Presidential candidate Kamala Harris stands accused of plagiarism in her 2009 release. The book's title, Smart On Crime, might seem comical in light of accusations made by conservative journalist Christopher Rufo.
There is no shortage of irony given that Harris' boss, Joe Biden, was forced to drop out of the presidential race in 1988 when he was proved to have lifted material from a law journal, and an English politician.
Next, and the coup de grace that toppled his first presidential bid, was plagiarism. Biden had copied sections of a law school paper from a published source and passed it off as his own. But the true stain was a speech, stolen almost word for word from a British contemporary, Labour Party MP Neil Kinnock.
Plagiarism is surely a venial sin, not mortal. That's not the point. Kinnock's speech was impassioned, a true heart's cry about opportunity, achievement, and class divide. Biden stole it for its emotional power, its resonance with audiences. The man who so often proffers his "word as a Biden" has proven repeatedly how hollow that qualifier is.
The book, ghostwritten by Joan Hamilton, retails for $9.99 on Amazon, where it received 4.2 out of 5 stars.
