Patrick: Plagiarism Accusation Against Obama 'Extravagant'

[Purveyor]

The man credited with writing Sen. Barack Obama's "power of words" speech today called the plagiarism accusation "not fair" and said it was an attempt to "belittle his ability to motivate people."

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told "Good Morning America" that Sen. Hillary Clinton was wrong to accuse Obama of poaching his lines.

"It's an elaborate charge and an extravagant one," Patrick said.

--
Patrick says an allegation such as plagiarism is too much. "It's not like he's writing a law review article or a book. He should have credited me two words," the governor said.

Patrick and Obama have longstanding ties and similarities. Like Obama, Patrick faced a tough race against a woman, is a fellow Harvard grad and the two are old friends. They even share political adviser David Axelrod.

"I've known Barack 15 years. We've talked a good deal. I fully expected he would sustain a charge at some point, trying to belittle his ability to motivate people. I got the same attack," Patrick said.

---EOE---

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Vote2008/story?id=4310143&page=1

[MethuenProgressive]

1. Axlerod probably wrote that for Deval to say.

[Araxen]

15. Hillary's new campaign slogan

"Wolfson, making us, the Clintons look like fools, one day a at a time".

[ShortnFiery]

2. Kudos to Gov. Deval Patrick for being "a team player." - Something The Clinton campaign knows NADA.

Gov. Deval Patrick :yourock: :thumbsup:

[Meshuga]

3. It's the throw shit to see if it sticks tactic from the Clinton campaign

That might work for some but it is what pretty much turned me off as far as supporting her in the primaries process.

Hillary Clinton's campaign looks so much more attractive when they focus on her abilities as far as policies and ideas than when they resort to this kind of shit throwing politics.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. Hillary's negative campaigning isn't doing her any good

[Submariner]

7. It's all the Clinton campaign has left. All mud, and no policy.

[Iceburg]

4. Plagiarism aside, it the lack of original rhetoric that bothers me /nt

[LiberalFighter]

8. You want to see original?

Don't attend political rallies, conventions, and other political events.

Some of it can put you to sleep. Because they repeat the same thing over and over in their speeches.

[Adelante]

9. Nothing is original in political speech

Everything has been said before.

[NashVegas]

11. Exactly. No One Is Questioning His Ability to Motivate People

Patrick is throwing out a false argument in hopes that people won't examine very closely *why* plagiarism = bullshit.

We are in the 8th year of a president who bullshitted his way into office, with full cooperation from the MSM press.

[UALRBSofL]

19. Iceburg, I feel the same way

When you go to a Hillary rally you will get an ear full of substance, policy, issues. Now, it might be a bit borring compared to Obama's but she gets to the meat of the issues.

[Captain Hilts]

6. That's the answer to a different question, Deval. nt

[flor de jasmim]

10. What am I missing here?

Two words? I thought they were talking about "I have a dream", which MLK said before Patrick!

[lapfog_1]

17. "Just words"

give a famous quote from a founding father or President or MLK and say "just words", repeat three or four times.

It's an illustration of just how false the "he makes pretty speeches, but those are just words" really is. By recalling the "words" of our previous leaders, words that we live by.

So Patrick used this mechanism to refute "he just makes pretty speeches" charge... and so did Obama. I don't believe anyone is accusing either of them with plagiarizing the famous quotes, only the "just words" connective tissue.

I don't even know if using the same two words a number of times would even count as "plagiarism" or not... however both Patrick AND Obama have given this speech before, and the last time (6 months ago) that Obama gave it, he credited it to Patrick. Patrick, for his part, has said that he and Obama often lift sections or themes from each other and that it's perfectly OK and he doesn't consider it plagiarism.

[Raffi Ella]

12. really!???

His friend of 15 years said that???oooh.Hillary better sit down calling out Obama on his character and the very foundation of "his" Hope Campaign.She has no business trying to expose Devals friend!Who does she think she is getting the truth out there like that??

If it were Hillary,Deval woulda been screamin' like a stuck pig over this so called NON issue and so would his followers.

You people are SO incredibly disingenuous,just unreal.

[moondust]

13. I'd call it insulting.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. It Was Wrong And People Know It. It Was A Stupid Thing To Do And Is A Bit Embarrassing.

No one wants to hear recycled rhetoric as if it was their own, and I was a bit disappointed myself to learn that a motivational part of his speech had been lifted completely from someone else. There's just something monumentally disingenuous about that, and is a bit embarrassing for him.

It's not the end of the world or anything, but it was a mistake and something that absolutely has reason to bother some people. Trying to sweep it away as if it was meaningless is dishonorable in my opinion.

And to all the Obama supporters out there, if Hillary had done this, bush had done this, or anyone else had done this, you'd all be screaming bloody murder. Try not to be such hypocrites ok?

[scheming daemons]

18. "If Hillary had done this"

Hillary has done this her whole campaign. Every speech is recycled rhetoric from someone else.


The bottom line:

Obama has gone UP in the election markets since yesterday, Hillary has gone down.

intrade.com
rasmussenmarkets.com


This "scandal" has been yet another instance where the blowback on Hillary has been worse than the damage to Barack.

Keep it up, OMC and other Clintonistas. Every time you do it, it ends up helping Obama.

You're the best friends his campaign has ever had.

[lapfog_1]

21. Teacher says... every time a OMG types on a keyboard

another Obamite gets their wings!

I got mine!

Fired up!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

23. What He Did Was Wrong And Embarrassing. Shame You Don't Have The Integrity To Admit It.

And I'm not a clintonista, but obviously you are a childish void of intellect jackass who needs to use such pathetic terms.

[lapfog_1]

20. Bullshit.

Hillary has lifted entire speeches from Bill (documented on tape).

And just a few weeks ago she used the same exact speech as John Edwards (after hearing him use it in a debate)... again, on tape (this was John's "tracking a video tape from Blockbuster" speech).

So if it's so wrong for Obama... is it also now wrong for Hillary to recycle Bill's speeches or plagiarize one from Edwards???

(crickets)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. So You're Admitting It Was In Fact Wrong Of Obama Then.

Thanks. :hi:

[lapfog_1]

28. Did you not see the big IF

guess you didn't.

Besides, Obama had permission.

Obama had previously given the same speech AND credited Patrick.

Obama has apologized for the lapse. (so yeah, it was a minor mistake).

Now waiting for you to level the same charges and get the apology from Hillary........

(crickets)

[TexasObserver]

27. You're right. He's wrong.

Has OMC ever been right about anything?

No.

He loves to get involved in those nonstop "did too, did not" interchanges. Don't waste your time on him. He'll trot off to the next person he wants to engage and nag, nag, nag.

[lapfog_1]

29. Oh I know...

he has been doing this for a while now.

Just another Hypocrite. Mostly they are Republicans... but I see that some associate themselves with Democrats.

[goclark]

30. No we would not be screaming anything ~"Fired Up

and Ready to Go" said your candidate--- didn't hear her mention Obama's name when she said it.

I didn't care because I knew she was just searching for something to say that would be "original."

:bounce:

[robbedvoter]

16. What? No apology for the pain he caused BO? Dick's hunting buddy was a better

team player!

[BeyondGeography]

22. Denigrating the value of oratory

more positive outreach to the black community by Team Restoration.

What a fucking train wreck they've become.

[TexasObserver]

25. It's a stupid, ineffective stunt by Hillary, a desperate attempt to try to revive her dying campaign

Literally a tempest in a teapot, of no consequence. False outrage is the only thing Hillary does well, and it doesn't sell.

[global1]

26. Listening To Ed Schultz Yesterday - He Actually Made This Point On An......

appearance he made on a cable news show before this whole controversy blew up.