Joe the plumber, the star of the debate
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff
We have met Joe Six-Pack, and he is Joe the Plumber.
Make that Joe Wurzelbacher, a bald fellow from Ohio who, as luck or misfortune would have it, spent about 5 1/2 minutes debating tax policy with Barack Obama on the campaign trail Sunday.
At last night’s debate, Wurzelbacher became — depending on which candidate was invoking him at the moment — the emblem of the inheritor of the American dream, the overtaxed working class hero, the guy who’s made it and now has a responsibility to those who haven’t, or the small businessman who could use a little government help buying health insurance.
By one count, John McCain mentioned him 15 times and Obama named him five times.
But first, let’s backtrack to what happened on the trail the other day.
Wurzelbacher told Obama he wanted to buy a plumbing business that makes $270,000 to $280,000 a year. Would it be taxed more under Obama’s plan? Obama acknowledged it would: For whatever amount it earns over $250,000, the marginal tax rate would increase from 36 percent to 39 percent — the same amount it had been under President Clinton, before the Bush tax cuts.
Obama asked Wurzelbacher to think back to the days when he was only earning, say, $60,000 or $70,000 a year. If he’d had a good-size tax cut then, he would have been able to save more and therefore buy his business sooner. ‘‘It’s not that I want to punish your success, I just want to make sure that everyone who is behind you, that they have a chance at success, too.’’
He said a bit later: ‘‘Right now, everybody’s so pinched, that business is bad for everybody. ...I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.’’
In last night’s debate, McCain seized on the encounter as evidence that Obama’s tax plans amounted to ‘‘class warfare.’’
‘‘Joe,’’ he said, ‘‘I want to tell you, I’ll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for ... and I’ll keep your taxes low, and I’ll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees.’’
Obama tried to explain that he wanted to increase Joe’s taxes ‘‘in order to give additional tax cuts to Joe the plumber before he was at the point where he could make $250,000.’’
But that was not the end of Joe.
A few minutes later, McCain jumped at the chance to return to the subject of ‘‘my old buddy, Joe.’’ ‘‘Now, Joe ... if you don’t get — adopt — the healthcare plan Senator Obama mandates, he’s going to fine you.’’
Obama said small businesses were exempt. Showing uncharacteristic exasperation, he said:‘‘All I want to do if you’ve already got health care is lower your costs. That includes you, Joe.’’
Reached by the Associated Press after the debate, Wurzelbacher said it was ‘‘pretty surreal’’ to be mentioned in a debate.
He said of McCain: ‘‘He’s got it right as far as I go.’’
But he wouldn’t say which candidate would get his vote on Nov. 4.
‘‘That’s for me and a button to know,’’ he said.
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I'm "Joe the Realtor in Atlanta” I do not want someone redistributing my income to persons producing less. A lot of life is feast and famine. Why is Obama spending $500 million for a job that pays $400,000 a year? Let Obama redistribute his wealth! He talks real big, when talking about spending our money! Let Obama return to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac the lobbyist monies he unabashedly took from them. You know the money that we the taxpayers are spending to bail them out with. Has he no shame?
I have money to put aside for education, retirement, and when I am older so I am not a burden to society. I am really glad I heard the debate. Socialism is still socialism. I am very happy Obama used his own words so we can see what he will really do when elected. His excessive spending won't stop there!
Obama's Cheshire grin is most arrogant and highly reminiscent of film clips of unrepentant criminals caught in the act. Apparently Obama thinks he is a shoo in for the Presidency and owes no one any respect or explanation which he confirms with his offensive disrepectful arrogrant grin.
Sitting here in Europe, we are given to understand that Obama has the presidency in the bag and McCain and his team are slinging mud left, right and center to see if anything will stick and thus hope to alter the outcome. To be honest, I listened to the whole debate on the BBC website and I found McCain to be the more believable choice. Both candidates were good. McCain was a bit edgy sure, but there are hundreds of successful politicians here in Europe who are like that. The content is what matters and McCain brought his policies out clearly and whats more, by doing that, forced Obama to make his policies more clear.
Jim, spoken like a true realtor. "I do not want someone redistributing my income to persons producing less." I find it ironic a realtor complaining about money. Not all of us have the chance to sell homes with inflated prices to those who cannot afford them.
Watch for a send-up of Joe the Plumber and McCain on the next SNL, which is where they both belong. Let's not shed any tears over Joe and his higher taxes. He'll be sitting pretty throughout the recession. Hiring a plumber isn't a discretionary expenditure. If you need one, you'll hire one regardless of what the economy's doing. And for all his whining about being penalized for trying to reach the American Dream, Joe's no poster boy for those who are trying to do the same. Appearing on a talk show this morning, Joe said that when he asked Obama about his taxes, Obama "tap danced" around the issue "like Sammy Davis Jr." Apparently he thinks an African-American who aspires to the office of the presidency is as laughable as a dancing ape. He may not even be aware that his remark was racist, which is the most frightening part of this sorry episode.
Obama might look cocky quite alright, but the truth is that Mcain was just playing right into his own trap. The ruse of the whole absurdity was what Obama probably was smirking at most of the time. Mcain thought he could deflate Obama's baloon, which he really tried and at times made good in roads. Mcain was too insecure and at times desperate. Obama's calm was just irritating him the more. In the process lost his eloquence. which he thought he had. I give the ride to Obama
The Joe The Plumber $250,000 Dilemma:
Let's be real here. $250,000 is (still) a lot money everywhere you go in the world. If I'd be a regular Joe the plumber from a US suburb and earn a quarter of a million US dollars, I wouldn't mind paying a bit more taxes. A family can live very well with that kind of money. Just think about how many people live on minimum wage in the US or on less than $2 a day in other countries. McCain was saying that he wants to help Joe realize his American Dream. Still, that doesn't mean that Joe is exempt from tax paying. It is like turning down a higher income job. No one would say, "No, I don't want to earn more, because I don't want to pay more taxes." I understand that no one likes paying taxes. But in the West, we all need to pay taxes. That is how we finance our welfare.
Obama doesn't care about small businesses, taxing a business making 250.000 could make it fold, let alone forcing the employee to carry insurance on his employees. He'll destroy the american dream, He's going to spread the wealth, our wealth, that we've worked hard for. and who's he going to give it to, the needy, well guess what, if he wins we'll all be needy. Welfare, welfare, that all I see he is going to increase. Using our taxes to do so with.
Good job jooe
His tax plan for the people earning over quarter of a million pound is the same as President Clinton's, we did pretty well during the Clinton years as a nation, we had a budget surplus. Bush is a true tax hating republican like our senator sidekick from arizona, I wonder what more disasters await us if we carried on with another four years of republicans.
Senator Mccain was how old when Bill ayers bomb the pentagon?why didn't he conderm the act then,why now.I am just curious?.
What is Todd Palin educational qualification.Since he has choosen to remain the governor in the dark,we people need to know,because there won't be room for fiherman"s kind of policy.
How hold is Sarah Palin when she had her first child?because if you going to be a role model, even trying to go to white house, pls lead by example.
Gov.Sarah Palin claimed she is not Washington insider,but consistently paying lobbiest to lobby for earmarks.lied about Bridge to nowhere,lied about troppergate,even abused her power,is this not thesame thing Carl rove did? by firing U.S prosecutor .Now she has so much guts to demand the thruth about Senator Obama's past.
Since Gov.Sarah Palin choose not to reside in governent house in Alaska whose money do they use to build there personal house ,hope is not tax payers money?
Try Joe the Wanna-Be-Plumber. If he wants to be taken seriously, start by working hard and get a real plumbing license like the rest of the profession has to. As far as I'm concerned, this guy has nothing better to say than McCain since he isn't legit himself.
these r just men n women who want whats best and dont want to be took to the bank and have their money given to the poor. I say if you work hard for your money u should be able to keep it!