Joe the Plumber - an issue of competence...

[sendero]

.... the Joe the Plumber fiasco is another glaring example of the general incompetence of the Republican party.

Politics is a dirty business, and one cannot fault the Repubs for trying this little PR gambit.

But this is the typical Republican fiasco, a thin veneer of truth covering a mountain of easily-discerned lies.

You'd think these assholes would learn, but they never seem to.

[tabasco]

1. The real problem is all the "Joe The Plumbers" that have been placed

in the highest positions of the government and military.

The Bush oil cabal operates like the mafia and has put incompetent, loyal stooges in charge of everything.

[BridgeTheGap]

2. It worked so well for so long...but it was still a house of cards. n.t

[KharmaTrain]

3. They're Too Short-Sighted...

Joe The Plumber represented some ideal the GOOP was trying to reach...the middle-aged white male...the one demo that had seemed solid within the GOOP and was starting to slip away. Joe was supposed to be their savior as we were all to be distracted by the plight of this "common man" and how only the GOOP cared about him.

This was a gimmick, a tactic to, once again, avoid having to address real issues by creating a media circus. Little is being focused on Gramps conveluted fiscal policies and his lip-lock with this current regime and it was supposed to focus on this poor schmuck.

I'm one of those who think this guy was a plant...or that he happened to stumble into this mess knowingly...having been tipped off by Camp Gramps. Hell, his picture was already in the paper within minutes of the debate ending. Not only didn't the GOOP vet this guy to make sure his story stood up, this dude was more than happy to become the new "spokesperson" for the middle class...how convenient...and so convenient he didn't bother to tell Camp Gramps he was a total fraud...even the "Joe" part.

Remember, this isn't a campaign with a message, only gimmicks...and they need to find new ones to keep their ship afloat. They don't care if they backfire cause they seem to always come up with a new one. And while we laugh our asses off and delight at their misfortune, their base thinks its "fighting back".

[Historic NY]

4. Another rove strategy gone wild........

seems they keep throwing stuff aginst the wall to find something that sticks.

[jeepnstein]

5. You should say "Rovian"...

I don't think Rove's hand was in Joe the Plumber. If it was, then we would have had a seriously hard time punching holes in the thing. The guy's buying a business for $250K and somehow expects that he will suddenly be propelled into the upper tax brackets? Give me a break. That kind of money will barely build a workshop and buy the proper tools to get in the business. He'll be a nickle and dimer like the rest of us for years unless he hits a couple of big contracts. If he's finally knocking down a $250K annual profit some day, then he can gripe about how that extra tax bite kept him from really hitting the big time. Rove would have had a "real" person with a "real" problem leading the charge.

The Republican Party has bankrupted itself of good campaign strategists. They're all sitting on the sidelines cashing a check from Fox or some conservative think tank while the election burns. I can't say as I blame them. The know-nothings that have come to dominate the conservative base are clearly gutting the GOP in the name of ideological purity. After Obama takes office it will be even more entertaining to watch them go after one another.

[DireStrike]

6. I think the problem is

The republican political sphere is so incestuously closed-loop. You can't turn around without bumping into a crook. Of course it doesn't help when your philosophy is entirely based on evil - uncaring self interest. How can you make clean supporters with that?!