Cindy's Recipe Gate - An intern gets the blame of course.

[yellowcanine]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/cindys_recipegate.html

Cindy McCain's "Old McCain Family Recipes" turn out to be copied word for word from the Food Network. A lowly intern is blamed. Which raises the question of how a lowly intern was authorized to publish represent something as "McCain Family Recipes" all by his own little self? What would the Republican Gore Attack team (with the help of the MSM) have done with this?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Although, it is reminiscent of Kerry and Cookiegate

I think Family Circle asks the wife of both party's contenders (although would they have to ask Bill if Hillary wins?) for their favorite cookie recipe. Theresa Kerry's recipe was considered "weird" and not very mainstream - I think it had cranberries and cinnamon and seemed (gasp!)"European" while Laura's were the usual Mrs. Cleaver oatmeal or chocolate chip type thing.

The Kerry campaign blamed the cookie recipe on a staffer.

I think all these campaigns should be a little more with it now and realize that these "favorite recipe" things are little time bombs just waiting for them if they can't get their acts together and figure out what they really do like. And, it's probably better to prefer cheeseburgers to escargots. Don't scare America with "Frenchy" stuff!

[DrDan]

2. "word for word" - hmmm - would that not be a copyright infringement?

[yellowcanine]

5. Yes but this is Rachal Ray of the Food Network......Not exactly Julia Child.

[DrDan]

8. ok - wonder who she copied it from . . .

[dysfunctional press]

10. that would depend on whether it's copyrighted material...

and if the use violated the terms of that copyright.

[DrDan]

13. well - this was found on the Food Network site

". . . you may not use, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, transmit, or otherwise exploit Website Content for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining prior written consent from us . . . "

Seems to be an infringement to me - a lay person - unless the mccain intern sought and was granted permission for reproducing the recipe as a mccain-family recipe.

I think this is certainly more than trivial matter. It is a violation of the law, imo.

(editted to add link - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/legal_information/ )

[dysfunctional press]

15. you left out some key parts with your three dots- "..."

"Except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use" . . . you may not use, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, transmit, or otherwise exploit Website Content for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining prior written consent from us . . . "

and the terms of use expressly permit "personal non-commercial use"...and while it could probably be argued that the office of potus has become just as "commercial" as anything else, i doubt that it is considered to be so from a legal standpoint.

[DrDan]

16. well - lets add a bit more . . .

"Except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use, you may not use, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, transmit, or otherwise exploit Website Content for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining prior written consent from us . . . "

************

"Furthermore, except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use, you may not:

(i) remove, alter, cover, or distort any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights notice on the Website or Website Content"

************

so I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me the use of this recipe goes beyond "personal" use.

I do not mean this to be offensive in any way - I would just like to know the scope of your interpretation. Are you a lawyer? If so, then I certainly bow to your expertise. If not - do you have a legal background? If so, again, I bow to your background.

If not - then I assume we are both coming at this from a lay-person's background. And I absolutely do not mean this to be offensive or insulting in any way. I hope you do not take it to be so.

[dysfunctional press]

17. how does it goe beyond personal use? was she selling them in a book of "mccain family recipes"?

i'm coming from a common-sense background, not a witch-hunt looking for nefariousness under every rock, behind every shadow, and around every corner.

[DrDan]

18. that was my first thought also - that this is such a trivial issue

but to capitalize on someone else's work and ownership - just to somehow improve the appeal of mccain just pisses me off.

I am somewhat angered that they would just "assume" ownership of something that belongs to someone else - just for their campaign. That seems very arrogant to me.

[dysfunctional press]

19. it's certainly unethical, immoral and dishonest- but what about republicans isn't?

and yes it's maddening- i just don't think that it reaches any real magnitude of illegality...
ultimately, it probably hurts them worse in the court of public opinion than it would in any court of law.

[yellowcanine]

3. Maybe someone shoud post an "Old McCain Family Recipe" for "factory farm veal".

Sounds like a good project for the Onion.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. So, as a candidate's spouse,

did Bill Clinton provide a cookie recipe?

Maybe he can cook .... he's been on Rachel Ray's show a few times!
:rofl:

[dysfunctional press]

12. he's been on her show a few times...i wonder if she's been on anything of his....?

:shrug:

[zbdent]

14. Don't forget ... this came about because Hillary was *gasp* a working mom

in 1992, running against "Grandma" Babs in the "family values" era ... to show that Hillary was a bad mom, because she didn't have a chocolate chip cookie recipe ...

and then, in 1996, second wife Elizabeth Dole brushed it off, saying that she didn't have kids ... (how was that not terrible???)

and then, in 2000, with Tipper Gore supplying a chocolate chip cookie recipe, Pickles said that W didn't like chocolate chip cookies, so she did "ginger snaps" ... (gee, wasn't the whole idea of the "contest", or insult, the "better" chocolate chip cookie recipe?)

[Olney Blue]

4. I doubt Cindy McCain has ever been in a kitchen.

[KG]

7. that was my first thought when i heard about this.

:rofl:

[phillysuse]

9. I thought Cindy McCain would cook with

beer - after all she is a beer heiress.

[a kennedy]

11. "a lowly intern"....

Not to bring up the dead horse, but, was Monica ever considered "a lowly intern"??? :rofl: