< Back to Front Page Text size – +

I'll take your Joe the plumber and raise Al the shoe salesman

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor October 21, 2008 07:26 PM


Barack Obama's campaign has come up with a humorous comeback to Joe the plumber.

At every campaign stop, Republican rival John McCain mentions Joe Wurzelbacher, who complained to Obama that his tax cut proposal would penalize small businesses.

In a new video today, Al the shoe salesman computes the tax cut he would get under the two candidates, using the Obama camp's trusty tax calculator.

Al is Al Bundy (played by actor Ed O'Neill), the aggrieved husband in the comedy hit "Married with Children," which aired during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Al makes $20,000 a year and has kids. "I saved $1,000" under Obama's plan, he figures out. But he would save nothing under McCain's.

The video ends with Al chanting, "Obama! Obama!"

  • CommentComment
  • EmailEmail
» Back to Front Page
.

Live it to Obama to counter Joe the Plumber with Al the Hollywood Actor. I just don't think Obama gets it.

Posted by robtr October 21, 08 09:04 PM
.

That commercial is a great response. I have to confess that I was and still am a big fan of Married with Children.

Posted by Charles M. Johnson October 21, 08 10:06 PM
.

Under the current Bush tax breaks, where EVERY taxpayer got a break and our unemployment went from 7 to 4, Bundy not only isn't paying income tax, he's receiving a check for earned incom tax credit.

Posted by Bruce October 22, 08 12:46 PM
.

To bad Al will be fired because Obama will increase the income tax, the payroll tax, the capital gains tax, the tax on dividends, the corporate tax and the death tax to help completely destroy the economy.

Posted by John October 23, 08 09:43 AM
.

i am curious how he saves 1000$ when he doesnt pay any federal income taxes

what he actually means is he will get a check from the feds for 1000$

to help him pay his new taxes on his phone... electricity...and gasoline

federal taxes on phone now are more than the phone charges

elelectricity tax is brand new ..they add 10 $ to my bill a month

gasoline taxes are 18 cents a gallon and will be raised

Posted by STANLEY DUYCK October 23, 08 12:12 PM
.

"Live it to Obama to counter Joe the Plumber with Al the Hollywood Actor" - Hate to break it to you, but Joe the Plumber was a McCain campaign plant... he's not even a Plumber... he's more of an unpaid actor than anything. At least Ed O'Neill is smart enough to get paid for acting LOL.

Posted by Royalty October 24, 08 10:33 AM
add your comment *(If you put a URL in your comment, it must be relevant )
Required
Required (will not be published)

This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.

About Political Intelligence

Reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors about the transition to the new administration and other national political happenings.

Send your comments to masspolitics@globe.com

see all Globe blogs

News from the Washington Bureau

Liberia’s Taylor says US arranged escape

The mystery has lingered for more than two decades, spawning conspiracy theories about the US government’s connection to one of Africa’s most brutal leaders: How did Charles G. Taylor escape from a Massachusetts county jail in 1985, setting him on the road to a bloody reign as Liberia’s president? (Globe Staff, 7/17/09)

Healthcare bill offers workers incentive for healthy lifestyle

Workers who quit smoking, lose weight, and eat right could have their health insurance premiums cut by as much as half, possibly saving them thousands of dollars per year, under a measure inserted with little notice this week into the Senate healthcare overhaul bill. (Globe Staff, 7/15/09)

Pressure grows for Obama to leap into healthcare fray

WASHINGTON - Even while delivering impassioned speeches and trying to light a rhetorical fire under Congress, President Obama has stayed away from the politically treacherous question of how to pay the nearly trillion-dollar cost of healthcare overhaul. (Globe Staff, 7/15/09)

Congress challenged to rethink costly weapons programs

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, in a prelude to a showdown with Congress over the Obama administration’s plan to halt purchases of the F-22 fighter jet, directly challenged lawmakers yesterday to come up with funding and detailed justifications for any weapons programs they want to rescue from the Defense Department’s chopping block. (Globe Staff, 7/15/09)

Shifting Afghan loyalties test US bid for permanent gains

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan - During the day, US soldiers and their Afghan allies set up checkpoints here along Highway One, halting traffic for hours to search for explosives and evidence of Taliban connections. (Globe Staff, 7/14/09)

Sotomayor hearing has cordial start, followed by political push-and-pull

WASHINGTON - There was a feeling of good will when Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor entered a filled-to-capacity Senate hearing room yesterday: the loud buzz of conversation fell to a hush, and she grinned at relatives sitting in the crowd as she took her seat at the witness table. (Globe Staff, 7/14/09)

In Sotomayor hearings, GOP seeking to send message to Obama

WASHINGTON - When hearings begin today on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court, Republicans on the Senate committee plan to portray her as apart from the mainstream on racial issues - a strategy intended to send a message to President Obama in deciding future nominations: Think twice before picking a liberal. (Globe Staff, 7/13/09)

Democrats, Obama disagree on F-22 spending

WASHINGTON - From the economic recovery plan to healthcare reform and creating clean-energy jobs, Representative Paul Hodes has been among President Obama’s staunchest supporters in Congress. (Globe Staff, 7/12/09)

Mass. health overhaul offers lessons for US program

WASHINGTON - A fear that employers will drop private coverage and dump their workers onto federally subsidized health plans is a major concern among lawmakers crafting healthcare legislation on Capitol Hill, leading House Democrats to propose stiff financial penalties for businesses that don’t contribute to employee premiums. (Globe Staff, 7/10/09)

Liberian’s war-crimes testimony may shed light on Plymouth jailbreak

WASHINGTON - It has been a mystery for more than two decades how Charles G. Taylor, Liberia’s former president, broke out of Plymouth County Correctional Facility in 1985, starting a journey that ultimately made him one of Africa’s most notorious strongmen. (Globe Staff, 7/10/09)
archives