Southwest Ohio media has been
picking up a story of plagiarism by everyone's favorite right-wing wacko Jean Scmidt. She recently sent an op-ed out to newspapers in her district that was
nearly identical to an op-ed that Deborah Pryce, another endangered Republican CongressCritter from Ohio had
distributed in July. Schmidt's defense? Everyone signs their names to the work of others.
Some have been hitting her hard for that defense, but she's right. And we should let everyone know that Deborah Pryce is not the victim, she's a perpetrator. So is Sam Graves.
This was diaried earlier, but I think folks have been missing a larger point.
They haven't perpetrated theft. They've rented their mouths out."
The piece was supposedly authored by the House Republican Caucus and distributed to members to use as they saw fit. As Schmidt's staffer said about sending it out with her name on it: "That's what they're for."
Geoff Embler, spokesman for the House Republican Conference, said the sample editorials are there for all lawmakers to use however they wish. But Embler could not name any other lawmaker who has produced an editorial that was nearly identical to the samples provided.
Barry Bennett, Schmidt's chief of staff, said he put together the editorial from a packet of samples. He said "everybody does it" and the conference staff writes the items for every GOP lawmaker.
Nobody else seems to have kept going with the Googling, but I went ahead and like Kossack Daulton before me, I found this:
Staight Talk With Sam
Check-up Time
Two and a half years ago, Congress delivered on a promise to the American people by sweeping Medicare reform, including a comprehensive Medicare prescription drug benefit to give America's seniors access to affordable prescription drugs. Now that the program is off the ground, the evidence is in and we have much to celebrate: the Medicare prescription drug benefit is working, and seniors are saving money. Over 90 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries now have drug coverage. That's 38 million seniors!
Before Congress passed this measure, Medicare had changed little since its creation in the 1960s...
Why are we nationalizing this election? Because it is not just Jean Schmidt plagiarizing Deb Pryce. It is Schmidt and Pryce and Graves and Denny Hastert who have abandoned any pretense of individuality and taken pride in parroting the party line.
These are people who cannot even handle filling in the text around talking points, they need entire pre-fab speeches.
It is 43 days until the election. If the Republican candidates need someone to do their thinking for them now, nobody better expect them to do any thinking for themselves over the next two years.