Reply #44: Political... originality? [View All]

[LooseWilly]

Ok, I just don't get it. People just looking for an excuse to bash Obama? Looking to justify previous support of Edwards?

What's up with this thread people?

Obama's stealing message from Edwards? Well, yeah, sort of. Did you expect him to ignore the topics Edwards is bringing up? Is there some sort of unspoken rule that, once a presidential candidate has chosen an essay topic, then all the other candidates have to not respond to the given essay topic?

Is it maybe possible that the two of them are really not that different in their points of view? Is that maybe a crime?
It sounded to me like Obama was the voice of cerebral populism and by extension trying to listen to what he manages to hear of the "voice" of the people, while Edwards was the voice of the heart of populism, and by extension eager to fight for what he's already heard and seen of the "voice" of the people.
The difference is subtle and nuanced, and so... yes, Obama does sound like he's plagiarizing from Edwards... unless you notice that he's really responding to the same issues from a slightly different point of view. And what the hell's my point? My point is that what he seemed to be trying to highlight was that he has a slightly different approach/perspective on the issues.
The fact that they seem to have very similar ideas on the solutions to the issues does indeed make them seem to be saying the same things, and, since Edwards has been talking about the same issues for a bit longer, can easily make it seem like Obama is plagiarizing.

In my opinion they're both right. In my opinion a primary vote should be cast for whichever one of them sounds 'righter' to you. If you're feeling more inclusive and coalition building and cerebral, Obama's right. If you're feeling more combative and hard-line, then Edwards is right.
In the end, they're both right.

Although, 9/11, neither one, Ronald Reagan, has ever been a chief executive. To paraphrase Giuliani, Romney, and to some extent Richardson.