Impossible. They just *can't* do it.

[MannyGoldstein]

A couple of years back, then-senatorial-candidate Elizabeth Warren gave a great (and seemingly-impromptu) soliloquy on how nobody in America gets rich on their own - they get rich with the help of the American people, and they owe it to the American people to put some of their wealth back into helping the next generation of Americans.

"'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever.' No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."

Now that demanding that the 99% eat our peas and other such crap is no longer considered fashionable among national Democrats, some of the Third Way crowd has been trying to duplicate Warren's schtick -- they stumble through some words that are sort of similar, but the effect is like an actor reciting lines they've not yet memorized, in a foreign language they don't understand. It's like a vampire convincing us they love sunlight.

The latest Third-Way attempt to imitate an FDR Democrat was undertaken by one Hillary Clinton, the video is below. For reference, I've included Elizabeth Warren's original below Clinton's re-enactment. (Extra-credit question: which one would you put your money on in a debate?)

(Copyright note: I gave myself permission to copy this, in its entirety, from my new blog which has almost nothing on it yet and will probably get abandoned in a few weeks, but I'll give it a go.)

[L0oniX]

1. K & R

[pa28]

2. And of course President Obama's now infamous "you didn't build that" speech.

If you haven't seen it in a while watch it. Obama is echoing what Elizabeth Warren said but he's really struggling as though he's trying to say something he doesn't really mean or understand for the sake of a good stump speech. Sanders and Warren never seem to have that problem.

Like the man said. He doesn't like playing a populist in public and it shows here.

[Enthusiast]

13. I agree. The President badly botched that.

It was due to a fundamental disconnect.

[Bagsgroove]

3. Who built that?

You'll recall that it was in a botched attempt to recreate Elizabeth Warren's speech ("recreate" is a nicer word than "plagiarize&quot that Mr. Obama made his infamous "you didn't build that" comment. Of course the GOP took his statement out of context (just as Democrats took Romney's "I like to fire people" out of context) but I figured Obama deserved the hit for not only lifting Warren's speech, but doing it so uncharacteristically badly.

And now Ms. Clinton has given the Fox news crowd, "corporations don't create jobs."

I like Obama and I like Clinton, but they ought to either use their own stuff or steal more accurately.

[sabrina 1]

12. When a Dem has to struggle to say what should come naturally to someone representing the

Party of the People, we need to look elsewhere for leaders imo. FDR had zero problem saying what Warren said, because he was not a member of the Third Way.

People who have convictions, do not need Think Tank talking points or someone else's words.

[MrModerate]

4. To be fair, Clinton wasn't trying to say the same thing as Warren . . .

Although she should be.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. True, but I think she was using the same rhetorical construct

towards the same end.

Strike that, different end - Warren was just telling us how she feels, Hillary was saying something she thinks will get more stuff for her.

[ReRe]

5. K&R

They can try all they want, Manny. They can repeat every word verbatim, but it will never be the same, because it isn't in their hearts. Now had they attributed it to Elizabeth Warren before they even began, it might have gone off better. I forgave PO when he did it, as we all KNEW where it came from. And you'll have to admit, he was better at it than Hill.

And then when it fell flat on her, she drug Bill into the whole equation, hoping that would pull her out of the corner she had painted herself in. Pitiful.

[Eleanors38]

10. A culture sick with celebrity can at least spot bad acting.

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[NYC_SKP]

8. The hypocrisy is painfully evident to anyone paying attention.

She can't have it both ways:

More tax cuts for the top and for companies that ship jobs over seas while taxpayers and voters are stuck paying the freight just doesn't add up.

What's that you say? Shipping jobs overseas?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3023050

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/08/25/239984/-Hillary-Clinton-to-Buffalo-Let-Them-Eat-Jobs

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillarys-nafta-lie/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/02/24/463048/-Hillary-On-Record-For-NAFTA-Support

Oh please.

[sabrina 1]

14. I know I will never support Hillary, even if she is the nominee. And now is the time for voters

to tell the party leadership that. Telling them, 'well I'm not crazy about her, but if she is the nominee, I will vote for 'my party', is the worst possible strategy to get the Party to listen to the people.

So I am telling them now, 'if she is the nominee, I will put my energies into Congress and not waste time, money and energy on the Billion Dollar WH race.

Their option is, give the voters someone they can fight for. But this someone with a provable voting record on Liberal issues that we can trust.

Also, of vital importance, who will that candidate place in their cabinet? Dems, Repubs? We didn't ask that question last time, and we got a whole lot of Repubs and Corporate CEOs back in power. This time it is a vitally important question imo.

[NYC_SKP]

16. I am with you, sabrina 1. If more of us would vote our conscience and not buy into the fear...

...we might actually evolve and progress.

The capacity to change direction gets weaker and weaker over, and this might be the last chance to turn it around.

I'm not going to do it this time, I'm not going to cast a vote for her, I just can't.

So, now it the time to try to persuade others to let the primary be a true primary. Hillary and Edwards fought against an open field the last time. No more!

They play dirty and think it's OK.

"Our guys should talk."

Screw that.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3371185

[sabrina 1]

17. Wow, I never saw that before. They certainly do play dirty and people are getting sick and tired of

their games when millions are in need in this country.

I won't do it either NYC_SKP. I feel for the 'lesser evil' ploy for way too long, and see that it hasn't worked.

I'm not sure that even if we did get a great Progressive President, that s/he could do much anyhow. So my focus from now on is on Congress and on local issues and elections, so we can build from the bottom up to ensure that if and when we do get such a president, s/he has the support of Congress and a majority of the people.

[NYC_SKP]

19. True, without a working Congress and a better SCOTUS, a progressive POTUS is pretty powerless EXCEPT

.
Except that they can become a great Stateswoman or Statesman, a leader, a speaker.

It's gotten to the point that if one speaks out against greed, for example, one speaks to both parties, so it's not like it would be partisan to lay out the facts about income disparity, a weakened social safety net, and the zillion other things that go unaddressed by both parties yet impact ALL of us.

These arguments, if made, could change the whole makeup of congress over just a few election cycles.

Nobody with the ear of the media is making the case that needs to be made.

An outspoken president could do that.

[TheKentuckian]

20. I already decided no more going along with the Turd Way over 4 years ago.

The last one was purely a bid for time, the time was spent on digging a deeper hole and as such worse than merely wasted.

I'm out hell or high water, can't nominate a servant of the people and a good steward? Then you not only threw away my vote but shit on it while spitting in my eye.

[Scuba]

9. K&R Sincerity vs rhetoric. Even a two-year old can spot the difference.

[Enthusiast]

11. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

Thank you, Manny.

[pscot]

15. K&R

Congratulations on the new blog. I hope it goes well.

[bvar22]

18. Certainly easy to see that EW was sincere and heart felt.

Hillary didn't even convince herself.
No vote for Hillary here either.



[font color=firebrick size=3][center]The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of The Wealthy & The Powerful at the EXPENSE of The Working Class and The POOR. [/font][/center]