Palin Channelling Reagan

Yes, it seems that Sarah Palin wanted to take her last moments to remind vice presidential debate watchers that she and her running mate, John McCain, represent the party that opposed Medicare. Her final quote "...you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free." is actually taken from a speech by Ronald Reagan that was recorded on an album entitled "Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine" according to an article written in 2004 by Larry DeWitt, a doctoral student with numerous publications to his name, entitled Operation Coffeecup: Ronald Reagan's Effort to Prevent the Enactment of Medicare. The loss of freedom to which Reagan referred was to the enactment of Medicare.

Correction: I had originally posted that Palin did not attribute the quote. She did in fact cite Ronald Reagan as as the source. My apologies to Governor Palin.

Comments

[JamesInDenver]

This tells America every thing they need to know about McCain/Palin. "...you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children, and our children's children, what it once was like in America when men were free."

This may have been true back in our pioneer days. Back before Rape Kits cost $1,200 each. Back before a simple broken arm, required a bank loan. Back before a single illness could empty the family's bank account. Back when doctors made house calls.

[Lisa Gans - Huffpost Blogger]

Governor Palin did, in fact, attribute the quote. My apologies to her. The post above will be amended to reflect the fact.

[Broadman]

Palin also plagarized the empty admonition, "There you go again,..." Borrowing these words from Reagan without citing him, it works with an "older" gentleman, but fell flat as a pancake with the her characteristic "high school cheerleader" twang.

[RicardoMalocchio]

There was attribution to Reagan, but the context of the original quotation is a good illustration of how the GOP generally and Palin specifically employ that empty right-wing palaver to paper over their opposition to programs that matter to middle America. All that happy happy horsesh!t paints a poetic image but turns up being in opposition to programs and policies such as Medicare, Social Security, universal healthcare, the minimum wage, progressive taxation.

As evidenced by Palin's quotation, such meaningless paeons to American Freedom can be employed in any context, on behalf or against any measure, "glittering generalities" as empty and insubstantial as the VP candidate herself.

[bluerednot]

PLEASE - if she said that it came from Reagan, OK - don't try to say she stole it
---BUT -- since it was Reagan's huge building block of a quote directed toward preventing the creation of Medicare -- let the world know that Palin gets inspiration from the opposition to Medicare.

I'm sure that there are some clever things that republicans have said in opposition to social security - maybe she wants to quote those next.!

[whiteboyblues]

Change you can Xerox?

[Broadman]

She also plagarized Reagan with the words, "There you go again...". It fell so flat that people likely didn't notice. It was apparent in that it didn't fit her style.

[MaryanneAZ]

It was a long, high ball out toward the west field wall and Biden shot up and caught it with plenty of glove. She's out! There was no contest between the two candidates. It is completely absurd to argue that regurgitated facts and note card readings were "responses" to the questions, especially where several of them were unrelated to the question posed. Get real.

[CatfishJohn]

...Reagan was and still is the surrogate idealized father image for so many of these people...they are running to daddy for help in their panic..."daddy, daddy, please help our failing cause"....there is a certain pathetically regressive quality to their desperation of invoking RWR as they squirm right now in the death throes of the Reagan era....

[Kodachi]

In all fairness, for Pubbies this is like quoting Scripture. You wouldn't accuse someone of plagiarizing the Bible if he or she quoted a verse.

[demfriend]

When Pat Buchanan was singing her praises and said she had "moped the floor with Biden" I was astonished as she had so many things wrong plus the add in from Reagan I even remembered and I can tell you I didn't listen much to him during those years! The winking and "you betchas" were beyond tacky then the shout out to the kids in school was over the top like a local setting instead of a national/world watching debate.

[Tonilaw]

Whats his name.....Lou Dobbs

he was just talking bad about Biden last night because he plagiarized and said it was worse than her doing bad in teh debates

I wonder what he has to say about it all now Lol

[ccrane]

You need to re-watch the tape; she gave Reagan credit for the quote. She did a lot of things wrong during the debate that she will not get held accountable for, but this wasn't one of them.

[Jigglypuff]

McCain didn't cite Winston Churchill during the first presidential debate either.

[chaos4700]

Yeah, let's remind everyone of the great Republican president Ronald Reagan was. During the financial crisis that is the culmination of his slash-and-burn deregulation policies. While the government shovels a bailout up onto the national debt he started with his irresponsible spending.

Well, at least they aren't praising "Saint" Reagan openly anymore and worshiping at the shrine of his failed policies. The Republicans have at least that iota of shame and insight left in them.