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Jamaal510

(10,893 posts)
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 04:38 PM Nov 2013

Rand Paul Adding Footnotes So People "Leave Me the Hell Alone"

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/rand-paul-footnotes_n_4219957.html?ref=topbar

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) gave an interview to The New York Times to announce that he was "restructuring" his office -- but not firing anyone -- after plagiarism allegations that surfaced last week continued to mount on Monday.

"What we are going to do from here forward, if it will make people leave me the hell alone, is we’re going to do them like college papers," he said Tuesday. "We’re going to try to put out footnotes. We’re going to have them available. If people want to request the footnoted version, we’re going to have it available."

However, Paul's problems went beyond citing sources. The website BuzzFeed on Monday found that parts of a Paul op-ed in the Washington Times were copied nearly word-for-word from an op-ed written by Dan Stewart of The Week.

Wrote Stewart:

At least 20 states, both red and blue, have reformed their mandatory sentencing laws in some way, and Congress is considering a bipartisan bill that would do the same for federal crimes.

Wrote Paul:

At least 20 states, both red and blue, have reformed their mandatory-sentencing laws in some way, and Congress is considering a bipartisan bill that would do the same for federal crimes.

Wrote Stewart:

He will be 72 by the time he is released, and his three young children will have grown up without him. “Matt,” who turned out to have a long history of drug offenses, was more fortunate -- he received a reduced sentence of just 18 months after informing on Horner, and is now free.

Wrote Paul:

John will be 72 years old by the time he is released, and his three young children will have grown up without him. The informant, who had a long history of drug offenses, was more fortunate -- he received a reduced sentence of just 18 months, and is now free.

Even with a citation, the passage would still constitute plagiarism since Paul used the author's words, instead of paraphrasing them.

In addition to the drug-sentencing op-ed, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said last week that Paul had borrowed much of a speech supporting Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli from the Wikipedia page for the 1997 film "Gattaca."

When asked about the plagiarism accusations, Paul struck a defiant tone. "And like I say, if, you know, if dueling were legal in Kentucky, if they keep it up, you know, it would be a duel challenge. But I can't do that, because I can't hold office in Kentucky then," he said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." In an interview with the television network Fusion, he blamed "haters" for the accusations.

Paul is mulling a presidential bid for 2016. Plagiarism accusations sunk the 1988 presidential campaign of then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).
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The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,673 posts)
1. How did this maroon get through college, let alone medical school?
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 04:47 PM
Nov 2013

It isn't enough to cite your source in a footnote if you have used their exact words in your text without indicating that they are their words and not yours by enclosing them in quotation marks.

And whether or not he personally wrote these speeches and articles is unimportant. If he did it himself he's a sloppy plagiarist; if a staffer wrote them he's responsible for hiring a sloppy plagiarist. And if it had been only a single incident it could be attributed to an error; but it seems to be a repeated thing. He will not live this down.

procon

(15,805 posts)
5. Show me his class ranking
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 05:27 PM
Nov 2013

No one would elect to have delicate eye surgery performed by a quack like Paul who lies about being Board Certified. He's a conman who tries to foist off a fake certification in eye surgery from a fraudulent organization he set up and chairs because he can't get the proper credentialing certs from the nat'l American Board of Medical Specialties.

Where does it end!

yellowcanine

(35,699 posts)
2. It is still plagiarism even if you cut and paste and slap a footnote on it. That is like shop
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 04:47 PM
Nov 2013

lifting and leaving the price tag on. You still stole the item.

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
3. He still hasn't owned up to plagiarizing. I know he won't because then he'll have to apologize
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 04:48 PM
Nov 2013

to Rachel Maddow for being such a d**k.

He's now just trying to put out some fires while still looking "tough and manly".

Sans apology and owning up to those many, many cases of plagiarism, no amount of cursing or libeling or excusing will clear his ugly track record of habitual plagiarism.

Rightwingers sure do love strutting around with other people's hard work, don't they?

nyquil_man

(1,443 posts)
6. More misdirection from Rand Paul.
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 05:57 PM
Nov 2013

I like this story because it plays into a narrative that he's nothing but a typical politician who can't think without a staff doing it for him.

 

libdem4life

(13,877 posts)
7. "Poor me" does not win nationally. He's like a Banty Rooster...small, defensive and loud. Guy has
Tue Nov 5, 2013, 06:23 PM
Nov 2013

personal issues, it's plain to see. Crying about getting beaten up by "a girl", threatening a duel, and on a pathetic blame binge while being forced to clean up his shoddy act...oh my.

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