Joe's Story Doesn't Hold Water

[lame54]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1809

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Ken Rynne
Planet Washington

A Holland, Ohio man "Joe," 34, on a campaign rope line asks Sen. Obama why his tax plan would punish those who made more than $250,000 who had achieved "the American Dream," and says he was preparing to buy a plumbing company that earns more than $250,000 a year.

Obama stopped and explained his plan, acknowledged that those who earn more than $250,000 a year would see their taxes rise to 39 percent from 36 percent (only on amounts over $250,000). "You're going to be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you, and right now everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody," Obama said.

During the final presidential Debate, Sen. McCain repeatedly uses "Joe The Plumber" encounter to criticize Obama tax and health plans.

The media feeding frenzy commences. Joe gives more interviews in one day that Sarah Palin does in "like, five weeks." Among the sayings of Plumber Joe: "Social Security is a joke." And Joe knows dance: declares Obama tap-danced around the answer, "almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr." During his 15 minutes, the nation also learns:

Category-------Talking Points-----Fact Check
Name----------Joe The Plumber---Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher
Occupation------Plumber---------Contractor, Not Licensed Plumber
Affiliation-------Independent------Registered Republican
Politics---------Undecided------- Right wing radio regular
Income---------$250,000-------- "No, not even close." ($40k)
Boss's Business---$250,000 income--Closer to $100,000
Plans ----------Buy boss's business-No plans, not really
Obama---------Increases Joe's taxes -Would reduce tax >$500
Obama---------Mandates health care--No Mandate
Obama---------Imposes penalty----No Penalty
McCain ---------Really? ----------Really.

A Plumber? That story -- like Joe's pipes -- just won't hold water.

[Love Bug]

1. "Social Security is a joke" Really, Joe?

At an income of $40k, how much have you socked away for your retirement after paying for rent, utilities, food, etc. What was that you said? How much? If SS is a "joke" to you, you don't have to claim it, you know.

BTW -- do tell me how a person making $40k is able to get financing for a business that will net $250,000, because a lot of us here on DU would really like a piece of that "dream."

[spanone]

5. guess that's why 'joe' is wanted for back taxes

[yodoobo]

2. Is he really a registered republican?

The guys full of crap I know, but Ohio doesn't have party registration like many other states.

I lived in Ohio up until 2005 for almost 37 years. The only time I ever told anyone officially what party I am is when they ask me at the poll which primary ballot I want, I, D or R.

There is no party registration in Ohio unless it has changed very recently.

(and p.s. whats his beef with SS anyway? A joke. what is this guy? nuts?)

[Samurai_Writer]

15. Yes, he's a registered republican

See 'Party Affiliation'.

[yodoobo]

16. Good enough for me

so..WTF was he doing at an Obama rally then? Obviously there to make trouble.

[HereSince1628]

3. Is he a licensed contractor or just a "contract employee?"

In most places a contractor must have a license. Depending on the type of work he contracts many jurisdictions require that a contractor have either a trade license or be a licensed engineer.

My gut feeling is that Sam-joe is actually just a guy with a grudge about his tax debt and the lien the country put on his property.

[gratuitous]

9. Oh, Sam's a contract employee all right

Gets paid by the political hit job, and I'm guessing he socked away a bundle for his latest smear attempt. That is, if he got paid up front. Because he's not going to be in very big demand after this from his Republican overlords. Just one more asset burned in John McCain's futile attempt to continue the Bush legacy of death, destruction, greed and corruption.

[yodoobo]

13. nah I dont think he was paid

I think he's just a big mouth who has stumbled into his moment in the Sun as a useful idiot.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Corporate media must absolutely...

...hate the internet. They can, and very often are, now bypassed completely in the fact checking and vetting that we used to be almost totally dependent on them for. Now ordinary Joe Blogger Citizen can expose Joe the Plant-Plumber for the fraud that he is, and do so pretty quickly.

I wonder just how long this last bastion of free speech and information exchange we call the internet will last.

[OnionPatch]

6. And this link at FactCheck.Org debunks it as well.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/mccains_small-business_bunk.html

[Octafish]

7. Joe the Plumber is a Skinhead Racist Turd, too.

From the BuzzFlash article:

And Joe knows dance: declares Obama tap-danced around the answer, "almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr."

[ColoradoMagician]

8. My thought too.

just a pile of racist crap.

[Octafish]

14. Joe reminds me of another bald turd...

This guy:



Who makes me wonder if he's the same fellah getting the brains sucked out of him by W in this pic:



Which shouldn't matter to me, but the guy manipulated the heck out of the White House press corpse.

PS: A hearty welcome to DU, ColoradoMagician!

[smokey nj]

10. Joe the Plumber is neither a Joe nor a plumber. Discuss.

[TahitiNut]

11. "Neurotics build castles in the sky. Psychotics live in them."

There's a kind of personality that postures like a "about-to-be-wealthy" big-frog-in-small-mud-puddle. Joe bears all the symptoms of the 'leader' of a small group of beer-swilling dropouts ... where his glib, Amway-like attitudes are a costume of faux-finery. He takes the "birds-of-a-feather" paradigm and adopts the feathers of the rich birds ... thinking that if he spouts the canned one-liners fed to him by the bosses and affluent then he'll be seen as "one of them" by the mud-crawlers with whom he wallows. It's a personality that loves to spout 'expertise' but is too ignorant and lazy to actually do the research and work ... so it finds 'prey' (people with even less intellect) and holds court. This is a guy that loves to walk into a bar (one of several) and hear "Hi, Joe!" (where most of us would pale at the thought of spending so much time drinking that the bar-flys and bar-owners would learn our name). This is a guy who wouldn't be caught dead without a can of beer in his paw on a Saturday afternoon. SUV. (Yes, a Durango is archetypical.)

I know these people. My father was one.

[yodoobo]

12. Thats pretty spot on

All except for the last sentence where I think your getting into one specific economic stereotypes and I think the description loses its way a bit, but I digress.

Otherwise, I know, or have known a number of people who fit that description quite well (and at all places in the economic ladder)

Basically describing anyone faking their position in life, trying to fit in with those who run in circles above them.

[machI]

17. Kick

[machI]

18. Dupe Delete

[Poseidan]

19. taxing = punishing?

Quite the propaganda statement.

If you make over 250,000 a year, you are rewarded by receiving over 250,000 a year. A garbage-man... maybe he didn't work as hard or study as hard... and that's why he makes nowhere near 250,000 a year. Taxes are not everything.

Republicans are notoriously stupid when it comes to taxes. They always leave out the other side of the coin, and most of the time, they don't do it deliberately... they're just that dumb.