Marco Rubio Plagiarized One Of Obama’s Speeches, And He’s Getting Called Out For It

By Andrew Bradford on February 2, 2016

Categories: 2016 GOP Hopefuls, Republican Watch, WTF?



The Iowa caucus was very kind to Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He came in a very competitive third and was not far behind Donald Trump, who finished second after proclaiming for months that he would win Iowa outright. Instead, Ted Cruz got that honor.

After the results were in last night, Rubio stood before a roomful of supporters and gave a nice speech. Here’s a video of it:

What always bothers me most about listening to Marco Rubio is that he sounds so scripted, as if he’s nothing but a robot repeating lines that have been programmed into him by his controllers. Little did I know just how accurate that analogy would prove to be.

Consider this line from Rubio’s Iowa speech last evening:

“So this is the moment they said would never happen. For months, for months they told us we had no chance. For months they told us because we offer too much optimism in a time of anger, we had no chance. For months they told us because we didn’t have the right endorsements or the right political connections, we had no chance. They told me that we have no chance because my hair wasn’t gray enough and my boots were too high.”

Not bad. Not bad at all. But then take a look    at this speech from President Obama, made in 2008, shortly after he won the Iowa caucus:

“They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do.”

The man who wrote those lines for President Obama eight years ago fired a shot across the bow of the USS Rubio with this tweet:

Rubio may love to take cheap shots at President Obama, but then he turns around and lifts part of one of his most notable speeches. Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. But if the GOP faithful find out that Rubio is studying Obama for applause lines and he does it again, he can kiss his chances of getting the nomination goodbye.



Time for Marco to head back into the lab for some new programming.

Featured Image by Flickr available under a Creative Commons license.


About Andrew Bradford

Andrew Bradford is a single father who lives in Atlanta. A member of the Christian Left, he has worked in the fields of academia, journalism, and political consulting. His passions are art, music, food, and literature. He believes in equal rights and justice for all. To see what else he likes to write about, check out his blog at Deepleftfield.info.

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  • Otto Greif

    While Rubio’s crappy speech is similar to Obama’s crappy speech, it’s not close enough to be plagiarism.

    • nicfic

      Still, good to know original thought is not one of his assets.

      • lynchie

        Rubio has never had an original thought in his life and you can include all of the contenders. They are all scripted and rehearsed. Nothing is spontaneous, nothing

    • john doe

      Let me guess. You prefer one of Trump’s 3rd grade level speeches?

      • Irene Waldron

        They are original

        • Real truth

          so is doctor Seuss

    • Chris

      This is the ONLY time I have EVER agreed with you, old goat.

      The part about Rubio’s crappy speech not being plagiarism.
      NOT the part about Obama’s original.
      But two out of three ain’t bad for you.

      • Otto Greif

        Not surprising you like dumb speeches.

    • Real truth

      you’re right we call it paraphrasing. anyway you spin it he doesnt have the intellectual capacity to be president. He cant even do the job of senator. He would never get keep his job next election anyway and thats Republican’s in Florida saying this.

  • StPete

    Not plagiarism.

  • powerstone05

    Again, someone is looking for things that don’t exist. Marco Rubio is an idiot, but definitely not guilty of lifting sentences from Obama on this occasion.

    • Otto Greif

      Let’s be real, Rubio’s speechwriter did not ripoff Obama’s speechwriter.

  • Nptpete

    I can’t stand this little “upstart” turd. Where does he get his twisted information? From faux no-news? He is disgusting in how he disrespects the office he wishes someday to occupy? News flash water boy.. you are not ready for prime time.

    • Cindy Suiter

      Water boy – good one!

  • GrafZeppelin127

    No one has a copyright on the idea that They Said We Couldn’t Do It But We Did It, or They Said It Couldn’t Happen But It Happened. Not plagiarism.

  • Yohan Luechtefeld

    Nice try jr.

  • rf7777

    Reaching… Not plagiarism.

  • smarterboy14

    I’m sorry, was there someone under the impression that a republican was going to have an original thought or idea?

  • Billy DaMota

    Not even close.

  • gerardjr

    Anchor Baby, and Speech Stealer!

  • queensrealm

    ….had to strain to find a similarity…quite a stretch of someone’s imagination to try to place this lie as factual truth. Someone very desperate to stir up trouble where there should be none.

    • tracey marie

      yet you never strain to attack and vilify muslims and the President. I read your history, faux xtian.

  • Jake Spooz

    Was he juking and jiving too?

    • Chris

      No, just imitating your last name.

      • Jake Spooz

        Obama likes getting spooz shot up his áss.

        • Chris

          Just like the sun coming up in the east every morning, you aim for disgust with your every post.

          But you only register amusement on my part because you come across as a fourth grader. Surprise me by telling me you’re actually an adult. Not in temperament, of course, but age.

          • Jake Spooz

            Chris, you are a typical moronic liberal, who fanaticizes on sucking Obama díck. Go back inside and continue whacking off to your Obama picture book and go to bed…alone I’m sure.

            • Chris

              The only thing I wonder about is if the insults you string together are in a little shoebox by your computer, or if you talk like that during the day to those unfortunate to cross your path.

            • Jake Spooz

              No shoebox, junior…I just have enough wit to slam you morons on an individual basis…Next!!

            • Chris

              Half.

              You meant half-wit.

        • Original Critic

          it’s ok to come out of the closet these days u kno jake

          • Jake Spooz

            I know…so why haven’t you.

      • Mike Meoff

        his last name should be “SPOOGE”

        • Jake Spooz

          Mike Meoff should be Mike Jack Me Off.

  • Kevin Cleary

    Thanks Obama!

  • Jason Jehosephat

    This is pure foolishness. Barack Obama was hardly the first person ever to speak to a crowd about having defied odds and low expectations to achieve success.

  • crookedstr8

    I don’t especially care for Rubio, but his speech is not plagiarized. Does it really take this English teacher to tell this author that? If there are any similarities, and there are few, its because of similar circumstances. I’m a Democrat who supports Hillary, but I believe in being fair and accurate; otherwise, I’d be a Republican.

    • Mike Meoff

      A Democrat?? Sure. You. Are.

      • crookedstr8

        I am. This is DISQUS, you can read all of my previous comments about everything by clicking on my name. Fairness and being accurate is more important to us Democrats than it is to Republicans…..obviously. Now, which are you?…and shouldn’t your name be Jack …Mr. Meoff?

  • http://johnharvey.us/ SgtCedar

    There are only so many things a candidate can say after an election. Most of these speeches sound very much alike.

  • Eric Boyer

    Marco Rubio has had one original idea, and that’s “How can I make Marco rich without doing any actual work?” Just another grafter who has never done a real days work in his entire life.

  • GWMill

    “They said it could never be done. They were pessimistic, and I was optimistic. I’ve done it!” Yeah, no two people on the planet earth could ever have separately come up with that particular combination of ideas on an election night.

  • Christine

    I’m a teacher and would not call that plagiarism. The style has been copied, but the words have not.

  • Jennifer Carlton

    It is pathetic that ‘Liberal America’ and the Democrats who post here can find nothing to criticize about Rubio except that his speech, that has been praised by the media and everyone who heard it, sounds something like a speech Obama gave years ago that WAS in fact written by someone else named Jon Favreau. (No mention of Obama giving a speech written by someone else though, of course). Rubio’s speech, which came from his heart, telling of how his parents struggled to raise their kids on wages made from being a hotel bartender and maid, had nothing to do with Obama, (who was smoking marijuana and running around with boys of the hood when he was a teen). Typical response from ‘Liberal’ America though. Nothing of substance… just name-calling and false accusations.

  • Aviva Miriam Patt

    Nonsense. Aside from the overall theme of achieving something that had been discounted as not possible or probable, there is no repetition of ideas or language, which is what constitutes plagiarism. The cadence is similar, but only because it is not unique. No one, except a writer with an exaggerated sense of his own creativity, could think this is plagiarism.

  • Hollywooddeed

    Little twerp.

  • Jake Spooz

    At least he isn’t copying Bathhouse Barry’s lust for gay men.

    • Original Critic

      he’s leaving that to you

      • Jake Spooz

        Another liberal moron from the peanut gallery with nothing to add…welcome, prepare to be lambasting all over this site like the others before you.

        • Mike Meoff

          Another successful day for Jake, tossing off on his keyboard…….

          • Jake Spooz

            Mikey likes wanking to his Obama picture book…be careful…your boyfriend might catch you and not let you blow him.

    • Blossom25

      Were you one of his gay lovers?

      • Jake Spooz

        No. I’m not his type…I’m hetero.

    • Mike Meoff

      Jake likes to ‘catch’, rather than ‘pitch’

      • Jake Spooz

        No, Mikey…that would be you. Everyone knows you liberals are the queers.

  • kohathi

    “Plagiarized”? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

  • Real truth

    When he can do the job he was voted for, better yet when he can show up for the job he was voted for then come. He has the worst attendance record in the Senate. He doesnt like to work why would we expect better when the job get 100 times more difficult

  • http://PatrickofAtlantis.com/ Patrick of Atlantis

    I don’t care for Rubio; he’s too friendly with McCain and Graham. No thanks. But I don’t see any plagiarism here.

  • Tony Masando

    He;s a dam liar, deceptive piece of garbage!

  • wenzel dehn

    Please, get a grip. I have heard hundreds of folks use a line like that or very similar ever since I can remember. When the Red Sox won the series it was heard all over Boston. And thousands of other instances before that. President Obama was not the first to utter such a sentiment. This is just a weak attempt to make a tempest in a teapot.

  • Ed Hino

    seems like repigs are using obama s play book to elect one of there cuban foriegners to be president

  • realist1953

    yea, Rubio is crap — so is the entire (R) field. and (H)

    but this speech is nearly generic for anyone “coming from behind” — I’ve seen similar in badly written books, speeches, etc

    How would YOU write a speech for the Same circumstances???

  • juanjo54

    Interesting comments here. If one takes the two speeches and looks at the phrasing and the intent of the sentences reproduced, the simple fact is that they are identical in theme and structure including which ideas are presented in which order. Th fact is that the Obama speech was taken and reworked to change some words but present the same theme and do so in essentially the exact same fashion.

    I agree that a general theme such as this BY ITSELF is not indication of plagiarism. But that is not the issue. For example is the below a plagiarized form of a rather well known speech?

    87 years ago, the Founding Fathers created a brand
    new country here based on the idea that everyone is equal. Now, we are
    at war with ourselves, and this war is testing whether that kind of
    country can survive. A battle of this war was fought right here where
    we are standing. We are here today to dedicate a part of this
    battlefield as a cemetery for the soldiers that died here. This is the
    right thing to do. There is no way that we can ever bless this ground
    today more than the soldiers that died here already have. We can’t even
    come close. No one is going to care or remember the words we say here,
    but no one can ever forget what those soldiers did here. It’s up to
    the rest of us that are still alive to dedicate ourselves to finishing
    what these soldiers have started. It’s up to us to dedicate ourselves
    to saving the country, and remind ourselves that people have died for
    this cause. We have to promise that the soldiers here did not die for
    nothing. We have to promise that this country, under God, will be free
    again. We have to promise that a country that is made up of the people,
    was created by the people, and made to serve the people can exist in
    this world.

  • monalee

    He’s a Boy Scout and Megyn Kelly wants to be his Den Mother

  • atunionbob

    He hates anchor babies, but he is one himself, He hates gays yet he was arrested for being in a cruisey gay park after hrs with a known gay porn producer. He hates immigrants but his parents were BOTH from Cuba. He wants to get rid of Soc Security but he used it to educate, feed, house himself while in college. He is a two faced untrustworthy cheating republican liar who should not be elected to ANY office ever again.

  • bob

    I don’t see plagiarism here. If so, a lot of people — and long before Obama — are guilty of plagiarism. My wife and I said things as close as the two phrases mentioned here on graduation day in 1990. It wasn’t plagiarism, it was our feeling. I wouldn’t claim it as our own any more than, “Good morning!”

    • Mike Meoff

      That would be GED ‘graduation day’……….

      • bob

        I don’t think it matters, Mike. That could be said at any such day. What did you say on your PhD graduation day?

        I am fascinated that somehow to you the type of achievement has something to do with the feelings and the expression of them.

        • Mike Meoff

          Guess that I struck a nerve. Must’ve been the most memorable day in your life, getting that state issued paper…..

          • bob

            I am yet amazed that somehow the feelings of accomplishment, even if they be graduation from kindergarten, wouldn’t be somehow similar to that of your PhD graduation. The nerve struck is about human beings who have feelings which you ignore.

            My favorite scoutmaster in my youth was a man who had a PhD. I never knew that as a scout, but learned it years later from one of his co-workers. He was who he was and that was defined in other terms from his educational achievements. I asked him why he didn’t ever mention it and he said with a smile, “Was it important to the scouts? Had anyone asked, I wouldn’t have hidden it.”

  • Mike Meoff

    Rubio continues to circle the ‘bowl’…

    • Indie in E. Ct

      After Rubio repeated the same attack line about Obama 4* times in the last debate, Rubio has shown himself to be nothing more then a Cuban Parrot !

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