The Startling Authenticity of the Lesser One

[MBS]

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/10/scott-brown-web-message-mirrors-elizabeth-dole-speech/86ZX3F3iZbJKdsoTL5vguN/index.html

A Democratic group has unearthed a bit of inspirational autobiography on Senator Scott Brown’s official website that was lifted verbatim from Elizabeth Dole’s site, language that originated in a campaign speech. . .

“This kind of plagiarism makes me wonder how many things about Scott Brown are really genuine,” said Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge 21st Century.
He added: “The fact that he can’t come up with a personal values statement of his own, that he has to steal someone else’s, I think is very instructive of what kind of politician he is.”
Brown spokesman John Donnelly said the language was attributed to Brown in error, while his staff was creating the senator’s website.
“Senator Dole’s website served as one of the models for Senator Brown’s website when he first took office. During construction of the site, the content on this particular page was inadvertently transferred without being rewritten,” Donnelly said. “It was a staff level oversight which we regret and is being corrected.”
Dole, a one-term former senator who also served as US secretary of labor and is married to 1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, did not immediately return a request for comment. . ..

:rofl:

[Mass]

1. LOL.Saw that yesterday.

Sems our senator does not even read the inspirational messages he sends to young people (dont tell me they made a technical error. They knew enough to get rid of the sentence Ï am the daughter of, so they edited the page).

Just as he studies bills up to the last minute. Tuesday afternoon, he still had not decided whether he was voting for bringing the job bill to the floor, or at least this is what a very uncomfortable staffer told hubby.

[karynnj]

2. I saw that on GDP where Mass posted it and then Blue Mass Yesterday

One additional fact that makes it more damning is that the first mine of Dole's statement was eliminated - it said "I am the daughter of ...." This means someone actually edited the section to eliminate the only line that was obviously NOT Brown's. Had that remained it could have been innocent.

The odd thing is that where the statement makes sense for Dole, who was speaking of the values she learned from her parents' lives and guidance - Brown JUST repeated how he did not have that with parents who married 4 times etc.

Even if writing this was assigned to staff, which would not be unusual, you would think they would write it using things he personally had said to reflect him. You would also assume that he would review it - especially things labeled "personal message".

That article is so damning - next people might see that his barncoat was expensive (I think about 3 times more expensive than Kerry's) and the truck was bought to transport her horse - though Brown found that too difficult.

[MBS]

3. story made the WaPo this morning

nothing really new. the story is just a poorly-edited pastiche of an AP modification of the Globe story, but it delighted me because it means that this will definitely now be a topic of inside-the-Beltway snickering. Excellent.:evilgrin:

I did enjoy this take on the editing out of the "Hanford" lines. a nice extra dollop of sarcasm in the wording :evilgrin:
(page A18 of today's hard-copy WaPo; unfortunately this particular phrase doesn't seem to be in the web version) (stuff in parentheses is mine)

Passages from Dole's 2002 speech were on her (dole's--ed) Web site, including this: " I am Mary and John Hanford's daughter.. " While (Brown spokesman) Donnelly says staffers mistakenly lifted Dole's language, some editing was apparently done; Brown was not identified as the daughter of Mary and John Hanford.

[karynnj]

4. Even more than the story itself, this will show how Brown really deals with any adversity

He really misplayed the comments on his Cosmo photos - looking very defensive, very unfocused and not very honest. You Massachusetts people have spoken of his short temper - even before he won. One of the many links on this made the observation that his three biggest assets are his looks, his "likability" and his "authenticity" ( quotes mine as I never saw either. ) and his reaction to the Warren episode directly hit likability and this hits his authenticity.

Ignoring that a Senator should have more than just those characteristics, I really wonder if this negative press will change his relationship with the media. He seems very thin skinned and unwilling to ever consider that he should accept any blame. There seem to be more and more posters in MA papers referring to his lack of town halls.

The last few months really show that his staff is not functioning well. Getting caught TWICE on dirty internet tricks and this incompetence really show that there is no grown up in charge. I think the WP sarcastic comment gets at the fact that his staff really did think that they could get away with lifting this text. IF there were no changes to Dole's personal statement, I would believe that he used the Dole website as a template and no one did this section and the website went public with the Dole stuff by mistake.

Using a different site would make it very easy to quickly create a good, functional website - and there is nothing wrong with doing that. The tabs you would want really are nearly the same for all Senators. All you need to do is replace the content in each section with appropriate text and photos. Many sections could easily be done by a summer intern - ie his contact information, his offices, his committee assignments etc. At least a few months ago, his legislation tab just returned what looks like the results of a Thomas inquiry on all sponsored or cosponsored bills. An intern might even have been able to use any Brown speech to students to create a Brown personal statement - but one would think that Brown, or at least a close high level aide) would have reviewed and edited it.

Even the dumbest intern should have been able to see that Brown's history does match the Dole story. It could fit most Senators, but Brown has written an entire book on how dysfunctional his parents were. Where Dole could start her personal statement saying she is the daughter of her parents, where the meaning is not just identifying her parentage, but saying she is the product of their values. As David on BMG wrote:

"if Brown’s statement really had come from him, then apparently his “school of hard knocks” would have included being “raised to believe that there are no limits to individual achievement and no excuses to justify indifference,” being “taught that success is measured not in material accumulations, but in service to others,” and being “encouraged to join causes larger than myself” and “to pursue positive change through a sense of mission.” "

.

[Mass]

5. I have to thanks senator Brown for being so stupid.

It makes it easier to choose for me whom to vote for this senate race.

[MBS]

6. it gets better : )

From Washington Monthly
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_10/scott_browns_plagiarism_flap_g032835.php

Remember, when we talk about Brown’s strengths as a politician, we talk about his likability and authenticity. No one is especially impressed with the senator’s inability to grasp public policy; Brown excels by way of his personality. But these qualities have taken a hit recently, first with a cheap shot at Elizabeth Warren’s appearance, and now with this flap over Brown’s memories that turned out to be someone else’s memories.

Just to twist the knife a bit, American Bridge 21st Century, which uncovered the plagiarism story, put together this clip showing media coverage of Brown’s bad week. If you’re a fan of the senator, you might want to look away.

Be sure to check out the video, summarizing the bad press (even the local Boston Fox News channel takes him on). It's at the above url and also here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-o3H0bX5uI&feature=player_embedded

Excellent :evilgrin:

[karynnj]

7. That video is excellent

As is this description:
"Remember, when we talk about Brown’s strengths as a politician, we talk about his likability and authenticity. No one is especially impressed with the senator’s inability to grasp public policy; Brown excels by way of his personality."

Yet it is becoming clear that there are big deficits in his personality - in terms of character and maturity.

[Mass]

8. What is more surprising is that the media decided to ignore this in 2010.

reading obscene texts during a PTO meeting? Calling one of his opponents not normal? Really? All the signs were there.

But they all fell for the barn jacket and the pickup truck.

This said, part of the issue was that the Democratic party was asleep at the bar and totally out of touch. So, by comparison to these ads that could have taken place everywhere in America, it is possible that Brown looked authentic (though they should have known better).

[Mass]

9. I gets better every day

Brown votes against cloture, complains about obstructionism, and says it is him against the machine.:banghead: Even for him, this is really warped.


http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2011/10/17/disgusting-political-climate-dooming-efforts-fix-economy-says-brown/ZLWQOiyoreIxdd7gc07yEK/story.html

[karynnj]

10. Pathetic

Not to mention, when speaking of working together - shouldn't he at least speak of DemocratIC bills - knowing that Democrat bills is controversial? He joined the lock step Republican vote on cloture - preventing any debate or amendments to the bill. How do you pretend that you are working to compromise with that. (The surprising thing is McConnell did not need his vote - he likely could have voted yes making these comments more credible. )

Not to mention, it is pretty silly to say that he joined JK on the charity bike ride and spoke of anything Senate related. They did not ride together and he came in about an hour after JK! Then to say he has the same sense of humor as Al Franken is flattering himself - Franken was good enough to make a living on it - Brown's sense of humor is not all that obvious - unless you count the fratboy jokes (a la the Warren response that she kept her clothes on) or the very strange humor of telling the nation that your daughters are "available.

He is not even the Massachusetts Senator with the best sense of humor.

The BG must not be happy with him. That is the least attractive picture of him I have seen. His hair looks like it is both thinning and the part on top almost wiry.


Not to mention, the BG is keeping the website story alive with stories on Democrats calling him out for inconsistencies in his office's and his statements. http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/10/democrats-criticize-inconsistencies-brown-explanation-quotes-lifted-from-dole/ylr0dAeG35ih6mmWxGlMtL/index.html

This BG explanation is too cute:
That is technically before summer, but perhaps closer to the time a ``summer intern’’ may have begun work in Brown’s office.

I think the real statement that is wrong is that the website was not changed after it was brought up in February 2010 - as it obviously was. There was a long time issue that he had no phone number or email address for people to contact him - can't remember which.
http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/10/democrats-criticize-inconsistencies-brown-explanation-quotes-lifted-from-dole/ylr0dAeG35ih6mmWxGlMtL/index.html

[MBS]

11. Warped is the word, for sure : ) n/t

[karynnj]

12. Brown is whining aboout dirty tricks again - the LCV put out an ad attacking his record

It is mind boggling that Brown thinks it a "dirty trick" and done just to help his opponent that the League of Conservation Voters has a problem with someone who voted to gut the EPA on greenhouse gases and has spoken against other environmental regulations. The fact is that he is NOT good on that issue.


(I couldn't imagine Kerry whining when the drill everywhere crowd attacked him. I assume he would expect it.)

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/10/targets-senator-scott-brown-pollution/K9M1zcU9xp6srEPF1vpsBM/index.html?comments=all#readerComm

The ad sounds a bit silly, with a DC license plate and the bag of garbage. I kind of like the metamorphosis of the barn jacket to a suit. Everything else is his record - and it is not a good one on this issue. Brown should have known that LCV and other groups would attack him on his record - and that that is fair game.

[Mass]

13. I sure am happy the GOP in MA is absolutely inept.

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/10/elizabeth-warren-says-she-created-intellectual-foundation-for-occupy-wall-street-movement/eXimmRDbpeHoNBkKRmOsBL/index.html

In a new interview, Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren claims much of the credit for the Occupy Wall Street protests sweeping the nation.

“I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do,” the Harvard Law School professor and former Obama administration consumer advocate told Samuel P. Jacobs of The Daily Beast. “I support what they do.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, charged with helped Senator Scott Brown win reelection, jumped on the comment.

“Warren’s decision to not only embrace, but take credit for this movement is notable considering the Boston Police Department was recently forced to arrest at least 141 of her Occupy acolytes in Boston the other day after they threatened to tie up traffic downtown and refused to abide by their protest permit limits,” NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh wrote.

If the GOP cannot find anything except this concerning this comment, they are too stupid.

[MBS]

14. they are stupid, but I have to say I did not

enjoy her classic Harvard-professor comment (If she really said it). This is the kind of thing that gives academics/Harvard professors, etc, a bad reputation with the public.