Joe The Plumber: Obama Tap Dances Like "Sammy Davis Jr."

In a phone interview with CBS' Katie Couric, Joe Wurzelbacher said Barack Obama "tap dance[d] ... almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr." in their conversation. He also said he didn't actually make enough to fall into the group whose taxes would be raised under Obama -- but argued that it was a "slippery slope." Watch:

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Comments

[JaniceL]

Joe the Plumber? More like Joe the Ringer.

[excitablerooster]

McCain dances like Elaine from Seinfeld.

[mathme]

So, not conceding an incorrect point or inaccurate portrayal is "tap dancing" now? "Every time I made a shallow argument, he had a response! That's some fancy tap dancin'!"

[pjburns11]

Big Gruff Joe the Plumber - Mr. Clean's 15 minutes.

went "out to corner" Obama - he will be the poster boy for O'Reilly and Limbaugh now.

Hey Joe! They don't really care about you! Get it through your thick... oh... nevermind. There is no penetrating that cranium, is there.

http://thetruthburns.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/we%e2%80%99ve-gone-from-silly-season-to-hate-week-what%e2%80%99s-next-kristallnacht/

[kkgaunt]

I love all the comments. Everyone makes so much sense. Listening to "Joe the Plumber" I said the same thing what plumber do you know of make more then $250,000. Give me a break is right.

[K-Dog76]

kkgaunt,

He is talking about a business with a profit of $250k (it could be 5 or 6 people). I work with contractors everyday, guess what, $250k is small business and it is a legitimate concern. One of those plumbers could get axed so Joe can pay the bills and taxes

SO yes give me a break. We don't know exactly what Joe is discussing, because we dont have all the details. But don't jump to the conclusion that you know what you are talking about.

[wolfmason]

"Joe the Plumber", like an increasing number of Americans, probably suffers from the "one day, i'll be rich, and everyone will envy me!" delusion. The same delusion explains why people buy so many lottery tickets, and why reality television "stars" exist. More and more people in this country are mesmerized by the delusion that despite their own lack of talent and ambition, they will someday be rich and famous. It would not at all surprise me if people begin to vote based on that delusion.

[mybabylovesobama]

Are the republicans trying to hand us the election on a silver platter?

Seriously? They haven't learned the "vetting" lesson yet?

They couldn't spend 5 minutes googling him before deciding to plant him in their cute little policital stunt?

[gez]

This is not Joe the Plumber this is Joe the Plant. His whole purpose to embarrass Obama in front of the cameras.

I'm surprised he hasn't made a starring appearance on Fox News.

[Viper]

Joe does not as a plumber have Taxable income of $250K!

If I hear one more republican who does not know that the tax on 250K is on Profit ( revenue less expenses and itemized deductions and etc) and not gross income/revenue I'm going to scream.

Not even our news reporters know that Obama only increases taxes on those individuals... Schedule C or Subshpater S ... whose profit is over 250K or if your taxable income from wages is over 250K ( after all your deductions­/exemption­s). The tax increase is on taxable income..... NOT GROSS Revenue.

If they gross 20 million in sales and have only 240K in Taxable income after expenses/e­xemptions/­std Deductions/home interest deductions .. they dont get a tax increase!

If they make more than that and dont want to pay an increase in taxes, then buy some new equipment ( hopefully made in America) or give your employees a raise or put more money in your SEP/IRA a/c which reduces your taxable income!.

To pay for the tax cut you have to tax some one or run the debt up more and devalue the dollar which is a Tax increase in effect!

The Press and Repugs are both dumb!

Regards

[independent32955]

You're absolutely right Viper...but dont expect Joe, or other republicans to get that...the GOP powers that be dont really want them to understand that point, they want them to simply think that taxes are bad, bad bad and yet, as we well know a necessary evil to pay for things like ridiculously conceived and poorly executed wars of the GOP.

[Onpage17]

I wonder if "Joe The Plumber" and "Joe Six Pack" know each other? Say it ain't so....Joe's!

[skando]

I can't find the clip; but didn't McCain say during the debate that he spoke with Joe?

In this clip Joe says, "I have yet to meet McCain".

Then Joe goes on to admit that he doesn't actually fall into the small category of taxpayers (earning more than $250K) who would be negatively affected by Obama's tax plan, but he's concerned because, "What if he lowers that to $100,000?" PURE UNSUBSTANTIATED SPECULATION !!!!!!

Holy Crap !!!! Probably the single most discussed point of this debate is based on a (yet another) lie by McCain and an uninformed assumption by the subject.

[redsongia]

This was some quibbling nonesense. The tax increase on his income OVER 250,000 was going from 37 to 39 percent. And that's after all his business deductions, etc.

What's he going to pay, an extra 1,000 a year AT MOST? Give me a break.

[mathme]

That is a point that isn't being hammered home well enough! Say sooth!

[Penmaiden]

I think Senator McCain has secured two votes, one from Joe the Plumber and one from Joe SixPack.
The rest of us who care about the economy, who prioritize energy independence, health care reform and education and who feel a physical sense of ailment and sickness at the memory of the last eight years need to cast our votes in favor of an intelligent, eloquent, caring and compassionate man, the "cool hand at the tiller" who even McCain feels we need. That "cool hand" is certainly not Senator McCain.
http://www.penmaiden.com/

[cosmo86]

I think that it is pretty pathetic when people that make over $250.000 have a problem paying 3% more in taxes. All I know is if I work over time more is taken out in taxes. so the old story of the more we make the more they take holds true for middle class. It is time it holds true for the rich.

[RezidentBivrip]

The whole Time I was watching the debate lat night I kept thinking to myself... "What kind of plumber makes $250k per year?!!??!!!

Turns out there isn't one! And Joe "The Plumber" (I wonder if he's related to Joe "Six Pack"?)

Look at reality Joe "The Plumber" I don't know how much you make in plumbing, but if it's not $200k, (Which you said it wasn't $250k) under Barack you're going to get a tax cut.

And it sounded to me like Joe "The Plumber" is already in the tank for McCain.

[bpowell1]

It is wierd that out of all the people Obama comes across this guy is the one that was mentioned. It is funny that he is all of sudden ready for interviews. Dressed early in the morning not surprised that the press just shows up and starts answering questions. Maybe we should check out who really is Joe the Plummer.

See how easy it is to start just making stuff up like the McCain campaign. This whole topic is ridiculous and I hope his 15 minutes are up by this evening.

[DeanAdams]

This story is so full of holes we may need to call in a real plumber. How many plumbing businesses with a couple of guys and a couple of trucks generate $250K or more in profit (that is the what the business would pay taxes on after all of the expenses of running the business -- labor, materials, rent, lease payments, etc. ). A business that generates that kind of profitability would sell for probably 4 or 5 times the amount of profitability which would imply a purchase price of the business of $1.0 - $1.25 million. This is hardly Joe Six Pack type economics.