Has it become normal to just copy from other blogs and post them here?
Yes. Itchyman did this in 16. I guess it is par for the course (i.e. has become the norm) on these threads.
Still, is it better to re-hash what is written by another on their blog and present it as if it is the poster's own work (as itchyman did previously) or to post the blog verbatim?
Probably the latter. The former if proper attribution is given.
But you approve of the original article and the posting of such.