Joe The Plumber Makes McCain Ad, Takes More Questions Than Palin

It was bound to happen. A day after a man nicknamed "Joe the Plumber" became the focus of the political world, the McCain campaign cut a commercial hoping to ride his supporter's fifteen minutes of fame.

Titled "Joe the Plumber", the spot is strictly for the web -- meaning the McCain camp is hoping for the media to fall all over itself chasing the story line. There are digs are Barack Obama to accompany the message. But its hard to imagine people paying any attention to this story beyond the meteoric rise of a random plumber from Ohio.

On a side note, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, who took questions from the media outside his home on Thursday morning, has now taken more impromptu press questions than the Republican nominee for vice president.

Certainly, McCain sees his new sidekick as a political winner. At a rally in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, the Senator declared Joe the Plumber, not himself, the winner of Thursday night's debate.

"He won, and small businesses won across America," McCain said. "They won because the American people won't let Sen. Obama raise their taxes in a tough economy. They're not going to let him do it, my friends."

Comments

[HappinessHacker]

McCain is talking about one of his own guys!!!

The G.O.P. is paying street shills to try to mold opinion in Atlanta, their slick similar story lines have the ring of Moonies from days gone by. Joe the Plumber looks and sounds just like them.

That's the real story - the shills...

HappinessHacker.com - Atlanta

[deepfreezevideo]

Joe....err­....Samuel­....scuse me....Samuel Joseph Keating Wurzelbacher is an endangered species and he needs our help. Help save the tax evading fake plumbers!

[VirgoGrrrlie]

McCain's hateful use of the word "welfare" belies the fact that his astral-twin Prez Dubya Bush has forced so many hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans ONTO welfare! The economic crash, the mass exportation of jobs out of our country, the cutbacks in services which has destroyed civil-service and other public-service positions in huge numbers, and the loss of health-coverage bankrupting families - all of these factors falling especially hard on single-parent families and/or disabled people. McCain gives WELFARE TO THE RICH - while increasing HOMELESSNESS & HUNGER for Americans all across our nation>

TIME FOR THE CHANGE WE NEED - and I for one need both a disability­-accommoda­ting job, and health-coverage - because right now I have NEITHER.

[asmabintmarwan]

It does not matter if Joe the plumber is McCains love child or does not have a license. What matters is the "one's" mask slipped for a few minutes and he revealed his true inner self. He wants to take from the middle class and "spread the wealth." Joe is the October surprise. Obama's lead is being plumbed away, even as I type this gem of wisdom. Joe the plumber is a true American hero. He has ended up saving America!

[Ergon]

Stockholm Syndrome, "Asma"?

[noygdmfb]

$250,000 per year is a lot of money, consider how much you make and how far away from $250,000 you are.

Most people are not near $250,000, and if the Republican's are in power they never will be. Measurements of wealth are relative, and standard of living is relative. As the gap between the rich and the middle class widens, even if you are in the middle class and you have more money than before, you will be worse off. The rich have many opportunities to make money while most of the middle class have none, as they are struggling to meet the demands of necessities.

Only the very stupid will be fooled by the facade. $250,000 per year is a lot of money, few people make this much.

[honestpolitician]

Anything to mislead and complicate the truth....McCain is running uphill on this one....what is so funny, is that Joe has has more air time within interviews than Palin has had for the past 2 months!!! Joe is not going to be VP - Palin is....A lot of people still don't know of who is the "real Sarah Palin"...So far all we got was a bunch of gaffs on her interviews and just not making sense when she does not have a teleprompter in front of her....Palin cannot lead this country with a teleprompter...we already had that with Bush.

http://politicaladattacks.blogspot.com/

[Johnjlws]

The maverick's campaign is making a big deal about "spreading the wealth."

I'm still very perplexed.

Why is it when you tax the rich (and, no, "Joe the Plumber" is simply another "15-minutes of fame" liar and he hasn't ever come close to $250K in earnings) is it "spreading the wealth," or "redistribution of wealth." A sort of Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor?

But, when you tax the poor and middle class to pay for government spending--a.k.a. war, bailouts, tax cuts for the wealthy, corporate tax loopholes, etc.--all of which tend to support the wealthy--is it a "free market system?"

I must be too dense because these both appear to be redistributions of wealth. In the first scenario people of means lose a percentage of their wealth to potentially help someone pick themselves up and become more productive; in the second we fund people so they can make more money speculating in the stock market. The promise of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" seems to favor the first scenario, but I don't know why we should start now looking at our Declaration of Independence and/or Constitution.

[foxfan]

Every four years it seems I vote against one candidate rather than for a candidate. This year will be no exception. John McCain is not my choice, but neither is Barack Obama. I think the undecided vote will be decided based on fear. Do you vote for McCain and run the risk of four more years fo the Bush policies or do you vote for Obama and run the risk of a Socialist in the White House redistributing our wealth.

[Unrepentant]

You must have a lot of wealth to worry about "redistribution."

Economists assert that one way out of the recession is to "redistribute" wealth through public works programs to rebuild the crumbling infastructure. No doubt you are opposed to those government programs too as just "putting people back to work."

[Ave-Gabrielle]

Joe the plumber? Sam (Ohio) the unlicensed contractor! Guy was planted to do one of Sarah Palin's complaints "gotcha journalism!" on Barack. Joe the plumber, who is not a plumber, and his name is Sam and he does contract work but does not have a license to do contract work. A republican catching Barack, who is gracious and will talk to the public with cameras (unlike Palin). Joe the plumber said he wanted to open a $250,000 plumbing business and that Barack's proposal will harm and cut into his business. Fact #1: Sam the unlicensed contractor makes $40,000 a year, and he is not a plumber. Fact# 2: Sam is NOT opening up his own business and even his own boss was surprised to hear that Sam could or would do that, because the guy is unlicensed AND Fact# 3: Joe/Sam did not pay taxes for 2007, and, there is a lean and judgment against him. Sam swaggering on his cell phone as TV crews followed him again, he said to the cameras "I hate social security, don't want my taxes paying for it." HUH? Bet his retired parents need SS. Joe tricked us for 15 minutes of fame. Sam the nobody caught Barack, and, repubs and McCain ate it up. Again, Joe, vote for your guy, oh, and when the not paying your taxes comes back to bite you--you might need the other guy, Barack, an attorney, to suggest a good tax lawyer.

[theplaintrutho1]

As much as I like and respect your comment, allow me to add some corrections.

The Mac/Pal ticket may have thought they were playing "gotcha journalism", but they only got themselves, as O's proposals, unlike Mac's, are genuine. Meaning, O had the answers to Joe's questions and more. You can only play "gotcha" if you are playing "hide & seek".

In your listed fact #2, the argument of what his boss heard is irrelevant since the business listed only one-hundred-grand for the year. (Tell you something funny, the "boss" may dump Joe/Sam, because He will probably bring the wrath of the IRS down on his, "the boss", books.)

In your listed fact #3 you write: "Sam the nobody caught Barack..." Mam/Sir, you are sadly mistaken, if you think Joe, Sam, John, Sarah, Mouthe, First-Dude/Dud, Cindy, Them, Those, He, She, Me, You, or anybody, CAUGHT Barack in anything.
Barack's answers were concise, directly to the question asked, and offered HELP to the tax-payers in question.

Other wise, thanks for a good comment.

[hortonhearsawho]

Tom, Dick, and Harry claim to be plumbers...

[DrJohnnySkeptic]

Find out who the real Joe the Plumber is!

http://jrichter.newsvine.com/_news/2008/10/16/2006917-joe-the-plumber-in-law-to-charles-keating-of-the-mccain-sl-scandal

I think that says it all.

[milo h minderbinder]

That claim has fell into doubt yesterday afternoon, most news sources have retracted it.

[ruthinking]

In the debate, McCain said that he had been talking to Joe the Plumber. When exactly did McCain talk to Joe? Joe talked to Obama, got on the "news." Then John McCain makes Joe the center of the debate, but did he really talk to him before the debate? If he had, wouldn't have he found out that Joe actually makes around $40,000, hasn't paid his taxes, and is not a union member? McCain wound up apologizing to Joe on the Letterman show last night, so it looks like John knew about as much about Joe as he did about Sarah before he named her as his VP candidate.

[milo h minderbinder]

He never said he talked to this guy. He said he talked to people LIKE him.

He did not talk to him before the debate.

[ruthinking]

well, if he didn't talk to him, maybe he should have. He certainly sounded like he knew Joe well. Didn't he call him "my friend."

[milo h minderbinder]

The funniest part about this ad is that the ONLY thing "Joe" says in the ad is a complete lie.

"Your new tax plan is going to tax me more."

False. He's going to do better under Obama's plan (so I'm not sure what he's whining about).

I hope factcheck.org and the other fact checkers call them on this one.

[piper1233]

News Flash....Joe the Plumber is really Samuel the Plumber.....Samuel the Plumber makes less than $50,000 a year........Samuel the Plumber has been on right wing radio,.. and is a staunch Republican­.......Sam­uel the Plumber does not have a Plumbing license...­.....Samue­l the Plumber is a Plumbers Helper....­.....Samue­l the Plumbers Helper is not purchasing his bosses business.....Samuel the Plumbers Helpers' boss makes just over 100,000 a year with the business..... A last Dying Gasp and death shudder for McShames dishonorable Campaign.

[imfedup]

Par for the course.

[Golfer59]

I always thought Joe was a republican plant.

[sonnyshook]

Joe the plonker

[rkimball]

the gop created joe the plummer. he is a paid pro. he is an actor. don't be fooled. this is a ploy out despiration.