Sherrod Brown blew it. (About Plagiarized Letter Story)

[mattclearing]

I've defended him as more liberal than Paul Hackett in the past. I'm reposting this from a thread that has fallen about this story.

You'd think that you would write this kind of letter yourself, especially when writing to the Senator you are running to unseat!!!

It speaks incredibly poorly of his judgment. You shouldn't have an aide writing this stuff, and you shouldn't be cribbing it from the Internet. That's just fucking stupid, I'm sorry.

The permission/plagiarism issue is secondary to the fact that Brown looks like an idiot for not just writing his own letter. It's not like it's a campaign letter auto-response.

It's a letter to the guy he's running against!!!

[TheFarseer]

1. link doesn't work

I have no idea what we are talking about.

[Kolesar]

4. http:// is repeated. Hence it does not work . eom

[mattclearing]

5. Thanks. It's only the second time I've used the feature.

[Kolesar]

8. You will soon be addicted to it!

:hi:

[LSK]

2. fix your link please

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1131445870289970.xml&coll=2

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Congressmen don't write letters

Their staff does. Some one on his staff screwed up big time.

[mattclearing]

6. Even to their eventual opponents?

You'd think he'd at least know where the info came from. Either way, it's dumb.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. He probably reviewed it before it was sent out

The facts in the letter are not original. But they are organized in an original way. He had no idea that his staffer did not write those words.

[Rowdyboy]

9. Just can't get as excited about as you are.....Of course, I don't live in

Ohio, so I don't get to vote, but I really think this is way over-inflated (and you can be certain Mike DeWhine in pushing it for all its worth). They author gave permission on his site, its a routine political letter, and it'll be forgotten by Thanksgiving.

I really don't care, either way Ohio will get a new senator who will be one helluva lot better than the incumbent.

[mattclearing]

10. I guess it just bothers me that a letter like this is delegated.

I mean, it's not like it's a fundraising appeal, or an auto-response to a constituent letter. It's a letter to his eventual election opponent. A senator to be should be able to stand by that.