WASHINGTON A Democratic group has unearthed a bit of inspirational autobiography on Senator Scott Browns official website that was lifted verbatim from Elizabeth Doles site, language that originated in a campaign speech.
In a message to students, the Massachusetts senator uses the exact words as remarks delivered by the former North Carolina senator at her campaign kickoff in 2002.
Browns staff acknowledged yesterday the words originally were Doles and said their presence in Browns message was the result of a technical error.
I was raised to believe that there are no limits to individual achievement and no excuses to justify indifference, said the message from Brown, which was removed later yesterday. 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.
Aside from the omission of an opening line -- I am Mary and John Hanfords daughter -- in Doles speech, the Bay State Republicans language is the same throughout.
The matching language was disclosed by American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal super PAC thats been scouring Republicans records ahead of next years elections.
This kind of plagiarism makes me wonder how many things about Scott Brown are really genuine, said Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge 21st Century.
He added: The fact that he cant come up with a personal values statement of his own, that he has to steal someone elses, I think is very instructive of what kind of politician he is.
Brown spokesman John Donnelly said the language was attributed to Brown in error, while his staff was creating the senators website.
Senator Doles website served as one of the models for Senator Browns website when he first took office. During construction of the site, the content on this particular page was inadvertently transferred without being rewritten, Donnelly said. It was a staff level oversight which we regret and is being corrected.
Dole, a one-term former senator who also served as US secretary of labor and is married to 1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Doles speech, which is available in its full length in the book Elizabeth Hanford Dole: Speaking from the Heart, was also covered by various news outlets at the time. An Associated Press article from Feb. 23, 2002, quotes part of the language in question, saying Dole tried to demonstrate to the crowd in Salisbury, N.C., that she never abandoned her small-town roots during the years she worked in Washington.
Oddly enough, some of Browns material was recently the object of plagiarism in June 2010 by a Tea Party Republican congressional candidate in North Carolina. William Randall was accused of lifting policy positions from Browns campaign website for use of his own.
Randall ultimately acknowledged that the material had found its way onto his website, and he dismissed the campaign volunteer responsible for it.