Scott Brown camp regrets plagiarism "oversight"

TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

The office of Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is blaming a technical error for the fact that comments attributed to Brown posted to his campaign website were lifted verbatim from former Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The Boston Globe first reported the plagiarism, which the newspaper was directed to by the Democratic Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century.

"I was raised to believe that there are no limits to individual achievement and no excuses to justify indifference," Brown was quoted as saying on his site in comments that were removed earlier this week. "From an early age, I was taught that success is measured not in material accumulations, but in service to others. I was encouraged to join causes larger than myself, to pursue positive change through a sense of mission, and to stand up for what I believe."

Dole, the former North Carolina Republican senator, used those exact words in kicking off her campaign in 2002.

Brown's spokesman told the Globe that Dole's website, where the speech was posted, was "one of the models" for Brown's site, and that "during construction of the site, the content on this particular page was inadvertently transferred without being rewritten."

"It was a staff level oversight which we regret and is being corrected," added spokesman John Donnelly.

[royrogers1948]

Excuses Excuses are like @$$ holes, they all stink.

[npalfrey]

Shameless thread grab.

Re: Liz Warren, here's my question, does this count as i) factual ii) embellishment iii) a flat out lie. Elizabeth Warren 2011 commencement speech recounting the first day of law school, claiming the Professor, without introduction asks, "What is assumpsit?"

Her speech is here: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/speech/rutgers-school-of-law-commencement-address/

Then, with scant Googling you see the same story in a book written well before Warren's commencement speech "Justice at Guantanemo: One Woman's Odyssey and her Crusaid for Human Rights" by Kristine Huskey (page 81, electronically on Amazon)

From Huskey's book:

"Assumpsit?" he inquired on the first day of class. "What does assumpsit mean?" There were no volunteers....

From Ms. Warren's Speech:

Professor John Lowenthal strode to the front of the room, pulled out his pocket watch, and stared at it silently. At exactly the moment the class was scheduled to begin, Professor Lowenthal looked up and, without any sort of introduction at all, said, "What is assumpsit?"

The common threads: i) crusty old professor ii) Contracts class iii) the case "Hawkins v. McGee" made well known by by Paper Chase the 1973 movie, which, probably no coincidence was released during Ms. Warren's 1st year law school.

Now her opponent is being accused of plagiarism on a website. Isn't she guilty of same plagiarism or embellishment?

[lg144]

Americans must view EVERYTHING republicans do by keeping in mind what their true ultimate goals are. Which are to eliminate all of the social safety nets, Most noticeably Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They keep destroying the economy while blaming President Obama and the Democrats to win the White House and congress in 2012.

The history of their behavior proves they cannot be trusted to work to benefit ordinary Americans. It also proves they place political power over the well being of Americans and the country. Their behavior proves they have more allegiance to Grover Norquist and their party over our constitution and country.

Any party that does that cannot be rewarded for doing so.Therefore, they are undeserving of votes and support from ordinary/struggling Americans.

[Idiosync]

I suggest that this guys level of literary competence doesn't come anywhere near his appeal to the ladies. Nice try Homer, the fact you thought your plagiarism would fly unnoticed, tells us who you really are. I'll bet he has mirrors in every room of his mansion.

[newnameagain]

So it was ok for obozo to plagiarize Deval Patrick it all ways a one way street for obozo zombies

[MikeDoll]

I love it when FOX people who trust the great thinkers Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity and O'riley call other people zombies. I mean it's simply precious and kind of cute watching the little gears turning in their iddy bitty tiny widdle heads.

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
scott brown accumulates blunders,
here it is plagiarist, what next?
"au revoir"

[TravisAL]

I'm sure who that whoever was responsible for the "technical error" was a progressive liberal plant disguised as a Brown campaign intern and knew exactly what he or she was doing.

Someone in his campaign should check the code behind the "Contribute" button on his site to make sure that donations are not being secretly diverted to Elizabeth Warren's eBay account to finance her growing collection of Duran Duran memorabilia.

[jimbom121]

Sure....and i have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you. This is the second embarassing moment for the Brown campaign inthe last coupleof months.

[windrider160]

Your tin foil hat needs refurbishing. It's obviously getting a little thin. This wasn't some liberal conspiracy. This isn't an oversight, either; it's plaigarism. The original piece WAS edited...just enough to remove the identity of the original author, which shows the intent to mislead. I doubt that Sen. Brown had direct involvement but either he doesn't know, or doesn't care what's on his web page or he would have recognized words coming out of his mouth that weren't his and weren't attributed.

[Progress4USA]

Ok...that's IT!!! I'm voting for Warren!!!!!

[TravisAL]

Warren's no bargain either. She makes over 300 grand as a Harvard Law professor. Her husband is also a Harvard Law professor so, likely, earns a similar salary. She considered her job as adviser to Obama on consumer affairs, for which she received $190,000 over a two- or three-year period, as a "part-time" job. While sympathetic, she is equally out of touch with real America.

[wolfmagic2012]

Sorry - We need people with fresh ideas, who actually don't need to plagiarize someone else's work to outline what their "values" are. Apparently "theft" is an ok value for Brown to have. Blaming a staff member for a quote purported to be from Brown concerning his values is bs, and doesn't cut it. I truly hope Elizabeth Warren kicks his fake butt but good.

[TravisAL]

"during construction of the site, the content on this particular page was inadvertently transferred without being rewritten."

Yeah, right. Scott Brown has had the same basic website "construction" since 2009. Check out this page:
http://www.scottbrown.com/issues

In the section on Iran at the bottom, he (or somebody) says:

"A personal meeting with Ahmadinejad, as suggested by my opponent..."

What opponent? Martha Coakley in 2009? Update your site, buddy.

[Frankftw]

Rewriting someone else's words as your own ideas is STILL Plagiarism! He should resign!