The "Joe the Plumber" Debate

John McCain apparently loves workers now (except for those in Columbia who are being killed trying to form labor unions). He brought up the apocryphal demographic, "Joe the Plumber," and then accused Barack Obama of "class warfare." He was condescending to working people and to women. It's an outrage that after a Republican administration that McCain voted with 90 percent of the time has waged an unremitting class war against the working people in this country -- robbing their earnings, their retirement accounts, and their children's futures --, here's John McCain tonight denouncing the idea of "spreading the wealth around."

McCain said: "I'm proud of the people who come to our rallies" (even the ones who scream racial epithets?). And then he segued into another yawner on all his "veteran" buddies who love him so who show up. He said that ACORN is "destroying the fabric of democracy" (by registering poor people to vote?). He repeated the talk radio lie that Obama "launched his campaign" in Bill Ayers' living room. McCain was petulant (as when he cried again about how Obama forced him to go 100 percent negative because he dissed his phony "town hall" ploy). McCain said that Sarah Palin is a "role model for women" (some role model). He dismissed the equal pay for women case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., as if it were totally irrelevant, exposing once again his deep-seated misogyny.

John McCain tonight was facetious, smirking, sarcastic, disrespectful, brooding, dismissive, rude, mean, condescending, and wound up tight. Talking to "Joe the Plumber," he said: "Hey Joe, you're rich! Congratulations!" Coming from a guy who married into a $100 million fortune that's pretty weird. He's an elitist. His true self had shown brightly tonight and I bet most people were pretty turned off.

But most importantly, McCain is wrong on all the issues. He feigns compassion for Americans who are "hurting," but he offers only warmed over Republican "free market" policies. The corporate media have seized upon McCain telling Obama: "I'm not George Bush." But McCain's economic policies -- deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, cutting social programs with a "spending freeze" in a time of growing poverty and unemployment -- are all George W. Bush's policies. AND THEY ALL FAILED!

We have just experienced the worst financial crisis in 70 years. The stock market lost $3 trillion in the last three weeks. Millions of baby boomers close to retirement have been forced to recalibrate their plans for their "golden years." Eight hundred thousand people have lost their jobs in recent months. And all McCain wants to talk about is Bill Ayers and ACORN?

Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Presidential Debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[GeorgeNVA]

This place is hilarious. It's funny how the media has gone on the attack. Joe is a US citizen. He asked a question. Obama is the one who gave the idiotic answer. It's funny how we know more about Joe the plumber in 3 days than we know about Barrack Obama.

[whatswrongwithu]

Right, and it's been reported that corrections to the news story about Joe being related to Keating haven't been recanted yet. That rumor was found to be false, but the intent to destroy Joe's name is full steam ahead. Let's see which news source is brave enough to print a retraction on that lie first. AOL did already.

[Mymykey]

This man decided to step into the political spotlight, he's currently milking his fifteen minutes worth on fox. He deserves the scrutiny he gets.

The facts of his life highlight his lack of knowledge on the topic. He would pay less taxes under Barack Obama. He's simply swallowed the McCain line and didn't research that before asking his question.

I saw Joe state tonight that he has been on welfare in his past....so what value do his arguments against government handouts have? Even if that were what Obama were proposing?

He's exposed himself as your typical McCain supporter....severely misguided.

[racetoinfinity]

Joe the Plumber is a Republican/McCain PLANT. Fake as can be.

[Targaray]

Another McCain Political Gimmick Backfires!!!

- Panders to Conservative Republican Extremists - BLOWBACK
- Sneeks Around to Fundraisers with Bush - BLOWBACK
- Does Not Vet Sarah "the witch hunter" Palin - BLOWBACK
- Does Not Vet Todd "Alaska Speratist" Palin - BLOWBACK
- Fake Suspends Campaign - BLOWBACK
- Trys to Take Credit for Bailout - BLOWBACK
- Huffs, Puffs, Snorts and Blinks Through Debates - BLOWBACK
- Joe the Plumber, Relative of Charles Keating - BLOWBACK

[ajax2]

Joe the Plumber couldn't flush a toilet or fill out a tax form. He would be the only businessman in the U.S. to pay taxes on his gross income. Why John, why Sen. McCain did you bring out a Keating relative who is dumber than Sarah Palin? You're losing it pal.

[kchoy1000]

Joe admitted that he was conbtacted by the McCain campaign to go to the Obama rally on GMA w/ Diane Sawyer. http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6047458

[milo h minderbinder]

No, you misunderstood.

They contacted him and asked him to come to a McCain rally, I assume that happened after the debate.

He says that he had no contact with either party before the Obama appearance, he just happened to be there.

[mab543]

Ok you really need to listen, because he says clearly that "I just happened to be here and Obama Showed up." the reference you are talking about is a post debate appearence at a McCain Rally.

[GeorgeNVA]

Wow, look at this spin. Listen to the interview again. Joe is a pretty smart dude. I would like to see Obama debate him. Joe would spank him pretty badly.

[whatswrongwithu]

All McCain wants to talk about is Acorn? Considering Acorn's involvement with the housing crisis, and just how far kickbacks at taxpayer's expense at grass roots level can go, I'd say Acorn and the Frank/Raines/Dodd issue are VERY pertinent. Sing along to Bringin' Down the House. That they did. Bill Ayers? Well... calls for radicalizing our schools and take a look at the masterpiece in Chicago, set to open in 2011- Obama's school for social justice specializing in queer studies. Special interest groups, radical ideas, un-uniform preference in education describes why Acorn and Bill Ayers are important figures.
SICK!

[whatswrongwithu]

Joe the Plummer represents more of America, the type of quality individuals who provide our daily bread, our services than any trial lawyer could.
Joe Plummer is just an American trying to achieve the American dream, based on American principles.
My only hope is that it reaches the working class.
Teachers? Vouchers threaten their jobs while unions are in place to keep the worst of the worst employed. Little puppets for that useless union. Get your political views out of my kids face in the classroom (in our school, the band teacher said, "Obama needs to be president to show you crackas- this country is too racist") And that is the level of intelligence that will be deciding our countries future, and the influence our children have to have in schools. Boot the losers out! Give them competition- or give them a new career via a pink slip.

[mab543]

Basically what I gathered from you “left heads” is that you would rather be poor and useless so that you can steel from people who worked hard to achieve something in their life. Thank God we have people like Joe the plumber who don’t currently make $250K a year but are motivated to do what it takes to get there. That’s how an economy grows….by people trying to achieve….not by saying I’ll do nothing and just let the government hand me free money. If we all thought that way then we would all be lower class…there would be no middle class whom Obama says he will help?

[Meanwhile]

This naive argument conveniently ignores the fact that SOMEONE HAS TO SCRUB THE TOILETS. Even if we all work as hard as we can and achieve as much as possible, someone will have to do all those thankless jobs you so easily dismiss. It doesn't make them "poor and useless."

[JWakkaJane]

Because this Joe is thinking about buying a business that will make more than a quarter million annually he was seized upon by the McCain campaign. McCain mentioned "Joe the Plumber" 21 times during the debate last night under the pretense that this guy represented the average working class/middle class American or even the typical small business owner. He does not.

Plumbers and electricians are the best paid trade workers but construction trade workers and businesses are not living as high off the hog as they have in the past because new construction has nearly come to a standstill. The majority of plumbers and construction trades workers out there these days are more like hurting for work and/or unable to afford to start their own business; definitely not in the position to consider buying a successful business that will pull in over a quarter million per year.

It must be in the ballpark of 95% to 98% of Americans have a lower income than this particular "Joe" and mostly, a lot lower. McCain may be ignorant of the fact that what looks like a manual laborer representing the lower classes to him is hardly a 'fitting' representative of the wide majority of Americans who might LIKE to identify with someone in this man's position, but I doubt it and I highly doubt his campaign managers did not know exactly what they were trying to do when they pulled "Joe the Plumber" out of the hat.

[milo h minderbinder]

And it turns out that this Joe is in the bottom 95% after all. When he talked about making 250k or more, he was talking about what he HOPED to make someday, not what he's actually making in real life.

He had to fabricate a hypothetical situation just to make it seem like Obama was "hurting" him.

In reality, he will pay less taxes under Obama's plan. Why do people like this Joe vote against their own self interest, especially when it puts more money into the pockets of richer people?

[Overd0g]

Because it's not in your self interest to be a thief, no matter how much you envy your victim.

[GeorgeNVA]

The fact is Joe has a dream to do better in his life. Obama wants to take his hard work and spread it out to who ever Obama feels deserves it. That's not the American dream - that's welfare.

Joe has his own self interest in mind. He wants to do better in life.

[Vat129]

Something smells fishy about “Joe the Plumber”, the Media should be careful...They might be doing the work for the GOP!!!
Listening to Joe on CBS, he says that he does not earn $250 000 pa, he earns less than that...question, why ask the question if it does not affect you? He will actually get a tax cut under Obama’s plan but he prefers McCain’s plan.
He also says that Obama’s “tap dancing around like Sammy Davies Jnr”...is that code????....My experience of some Dutch people in South Africa answers that question for me!
Let have a discussion...Get this message out there!

[darthdarcy]

What is it with Republicans and plumbers, Nixon was hooked up with the "plumbers" too..!

[moonracer]

I'm of the opinion that Joe the plumber is a McCain plant, surrogate, and a racist. McCain has used this strategy during his negative town halls over the past couple of weeks: the gentleman begging McCain to "go after" Obama, the ignorant old woman, which McCain insincerely put asunder by assuring her he's (Obama)"good family man" then turns around and basically calls Obama a terrorist and a voter frauder. And all the while, McCain himself has even appeared as a keynote speaker for ACORN: the very group he assails. McCain is over, and Joe the plumber shouldn't even be a consideration - especially as I read he is not even registered...and has liens against his tax file.

But this is McCain...another real effective strategy. McCain has lost his way, or perhaps this is who McCain has been all along: a desperate old man.

[Acidreign]

The only way Joe the Plumber made $250,000 last year is if he had an exclusvie contract to do all the work on John McCain's eight houses.

[milo h minderbinder]

That would explain Mac calling him "my old buddy Joe".

[Noogie]

What a coincidence!!

Both Barack Obama and John McCain met the SAME dude during the course of their door-to-door campaigning!!!

[ajax2]

Joe the Plumber is not a plumber, plumbers don't make over a quarter million a year. Joe the Plumber is certainly a Republican, he doesn't want to pay his share of taxes. Joe the Plumber wants to be in the top 5% who pay little or no taxes, receive government assistance when their business turns down, demands services from the government for business and home, will hire illegals to keep costs down, and has an overseas account to hide his assets. Yes Joe the Plumber is not a plumber, but he certainly is a Republican Welfare Queen.

[Overd0g]

He doesn't want to pay someone else's fair share of taxes.

[milo h minderbinder]

But you said the exact opposite above.

Since wealthier people would pay more, isn't he mad that the rich people are paying more than HIS share?

Make up you're mind, you're contradicting yourself.

[GeorgeNVA]

ajax2 - Please do some research. The top 5% pay most of the taxes in the US.
- Joe is a plumber - in the ABC interview he talked about past and current jobs he was working on.

- Let's talk about welfare. What part of Obama's plan doesn't include welfare?

[feo]

The difference is so simple and so observable. On one hand, a man who makes sense and stays calm; on the other, a man who makes no sense and is as agitated as a caged monkey awaiting medical experimentation.