DMN claims Darrell Jordan is a plagiarist

Dallas Blog | Sam Merten:

“Hidden in yesterday's [The Dallas Morning News] metro blog, there is an explosive story dissecting mayoral candidate Darrell Jordan's Accountability Pledge & Plan of Action to Reduce Crime. ... Jordan's pledge bears a striking resemblance to a pledge presented last year by former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez during his unsuccessful bid for Colorado’s governorship. His crime plan is almost the same one written by Kansas City's Commission on Violent Crime presented in June 2006 by chairperson Dr. Stacey Daniels-Young to the Kansas City City Council.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Explosive story? I doubt it. OK, he lifted ideas and even the wording from other entities without crediting the sources. That's bad. The failure to credit the source, that is, not the lifting of ideas and words. All politicians today do that.

I'm reminded of a speech given by President George H.W. Bush, which struck me as sounding very much like Ronald Reagan. Not just in the policies and plans proposed, but in the language and imagery and tone. Only later did I learn that Bush's speechwriter was Peggy Noonan, who was also a major speechwriter for Ronald Reagan. It turns out that much of what we think of as quintessential Ronald Reagan was actually quintessential Peggy Noonan. Her role was never a secret, but I'd guess only one American in a thousand knew, when listening to Ronald Reagan, that they were actually hearing the words scripted for him by Peggy Noonan.

Very few politicians today have an original thought. Some are better at crediting their sources. Some are lazy or careless or vain or calculating. Some get caught. Others are Teflon. It's hard to say which is the case with Mr Jordan.