For those Clinton supporters stoking the Obama "just words" flames, I say: Do you really want to continue this war of words?
On the front page of Tuesday's New York Times, an interesting quote from Hillary Clinton appears well above the fold:
"Mrs. Clinton told an audience that the Wisconsin primary and subsequent contests were 'a chance for all of you here to help take our country back.
ZOMG -- She said take our country back... It's plagiarism! Alert CNN, alert MSNBC, alert FoxNews, alert Lauer and Tapper and Limbaugh: Clinton is blatantly copying the language 2003-2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean.
"Take our country back," "take your country back," "I want my country back." These, of course, were the rallying cries of Dean (and Deaniacs like myself).
In fact, Dean used the phrase in announcing his campaign on June 23rd, 2003.
I naturally fully expect this instance of plagiarism to be trumpeted and repeated as endlessly in both the mainstream media and the blogs as the supposed plagiarism of Obama has been.
Nevermind that Obama and Patrick work closely together, and Patrick says he authorized Obama to use any quotes which might appear to have originated with him. Just as Obama authorized Patrick to use his Senatorial "Yes, We Can" slogan in his gubernatorial campaign.
We must stop this plague of plagiarism before it brings our party and our nation to its knees. After all, the struggle to take our country back is not just words.
But seriously, folks:
Is either Clinton or Obama a plagiarist? Hardly. Unlike the more extensive instance of actual plagiarism which forced Senator Joseph Biden from an earlier race, these phrases ("just words," "take our country back") are common to political debate. We should firmly distinguish between passing off extended passages and substantial arguments as one's own, and the day-to-day sloganeering of politics.
Voters deserve better during this campaign than endless games of "gotcha" among candidates and the media. Silly tit-for-tat accusations of this kind do nothing to inform us about the issues facing our nation, how to solve them, and for whom to vote.
Not that I'm going to hold my breath waiting for our political discourse to improve.
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