Political Punch

I am a Democrat from Massachusetts that voted for Gov. Duval Patrick. I was a fan of his since a year before he announced that he was running for Governor of Massachusetts and appeared in an interview on our Town television station. Wow, was I ever impressed. I told a friend, he will be our first black President.He won the Governors race by a landslide!

I along with many of his followers am extremely disappointed in what he has done in 14 months in office. He hasn't done a thing. Not one thing, and now he just signed a 1.35 million dollar book deal, about his life story. This man is a nice,wonderful guy, but a as far as having the ability to govern, he is a fraud. I am positive after hearing the disappointment in his constituency that he couldn't get elected as "dog catcher" 14 mos. later.
The man is incompetent and a con artist.We've all been had. Our only saving grace will be that Duval will take him so that we can get a Governor that knows the political arena and can work with a legislature. Disgusted!

What is most ironic is this:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident...that all men are created equal..."
was indeed JUST WORDS, in the sense that, at the time, "all men" meant "the right kinds of wealthy white men."

So, words do need to be buttressed by consistent authentic ACTIONS, else they just mislead, as those words misled Obama when he 'quoted' them in Patrick's context.

About actions. The press hasn't yet done a sufficiently thorough job of informing us about the comparative track records of the candidates, and the extent to which they allow themselves to be influenced by corporate interests.

For example, what's the story on the energy bill, and how Obama, Hillary, and McCain stood on its various aspects?

Nobody is talking about what matters.

The "just words" quotes that Obama lifted were spoken by Martin Luther King, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and our forefathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence. The reason that those words have inspired generations and are quoted today is because they were spoken by men whose actions spoke far louder than any words they spoke. It wasn't those words that have transcended time but the weight that those words held due to the courage and leadership of the great men that said them.
It's important to understand how "just words" can manipulate even when they are someone else's. Actions, on the other hand, are the only communication who's source is unquestionable.

Clinton shouldn't be criticising anyone about a lack of experience. I wouldn't let her take care of my goldfish much less run the country. I don't think McCain is the greatest thing to ever come down the pike but it would be interesting to see how Obama would have reacted in the prisoner of war camp that McCain led his men through and eventually out of in Vietnam. It's rare to have a candidate who's leadership and character has been tempered as McCain's has.

Perhaps the speechwriter shouldn't have used the same words for two so similar candidates in such a short timespan. The larger question is whether "the words" really mean anything. Patrick hasn't had too much success creating coalitions within his own party in Mass. and his term so far has been disappointing at best. His recent state of the state address reflects a governor that's either out of touch with economic realities or who continues to push hope and belief over any viable plan for action.

I care! Obama has great words and nothing else!

This is the biggest non-issue thus far in the campaign. This was NOT a scientific publication, it was NOT a journalist making up sources, it was NOT an author lifting pages of another's book. It was similar words of a well travelled Democratic speech writer appearing in two different speeches he wrote.

If words can be owned--and I'm not sure these simple stock phrases can be "owned"--but if they are owned by Deval Patrick--they can only be "stolen" by Obama if Deval wants to press charges. If I come home and find you in my living room eating out of my fridge, do you automatically go to jail for trespassing or stealing? Not unless I press charges. If I am the injured party, and I don't press charges, nobody else can do that for me. What Deval Patrick gives away as a gift cannot be stolen--whether he approved it before or after it was "taken" is not the point.

I wonder if Obama's student supporters feel they can do the same on a term paper or essay.
Many students feel that it is OK and lift entire essays. You can but them online. So if they are cheaters,then it is no problem to follow someone else who does.
I wonder how my professors would react if I said I lifted some of my friend's term paper but it's ok because it's my friend and she gave me permission.
I mean it's only words,right?

Well, Obama admitted he used Patrict's "Words" and should have credited him when he used the "Words" and didn't. I believe he credited him later when this became an issue for some reason. The good people of Wisconsin and Hawaii didnot see this as an issue, neither will Texas and Ohio and the remaining states. Another non productive fishing expidition by would be "anglers", to put Senator Obama in a picture that only fits your preconcieved image. Get mad about the message "Words" not the messenger.

seriously who cares?.....they are buds, pals borrow from each other all the time..if it was such a big deal why isn't gov. patrick up in arms about it?
media sucks...find a real story to cover.

Thank you for this. People want Obama to be America's Messiah. He can do no wrong. In fact, he and his team have cast themselves as the saviors of the world. The truth is he is a human being. And apparently he's being caught in small lies that amount to small compromises in integrity now (to prop up an image of perfection). That image will have to fall at some point. I'd rather it fall now, than when small compromises have the chance to become much larger ones in the White House.

Let's see what we've actually got here. Almost no accomplishments that anyone can name. But wait, he gives a great speech. Not quite as good as Duval Patrick, in my opinion, and you certainly have many instances where you can actually compare these side by side and make your own opinion. President of the United States because he is a "different" kind of candidate? Because he is "change." ROTFLMAO. You Obama supporters are seriously not thinking this thing through. If you SERIOUSLY think that Obama is a different kind of candidate, then your just deluding yourself or you just don't care. Either way, it's creepy. I do agree with you, though, he gives a great speech! I will give him a 7 on a scale of 10 and Duval Patrick a 9. I give the speech writer they share a 10. A different kind of candidate? President of the United States?

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

Obama is CORRUPT, his slogan of change an ILLUSION.

1) A houseowner wants to sell both a house and adjoining land. Obama can afford to buy only the house. No problem, the criminal Rezko to the rescue. Rezko pays full price for the land, whereas Obama gets a discount of $300,000 on the house. Nice to have criminal friends like this!!! (reference ABC News)

2) Exelon Corporation had not disclosed radioactive leaks at one of its nuclear plants in Illinois. Obama, a senator for Illinois introduces a bill to make disclosures mandatory. Seems like Exelon doesn't like it. Each draft of the new bill by Obama goes more and more towards Exelon till disclosures end up being "voluntary". What gives? How about $250,000+ donations by Exelon to Obama's campaigns!!! Obama is not change, he is WASHINGTON BUSINESS AS USUAL. (reference New York Times)

People need to stop believing their fantasies about Obama and realize that Hillary is the one who has been fighting for them all along. All the way back to 1993 when she tried to introduce universal health care (before it became politically fashionable).

Status Quo-Barak and Deval-"say anything, do Anything" to get elected.

They are friends.
They riff back and forth.
Who cares timeline.
Change the channel.
(I would have said "turn the page" but that just keeps this hamster wheel rolling, for chrissake)

Jake Tapper: Give it up, OK? Just give it up. We know you want McCain in office and we know Obama is the one who can beat him. But seriously--you aren't going to hand the nomination to Hillary. The Democrats simply reject her. She's out of it. She's finished. It's over. Hillary is now old and in the way of the best candidate the Democrats have had in generations. And John McCain has NO CHANCE of beating him. So Jake? Just give it up. You lose. Obama wins. And through him, the Democratic Party wins. It's over. Hillary is finished.

The YES WE CAN slogan was originally coined by Cesar Chavez (Hispanic labor leader) and his movement in California.

I have been bemused at people complimenting Obama's speechWRITING talent. To the best of my knowledge--ALL presidential candidates use speechwriters. Presidential candidates are worse plagiarizers than ad-writers. If the novice listener doesn't factor that reality into their evaluations; they should learn that lesson immediately.

Good speaking abilities are judged in three categories:

1. Good delivery (voice control and quality and body language) -

2. If the speaker is speaking extemporaneously (spontanously-- or, with little time for preparation (ex: debate) :
Knowledge, clarity of thought, wit or humor, skillful use of language
and good delivery (see above)

3.-IF JUDGED AS AN ORIGINAL SPEECH WRITTEN BY THE SPEAKER: the ability to make a clear and logical argument, factual accuracy, and use of powerful, vivid imagery. All intellectual property must be credited.

If you are listening to the speaker's original thoughts, they will normally reflect how the speaker communicates spontaneously. In other words, they will still use the same style, syntax, knowledge level and clarity of thought.

If you want to evaluate how much of Obama's speech is his own work; compare his debate exchanges to his stump speeches.

Tappe - the only real reporter in the mainstream media. I'm so sad that we're about to elect this guy president, and he doesn't care about plagiarism. I'm sad for my nieces - one is six years old and she knows Obama's name. Cheating is OK, he says. John Trigger-Happy Anger-Problem McCain is better for this country than this fraud. The damage is already done - he should have at least acknowledged he should always attribute things like this. He should have done it with a much more serious tone than he did.

(And no, Obama fans, don't follow up with Hillary did it too. She did not copy entire paragraphs from another guy's speech. When she said "yes, we can" or "no, we can't" it was an obvious retort or response to her political opponent during a campaign. And a ghost writer for "It Takes A Village" does not count either, not at all. Hillary hired the ghost writer then had to re-write the thing herself, it was in horrible shape.)

The Cambridge dictionary describes plagiarism as: to use another person's idea or a part of their work and pretend that it is your own.

Why is it that there is so much denial that Obama has done this, when he's admitted to doing it, has done it multiple times, and states he should have credited the author? If he's accused of it, he admits it, and states he shouldn't have done it, then what we think really doesn't matter.