The Clinton campaign either delivered a low blow or just now decided to capitalize on Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s uncanny familiarity with the same language of hope. Earlier this week, Hillary’s camp accused Obama of plagiarizing phrases from a speech Patrick delivered when he was on the campaign trail two years ago. “They both quoted Martin Luther King Jr., the Declaration of Independence, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt to argue that words can influence history.” [Boston Globe]
Appearing characteristically dapper and upbeat, Patrick, who publicly endorsed Obama last fall, told Diane Sawyer that “we fully expected, I certainly expected, that we would sustain a charge at some point to try to belittle his ability to motivate people with language.”
“…Would you be so sanguine about all this if Hillary Clinton had taken your words and used them?” Sawyer asked.
“Sure,” Patrick said with a grin. “They’re good words. It’s a great argument.”
Hmph.
