Obama plagiarizes Bill Clinton's "primary winning" concept

The Clinton camp seems to be at it again.  After Barack Obama was declared the winner of the Wisconsin primary, Hillary Clinton levied a new charge against him: by winning so many consecutive primaries, she said, Obama is merely copying the concept her own husband pioneered in 1992.  

"I think a critical factor in electing a president is judging whether his or her thoughts and strategies are original," Clinton said to her supporters in Wisconsin.  

"My opponent, by winning so many consecutive Democratic primaries, is shamelessly copying the plan my husband put forth many years ago.  I grant you that it's a very good idea, but it is not my opponent's idea," Clinton said.

"And if there's one thing I can guarantee you," she continued, "it’s that you won't see me being so unoriginal as to put together such a string of primary victories.  My opponent can talk about change, but his clobbering me in primary after primary just shows he's part of the old politics.  He can talk about change, but I'm living it.  I'm exemplifying it.  He can talk about experience, but don't forget that it's me who has lost every primary in the month of February.  I'm battle-tested, and I'll be ready to lose the next primary on Day One."

The Clinton camp noted in a press release that tonight's Hawaii primary would bear out her theory.  "Day One is now", they crowed.

But Clinton wasn't finished.  She also accused Obama of plagiarizing John and Bobby Kennedy's "excitement generation" plan.

"It isn't enough for Senator Obama to copy my husband," she said.  "Never since the Kennedys has a candidate generated so much raw excitement among voters and engaged young and previously uninterested voters the way my opponent is.  But it's just another example of politics as usual.  Get your own ideas, Senator Obama!"

Clinton's small crowd of supporters chanted something or other off of cards they were handed prior to the event.

•  Tips/flames

  Thanks for stopping by.

  by skralyx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:58:52 PM PDT

•  Just words?????

  Just votes.

  Just wins.

  by 7November on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:02:34 PM PDT

•  The scary thing is..

  ...I could believe it.

  The Clinton campaign has gotten in its own way so often, I'm glad you included the "snark" tag.

  by Jonathan on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:02:37 PM PDT

  •  This was inspired...

    ...by an Andy Borowitz piece I saw in "Funny Times" earlier: he said the Clintons had accused Barack Obama of having peed in his own pants when he was three.  But Obama responded by saying it is Hillary who is peeing in her pants over all his primary wins.

    by skralyx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:04:52 PM PDT

•  Wow

  what is this, the millionth snarky diary today?

  by linc on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:02:43 PM PDT

  •  No, only

    914,976, by my count.

    by skralyx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:03:18 PM PDT

•  Pretty soon

  Hillary will be talking about how he is spending more money then her, and that she is more like the average Joe.  The only problem, who would you rather have a beer or cup of coffee with?

  by egarratt on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:04:16 PM PDT

•  wtf does that even mean? hillary, QUIT.

  by jj24 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:04:47 PM PDT

  •  It's only snark!

    It's only snark.  But it wouldn't surprise you, would it?

    by skralyx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:05:54 PM PDT

    •  that's the point, isn't it - it WOULDN'T.

      by jj24 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:06:47 PM PDT

  •  ok - why would i think she really said this? lol

    because she's said other things on the same inane level!  embarrassing - and yet, so telling of her campaign.

    lol

    by jj24 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:06:13 PM PDT

•  Hillary Writing for the Onion?

  I can never tell anymore if Hillary news is legitimate political news, or if it is Onionesque satire of political news. Not that the diary writers are being snarky, I don't mean that at all. But that her campaign has just gotten so weird that it's almost a parody of itself.

  I'm assuming that tomorrow we'll be reading that Wisconsin...which yesterday was a "firewall"...in fact is one of those states that does not matter. Like they've said about two-thirds of the country.

  Perhaps the new firewall will be Guam.

  by Dagoril on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:08:00 PM PDT

•  Following the chants

  reporters at a press conference asked Senator Clinton the questions the campaign had distributed in advance.

  by litho on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:17:55 PM PDT

•  Bill INVENTED winning.

  There's a scene in Round Midnight where the old jazz trumpet player recounts a time when young guy comes up to him and says, "I do you better than you."

  by Inland on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:27:43 PM PDT

•  Except Clinton DID win primaries in February

  Somehow this meme has been circulated that Clinton lost every primary in February. It's not even close to true. She won several primaries on Super Tuesday: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Tennessee, California, Oklahoma and Arizona, and even New Mexico was finally just declared as a Clinton win.

  by FischFry on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:30:09 PM PDT

  •  Yes, I suppose that is true.

    But I wasn't really going for statistical accuracy here!  

    Nevertheless, you are right to point it out.

    by skralyx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:31:43 PM PDT

•  These "plagarism" jokes

  never get old!!!!  HA!  HA!

  by chewie333 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:40:30 PM PDT