# Sigh............Joe Biden **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378 "2009-01-22T00:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/101 "2009-01-23T04:56:54Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > I’ve always thought Vice-Plagiarist Biden looks a lot like Jeff Dunham’s ‘angry old man’ puppet. He didn’t look like “angry old man” back when he was reading plagiarized speeches. On a more practical note, if Biden is going to be the comic relief in this Administration, he can’t possibly sink lower than Agnew or Cheney. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/102 "2009-01-23T05:05:39Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > He didn’t look like “angry old man” back when he was reading plagiarized speeches. In the interest of fighting ignorance, Biden never “read plagiarized speeches.” That’s total bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/103 "2009-01-23T05:47:06Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > In the interest of fighting ignorance, Biden never “read plagiarized speeches.” That’s total bullshit. He admitted to plagarizing a time or two his first year in law school. And that was how long ago? Compared to some of the shit Bush and Cheney have pulled? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/104 "2009-01-23T05:47:36Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > In the interest of fighting ignorance, Biden never “read plagiarized speeches.” That’s total bullshit. But I saw him do it. Well, he might have had them memorized. I am sometimes so inartful in my self expression. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/105 "2009-01-23T05:55:13Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > In the interest of fighting ignorance, Biden never “read plagiarized speeches.” That’s total bullshit. Okay, so Biden never used a teleprompter or script delivering Kinnock’s lines at the Iowa State Fair ? I didn’t realize he had such a good memory. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/106 "2009-01-23T05:55:22Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > But I saw him do it. No you didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/107 "2009-01-23T06:00:35Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > They just ran the clip on the Daily Show. Jon says if we were wondering what Obama’s STFU face is …that’s it. > > Very funny. Watch the clip and look at Obama’s face when he puts his hand on Joe’s elbow. THat is it. Psssst Joe,…STFU. > > MAybe he and Obama have and agreement. “When I touch you… that means STFU.” “Yes Mr President” Crap. As I mentioned in the OP, I stayed up late last night expecting this segment on the Daily Show. I’m on the west coast so now I’ll have to stay up two nights in a row. Thanks for the heads up though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/108 "2009-01-23T06:52:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > No you didn’t. Did so. He Plagiarized Kinnock. > **[Discover Budget-Friendly Ideas for DIY, Cooking, Crafts, Home Decoration, and...](https://exactlyhowlong.com/)** > > Discover endless ways to stretch your budget with our collection of affordable DIY ideas, creative crafts, and cost-effective recipes. Whether you're looking > **[tollbit-host.com](https://tollbit-host.com/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2607505/Joe-Biden-plagiarised-Neil-Kinnock-speech.html)** Even Mediamatters, a lefty org of my own liking excuses it by saying that Biden had credited the usage of the same quotes in other stump speeches during the same month. [http://mediamatters.org/items/200808230003](http://mediamatters.org/items/200808230003) Well, I never heard the version with the accreditation. I did here the one without the accreditation. While it may have been Biden’s intent to credit, I didn’t hear it, it’s not as clear in the public record that he made the accreditation as he made the plagiarism. Even were I to accept a reporter of the NYT’s report that on another occasion his stump speech accredited properly, there is ample evidence that on occasions he did not, and that evidence, direct quoting (see the Telegraph link and article) give exact context. I do not particularly hold this against Biden, he didn’t torture anyone and he committed no crime. But it is plagiarism. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/109 "2009-01-23T07:05:06Z")
He plagiarized nothing. He habitually quoted a few lines from Kinnock which he always attributed. On one occasion he forgot to give the credit. That’s what gave rise to the fatuous accuasations of plagiarism. And few lines is not a “speech.” When you accused him of “reading plagiarized speeches,” that was false. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/110 "2009-01-23T07:51:44Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Interestingly President Obama isn’t really Biden’s boss. How is the President not the Vice President’s boss? A legislator or judge can, so to speak, follow his or her own lights, but doesn’t everyone in the Executive branch fit somewhere into a chain of management? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/111 "2009-01-23T07:52:21Z")
> [@The Second Stone](#): > > it’s not as clear in the public record that he made the accreditation as he made the plagiarism. How so? From your own Mediamatters link: > [@](#): > > John Quinlan, a reporter for the Sioux City Journal, said his notes showed Biden said he was quoting Kinnock when he used the same passage in a speech Aug. 14 [1987]. > > Stories in The Times, The Boston Globe and other newspapers also said Biden had used the rhetoric and credited Kinnock for it. Sounds as though the only difference “in the public record” is that the speech without the explicit acknowledgement of Kinnock was distributed on videotape—by a political rival of Biden’s, natch. Nobody bothered to distribute videotapes of any of the speeches that did contain the explicit acknowledgement. Gotta agree with **Dio** , this is a pretty pathetic attempt at disparagement. Hasn’t Biden made any **important** mistakes or failures in the past 20 years that you can criticize him for without looking like a nitpicking doofus? I would certainly have thought so. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/112 "2009-01-23T07:54:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > He admitted to plagarizing a time or two his first year in law school. And that was how long ago? Compared to some of the shit Bush and Cheney have pulled? Oh here we go. After years of people like you getting mad at someone mentioning Clinton, every criticism of Obama et al gets a “but bush . . .” Pukey smiley please. ---
**Author:** ![Rolken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@Rolken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rolken)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/113 "2009-01-23T08:11:42Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Yeah, but the folks who _like_ Obama only blow up the Pentagon and stuff.:rolleyes: > [@Stephe96](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of Bill Ayers. But nice try!😉 I didn’t realize Bill Ayers had blown up the Pentagon. Or maybe you’re just talking nonsense? Please, think before you post. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/114 "2009-01-23T09:03:27Z")
> [@Rand Rover](#): > > Oh here we go. After years of people like you getting mad at someone mentioning Clinton, every criticism of Obama et al gets a “but bush . . .” Well, the trouble with the knee-jerk conservative criticisms of Clinton was that they tended to be irrelevant and frivolous: the standard “But Clinton got a blowjob!” comeback. Using Bush and Cheney as the benchmark for executive malfeasance is something else again. They didn’t just screw an intern, they screwed the whole country. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/115 "2009-01-23T09:52:14Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Well, the trouble with the knee-jerk conservative criticisms of Clinton was that they tended to be irrelevant and frivolous: the standard “But Clinton got a blowjob!” comeback. > > Using Bush and Cheney as the benchmark for executive malfeasance is something else again. They didn’t just screw an intern, they screwed the whole country. More than one whole country. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/116 "2009-01-23T11:58:18Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And then a White House staffer forgot to clean up after the Executive Dog. We will be embroiled in the Super Dooper Pooper Scoopergate. Exactly. Given what a total disaster the Obama administration has been, I was all set to vote Republican in 2012. But this kind of petty bitching has really turned me off the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/117 "2009-01-23T14:41:51Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Using Bush and Cheney as the benchmark for executive malfeasance is something else again. They didn’t just screw an intern, they screwed the whole country. Point of order – Clinton did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. Just a blow-job. No screwing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/118 "2009-01-23T20:00:48Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Oh here we go. After years of people like you getting mad at someone mentioning Clinton, every criticism of Obama et al gets a “but bush . . .” Pukey smiley please. Yes, because a comparison of plagarizing back in one’s first year of law school is equal to starting an illegal war. Gotchya. Besides, I never saw Cheney [promote good dental hygiene](http://www.joebidensteeth.com/). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/119 "2009-01-23T21:53:52Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > How is the President not the Vice President’s boss? A legislator or judge can, so to speak, follow his or her own lights, but doesn’t everyone in the Executive branch fit somewhere into a chain of management? The VP is elected in his own right. The President can’t dismiss him or force him to do anything, mainly in his role breaking ties in the Senate. Any tasks beyond that are up to the President but that’s irrelevant to the description of the VP role in the Constitution. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378/120 "2009-01-24T01:51:22Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Exactly. Given what a total disaster the Obama administration has been, I was all set to vote Republican in 2012. But this kind of petty bitching has really turned me off the GOP. (golf clap) Puts a tear in my eye, it really do. -Joe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sigh-joe-biden/482378.md?page=7)