes up, and takes the money and runs, and you listen to him. If he backs Obama it must be to make a buck, that is his M.O., so far to date.
February 20, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the reason why Moore is not backing Hillary is clear:
If Iraq War is your issue- in no moral conciousness can you vote for someone who blantly lies about the bill she authorized.
Mr.Penn and Mr.Wolfson-by the way- seem like offsprings born out of wedlock for Ann Coulter and Karl Rove.
Penn especially is a highly expensive SCUM.
February 20, 2008 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Such nonsense - george bush, and most politicians, have never given a speech that wasn't written word for word by a speech writer. And the guy they say Obama is lifting ideas from is working on his own campaign!
talk about grasping for straws
February 20, 2008 8:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
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