Sunday June 7, 2009, 11:26 am


Sarah Palin's speech delivered in Anchorage on Wednesday -- the one in which she declared "screw political correctness" and wondered why "we have to pussyfoot around our troublesome foes" -- repeatedly lifted from an article written four years ago by Newt Gingrich and Craig Shirley without attribution.

While Palin twice mentioned Gingrich in the speech (she never acknowledged Shirley), she frequently mixed her own remarks about Reagan with passages that appear to be pulled directly from the Gingrich-Shirley article.

A little background: Palin was on the stage at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts to introduce Michael Reagan, the conservative talk show host and son of the former president, Ronald Reagan. Her introduction lasted about 17 minutes and has already garnered significant national attention.

The indomitable AK Muckraker of The Mudflats undertook the near impossible task of transcribing most of Palin's address (my wife filled in on a couple of spots as well), and after slogging through the muck of verbiage while listening to a recording of the speech, I realized I had read some of this before. So I tracked down the original Gingrich-Shirley article, "Republicans Need to Relearn Lessons of the Reagan Revolution" which appeared in the Union Leader, November 1, 2005, and is also online.

During her speech in Anchorage, Palin went through her standard introductions, including the "First Dude," Todd Palin. This first excerpt appears to echo the Gingrich/Shirley article but doesn't lift from it directly.

Palin: First, I think what we're going to learn tonight via Michael is that Ronald Reagan's ideas were the right ideas and all we have to do is look back at his record, his economic record and his national security record to know that his ideas were right.


Gingrich/Shirley: What should Americans learn from this remarkable man and his remarkable Presidency?...The "right" ideas really matter (the left was wrong and Reagan was right about virtually every major public policy issue and the historic record is clear for those willing to look at it).

After that, Palin acknowledged that, "Recently, Newt Gingrich, he had written a good article about Reagan...." (Recently? It was four years ago.) Without mentioning Shirley, she quotes and paraphrases from the article at length:

Palin: He said, regarding your dad Michael, he said that we need to learn from his example that courage and persistence are keys to historic achievement and with Reagan's example, D.C. politicians calling the shots for our country, they had better rely on the good sense of the American people and bag their alliance [sic] on the entrenched bureaucrats and the elite self-proclaimed intellectuals, and the smug lobbyists who dominate Washington, and the liberal media that is imposing its will on Washington, embracing that status quo, that business as usual..


Gingrich/Shirley: Courage and persistence are the keys to historic achievement. ... Relying on the good sense of the American people beats relying on the elite intellectuals, entrenched bureaucrats and smug lobbyists who dominate Washington.

At this point, things get very problematic. Palin continued on with her speech, using her own words while seamlessly quoting almost verbatim from the Gingrich/Shirley piece, multiple times, without citing it.

Palin: We have to remember first that Ronald Reagan never won any arguments in Washington. He won the arguments by resonating with the American people.


Gingrich/Shirley: Reagan never won an argument in Washington. Reagan won his arguments in the country with the American people.

* * *

Palin: So Ronald Reagan spoke to us then with us here in our hearts is where he reached us.... He captured our hearts so he could affect positive change by what he did. He focused on our kids, on our children, on their future, on the future of America.


Gingrich/Shirley: The key to capturing the attention and, yes, the hearts of Americans is to focus on their future and their children's future. Reagan understood this...

* * *

Palin: We would do so well to look back on those Reagan years as he championed the cause for freedom and then he lived it out as our president -- cheerfully, persistently and unapologetically.


Gingrich/Shirley: Cheerful persistence rather than easy victories were the keys to Reagan's career.

* * *

Palin: Reagan knew that real change [sic] -- and real change requiring shaking things up and maybe takin' off the entrenched interest thwarting the will of the people...


Gingrich/Shirley: Reaganism is about real change both at home and overseas and that real change requires upsetting the entrenched interests...

* * *

Palin: He stood strong on his knowing that the framework through which he believed that positive change that framework for our kids, it was freedom [sic].


Gingrich/Shirley: Successful governance means having a framework through which to lead the American people. For Reagan, that framework was freedom.

At this point, Palin offered her second (and final) reference to the article that Gingrich and Shirley wrote. She said: "What Newt had written in this article, he wrote, remember how refreshing it was with his outrageous directness that Americans loved, and praised and deserved."

But that quote isn't actually in the article -- and isn't from any other Gingrich article available on the Internet. The closest quote she may be referencing is:

Gingrich/Shirley: Candidate Ronald Reagan responded to the failures of the left with enormous clarity and directness.

Palin continued:

Palin: Remember this? His vision for the Cold War? We win, they lose.


Gingrich/Shirley: On the inevitability of the Soviet Union, Reagan responded with a then shocking vision for the Cold War -- "we win, they lose."

* * *

Palin: And with detente, speaking of detente, he used two words: "Evil Empire."


Gingrich/Shirley: Reagan replaced the entire vision of detente with two vivid words: "Evil Empire."

Palin then segued off the beloved Gipper, and shifted back to what has become her favorite subject these days: the embattled Sarah Palin.

That portion of the speech she didn't take from Gingrich, who, when asked to name the "emerging leaders" in the GOP this past April in an interview with Christianity Today, refused to name Palin, wondering instead when pressed: "Is she willing to do the kind of development of national issues and development of a national profile that would be required?....[B]ecoming a national leader would take a significant amount of work."

This may not have reflected the "significant amount of work" that Gingrich had in mind.

Award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn is at work on a book about Sarah Palin and her role in American politics, to be published by Macmillan/St. Martin's in 2010.

Ed. note: this piece was edited after its initial publication.

Sunday June 7, 2009, 11:43 am
Holding true to form, still. Blue, did you hear or read any of Palin's nonsense in Auburn, NY?! The event was related to 'her' state becoming a state.

Sunday June 7, 2009, 12:07 pm
Why am I not surprised? Miss Goodie two shoes hits the jackpot again in dumbness!

Sunday June 7, 2009, 2:31 pm
Tamara, I didn hear/read any of Palin's nonsense in Auburn; I try not to follow her too closely because I get nauseous so easily and there's still some of this week's lovely weekend BBQ left to enjoy ...

Ditto what Sue wrote!

Monday June 8, 2009, 10:03 am
Palin is a parrot, not capable of an independent thought, just mimicking well rehearsed lines

Monday June 8, 2009, 8:38 pm
Slap Shot: Alaska Legislators Set to Override Palin's Veto It will take a 75 percent legislative majority to override Palin's veto -- no small feat in a rightward leaning state. It would appear to be a political slap shot headed straight for the net.

Monday June 8, 2009, 11:47 pm
of course no is saying anything about the many times obama has stolen the lines of other people time and again. if anything Obama is the trained parrot or rather the trained monkey for he cannot handle giving a speech without a teleprompter. he is lost without it. Whereas Gov. Palin is perfectly able to wing it when it is needed. As far as dumbness the economic plan of obama and his co-horts and goons in congress will further banckrupt this nation. "Private" enterprise + political control = economic fascism. that is the reall change that obama represents. Stop drinking the cool-aide people and wake up.

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 4:18 am
very nice Troy i could not agree with you more...palin has got alaska going in the right direction and speaks from her heart and soul where obama has got this country going bankrupt and speaks from his teleprompter...

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 11:24 am
I'm laughing so hard it's hard to type - "palin is perfectly able to wing it"???? "speaks from her heart"???
You guys are hilarious.
As for Palin and Newt, birds of a feather and all that....

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 1:34 pm
She is so a complete waste of ink, if people would stop printing and she could keep her killing mouth shut she would just dry up and fade away, like yesterdays old newspaper, which she must get all her thoughts from. I hope no one believes what comes out of this woman mouth. first she is a mean cruel, heartless killer of animals, doesn't matter what kinda only if they are in her way. She says she is a christian, but doesn't practice it in her life of killing, that is not in accordance with the God. He left his animals here for us to take care of, I sure glad I am not going to answer for her on judgment day . I would have to go outside and see the rain before I would believe if she said it was raining, I am sorry she is a woman and has no compassion for the animals and what they go thru. It is a proven fact that many Indian cultures have lived their on how the wolves lived their lives. Wolves, are very family oriented, they take care of all children in the group and they feed the old when they can not hunt, they stay with themselves they do not come looking for you in helicopters or with guns, I think she should be tied up to a tree and cover in wolves blood and let them get her, she would feel what it is like then.

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 1:37 pm
I am so sorry I got carried away there, she really is irritating, and yea I do believe she could wing, if you give her a gun.

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 1:42 pm
Well, I for one hope Palin runs for something ... ANYthing ... in 2012, cuz I can't wait for the return of Tina Fey's takeoffs on her.

Nailin' Palin seems sooo easy for Fey ... the gov. is a virtual gaff machine.

(You betcha ... !)

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 6:15 pm
"Palin is a parrot, not capable of an independent thought, just mimicking well rehearsed lines".
That was really unfair. To parrots.

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 7:50 pm
I am so embarassed by her total lack of shame. She is so full of herself she just can't STOP! Hasn't anyone close to her ever pointed out how very foolish she appears to most of the world? Oops, is anyone really close to her?

Tuesday June 9, 2009, 8:12 pm
Frankly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry at some of the "generous" statements about Palin!? She's got one thing going for her as far as I'm concerned, her looks, but uh guys when her looks are somewhat "weathered" with time, what will yo do, what will you do?! She can't speak coherently, apparently can't choose speech writers to tell her what to say with any grammatical coherence, and if her "you betta cha"'s are really wearing thin.

At first I had no love for the woman who chooses to kill off wolves to make the hunters happy, but now I see her in all her unintelligable glory. She really has nothing of substance to offer her own state, no less than this country. The irony of it all, is that she started out with her down home angle, and it has come back to bite her quite mightily!

The more you read and research and learn about this sorry excuse for a leader of any kind, the more you realize she is really so out of her league. With every speech she makes the more people, (even in the GOP) the further back she slides in peoples eyes. But of course this is only one gently aged woman's opinion!

Lyn

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 6:17 am
I agree with Sue.She's committing plagiarism?

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 7:47 am
"She's got one thing going for her as far as I'm concerned, her looks..."
What looks? Handsome is as handsome does.

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 2:34 pm
Make that one gently aged woman and one not so gently aged, Lyn. And as far as Palin's looks, I have to say that the first time I saw her I thought wow what an attractive woman, but then she opened her mouth and as time went on she became less and less attractive. I guess that's why some of the most beautiful people I've ever met may not be considered physically beautiful at first glance.

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 6:31 pm

Sign Petition: Tell Sarah Palin You Demand Justice For Alaska's Dead Wolf Pups


Alaska's Department of Fish and Game must abide by the law in their predator control efforts. It's just outrageous that there has been no accountability or redress on this issue in Alaska. The killing of wolf young in the den is prohibited by law!

Wednesday June 10, 2009, 8:40 pm
Tell Governor Sarah Palin to Stop the Aerial Killing of Wolves ! TAKE ACTION !





Governor Sarah Palin's administration has launched a terrible new assault on
wolves in Alaska. In just a few days, 66 wolves were killed by aerial gunners with high-powered rifles. Even worse, Palin's Board of Game has also approved the use of poison gas

Thursday June 11, 2009, 4:34 pm

Palin Matchmakes For a Gasline; A Deal With The Devil



Governor Sarah Palin is sleeping with the enemy of many Alaskans. Her trip to Texas to discuss a merged project with TransCanada and Exxon Mobil betrays Alaskans.

Thursday June 11, 2009, 4:46 pm
Troy you've obviously been kicked in the head too many times.