The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

ItsRobsLife

Philippe Naughton
From Times Online

October 17, 2008


div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;}
Joe the Plumber? Not a plumber. And not even called Joe - Times Online

Joe the Plumber's story has sprung a few leaks. It turns out that the man held up by John McCain as the typical, hard-working American taxpayer isn't really a proper plumber and owes nearly $1,200 in back taxes.
And, officially at least, he isn't even called Joe.
The burly, bald Samuel J Wurzelbacher first came to public attention when he stopped Barack Obama on the street in Toledo last weekend and complained about his plans to raise taxes on America's wealthy.
“I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year,” he told Mr Obama. “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”


Footage of the encounter soon made it to YouTube and caused a stir with conservative bloggers. It was also seized on by John McCain who mentioned "Joe the Plumber" no fewer than 20 times during the final presidential debate on Wednesday night.
Mr Wurzelbacher became an instant celebrity, fielding calls during the debate and facing reporters outside his home near Toledo the following morning for an impromptu news conference broadcast across the nation.

Then came the backlash. A bit of digging soon uncovered the fact that Mr Wurzelabacher doesn't have a plumber's licence. He acknowledged that, but said he did not need one because he works for someone else at a company that does residential work.
Local officials said that he would still need to be a licensed apprentice or "journeyman" to work in Toledo, which he is not.
And then there was the matter of his taxes - according to court records, Mr Wurzelbacher owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax. Last January the Ohio Department of Taxation filed a claim on his property until he pays the debt.

Even if Mr Wurzelbacher was in a position to buy the plumbing business he works for, it would be unlikely that his personal income would ever climb over $250,000. Currently he earns much less, he admits, so would probably be in line for a tax cut under Mr Obama's plans.

Leaning against his black Dodge Durango SUV outside his home yesterday morning, Mr Wurzelbacher at first was amused by the media attention, then overwhelmed and finally a little annoyed.
"I don’t have a lot of pull. It’s not like I’m Matt Damon,” he complained.

Taping an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman yesterday afternoon, Mr McCain admitted that he had not yet spoken to Mr Wurzelbacher, and apologised for the press attention he had received after the debate.
But that didn't stop him taking his name in vain one more time, at a charity dinner in New York last night when Mr McCain complained that Mr Obama's running-mate, "Joe the Six-Term Senator Biden", had been questioning the plumber's veracity and joked about his own property holdings.
"He claims that this honest, hard-working small businessman could not possibly have enough income to face a tax increase under the Obama plan," Mr McCain said.
"What they don't know is that Joe the Plumber recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses."

Channel 4 News
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2008
By: Lucy Manning

Channel 4 - News - Plumber Joe butt of election jibes


Joe the plumber, famous for confronting Barack Obama, is still an election star and featured in both candidates' jokes a last night's event.

After their last televised debate, Senator Obama and his Republican rival John McCain managed to put aside hostilities at the charity event to make fun of, themselves and even Joe the plumber, the critic of Obama's tax plans, was worthy of a couple of gags.

The dinner carried on from where Obama's and McCain's televised debate had left off.

Some welcome mirth on the US presidential campaign trail, but they may be regretting ever bringing Joe into it.

And Joe might be wishing he never asked his question.

Because it turns out Joe the plumber isn't quite what he seems.

Media scrutiny has outed him, he's not a licensed plumber and his first name isn't actually Joe, it's his middle name.

Default Viral Title Player

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Jet Gorgon

All may be true. What I don't like is how the libbie press seizes on anything to dam McC. I note they conveniently left out BO's reply to the man: something akin to "we have to distribute the wealth." Whatever the guy's situation, that neatly sums up what BO would do as prez. Hey, why try to make your dream when the govt will just take any extra on taxes.
Taxes will go up under BO, and not just for the wealthy if BO wants to complete his programmes, especially healthcare. Hello, socialist America. Chavez would likely be one of BO's first state guests.

attaboy

His middle name is Joe. How disingenuous of the Times to type his name as Samuel J Wurzelbacher and not acknowledge his middle name is Joe. They go on to say it's unlikely he would ever earn $250k if he ever raised the money to buy the business. Why not? Which country taxes so heavily that a plumber with employees can't bring in over $250k?
Why would the media, Biden and the Obama campaign attack a common citizen, the kid of guy they are supposed to be batting for? It's because of Joe's quote on a news show:

Joe to Obama: I'm getting taxed more and more trying to experience the American Dream.

Interviewer: Did he win you over?

Joe: No not at all. The answer actually scared me even more. He said he wants to distribute wealth. I mean, I'm not trying to make statements here but, that's kind of a socialist viewpoint.

Two other interviews with Joe here if anyone is interested:

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Joe the Plumber: Obama’s plan a “socialist slippery slope”

Joe mentions the "S" word, socialism, again on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer. He also advises people to listen to what other people have to say but don't believe every word they say, find out the facts for yourself. That kind of puts the kibosh on the mainstream media's action. They are used to acting like the go-between between people and the truth; kinda like the Catholic Church used to do with God. The media replaced the church and the internet is replacing the MSM.

BIDEN: Let me put it this way: I don't know -- the neighborhood I grew up, even the neighborhood I live in now, which is a really nice neighborhood, I don't know many plumbers who are making $250,000 a year and worried about it. We're kind of worried about Joe the fireman, Joe the policeman, Joe the real plumber with a license.

Beating up on a average guy who doesn't have access or resources to fight back. Making jokes about how much money he earns. Maybe Biden should accuse him of drunk driving. http://teakdoor.com/us-domestic-issu...tml#post773720 (Why do Democrats tell so many lies?)


Eyes averted when a Democrat passes.

__________________
As a kid I always thought my nickname was "attaboy" until I realized they were rooting for the dog: "Attaboy, get 'em! Get 'em!".

mad_dog

I watched the final debate and McCain's repeated references to Jo the plummer and his answers in which he directly addressed Jo were so cringe worthy. Do Americans really buy into this shit? McCain seems to like addressing the public as though they have a mental age of 8. I couldn't help thinking of McCain in a meeting with his advisers telling him he needed to talk on the level that "Joe six pack" would understand. Don't Americans realise it when they are being patronised?

__________________
They champion falsehood, support the butcher against the victim, the oppressor against the innocent child. May God mete them the punishment they deserve

attaboy

I tuned in right when McCain was going on about Joe the Plumber. I thought this is bad. He sounds like he's stuck and can't remember where he supposed to be headed with the subject. Fortunately, he pulled out of his spin and wound up doing a pretty good job. Not great but pretty good. Throughout the different topics covered by the moderator and during points brought up when the two candidates addressed each other, McCain rattled off legislation after legislation he had worked on. It's his one strength.

Milkman

I think the "Joe the Plumber" ruse was quite pathetic.

Again, McCain needs high school educated blue-collar whites in semi-rural and rurual areas, and medium size towns in PA, OH, VA, and NC to win.

In the 1990s, the GOP used, "Dickie Flat."

Dickie Flat ran a small business in Texas. A printing business.

Phil Gramm at the Convention and in the campaign (for Dole) would use the "Dickie Flat test," whenever a tax increase was being considered.

Was it worth it for Dickie Flat, who worked long hours and had blue hands and fingers from the ink in his print shop?

If this is sincere, that's fine. But I believe it's using a caricature, and pretending to care about the average working person, when in reality it's the special interests that matter.

__________________
Military men are dumb, stupid animals, to be used as pawns for foreign policy

Milkman

Here's a brief snippet from a article on the "patronizing" by the candidates toward the "workin' families."

Link & Entire: Declarations - WSJ.com

HungryHeart

Joe The Plumber has turned to be Joe The Asshole , another sad ploy in the lame attempt of the John McCain war machine.

Less than 2 weeks.

AntRobertson

Conservative bloggers in repeating unsustantiated guff non-shock. In other completely unsurprising news; the sky's blue* (*except for when it's not) and water's known to be wet.

This is interesting. John and Dave kissed and made-up have they?

The American Boogeyman. USA!...USA!...USA!

wiley

Doesn't matter if Joe is a Sam or if Sam is a real plumber.
0bama answered the question honestly, "we need to spread the wealth around."
Go ahead and smear Joe. The real issue here is with 0bama's rare honest moment. "Spread the wealth" came out of 0bama's mouth, not "Joe's."
"Spread the wealth" doesn't bode well with many Americans - no matter how hard you try to dismantle the integrity of Joe The Plumber. 0bama said it and it will cost him votes.

Jet Gorgon

^ Agree with Wiley, as I stated above or on another Issues thread. The whole point is Obama's answer, which was not included in any libbie media articles. Distribute the wealth. Not with my hard-earned money, honey, I hear hard-working Americans say.

sabang

No doubt the 5% of Americans who will pay more tax under Obama (the richest 5%) bitterly resent spreading the wealth, and of course they will determine the outcome of this election. With the odd exception granted, Pinko's like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and George Soros.

But not those poor souls in the Investment banks, to whom 10% of the $700bn public bailout funds have already been allocated so they don't have to sell their Ferarri's and Holiday homes in the Hamptons.

Honestly, diehard Republicans are so out of touch these days I think they must exist in a parrallel universe. Try selling the woes of the Investment Bankers to some guy who is at risk of losing his job, and/or house. Maybe even find someone who can't give their child much required medical treatment, because they can't afford it. I'm sure the plight of the Bankers will shake them to the core.

__________________
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

AntRobertson

^The poor get poorer and the rich will do anything in their power to hold onto the wealth.

good2bhappy

since when have politicians allowed the truth to get in the way of politics

HungryHeart

Exactly , is Jet some some of American multi millionaire? do misunderstand this simple equation.....

AntRobertson

Here's an interesting contrast:

Could it be that Sen. McCain's concerned for his own wallet? Obama's pledging to cut taxes to the vast majority of Americans and McCain's telling them to 'hold onto your wallets'!? It's only 5% of the wealthiest people that stand to pay anymore tax i.e. those that can afford to pay more. Cindy McCain had half a miilion dollars in tax write-offs for one year; substantially more than most people earn in total for the year and Obama's pledges are something to be worried about!?

Yeah right, if you're already loaded and can't stand the prospect of only owning 7 homes instead of 8.

Reminds me of the Dubbya quip: 'Some people call you the rich and elite, I call you my base'.

__________________
The Revolution will be televised... Eleven o'clock... Channel 10.

mad_dog

Joe the plumber is just another attack piece from McCain. The hardcore of working class Rebulicans are angry and demanding that McCain and Pallin attack Obama with tooth and claw. So McCain's campain has been based on personal attacks eg "rolling around with terrorists" and has made huge gaffs by stating the fudementals of the US economy are sound while the most serious financial crisis since the 30s is tearing through " Joe's "business prospects. McCain comes across as angry and bitter while Obama seems relaxed and statesman like and able to dismiss McCain's attacks with ease.

attaboy

"we need to spread the wealth around."

Another piece of the puzzle which makes up the picture. People don't mind paying their taxes. I don't mind. Like I said, if Obama had a track record in the Congress so a person could guage where he is coming from, but we don't. We get "we need to spread the wealth around." Add that to the rest of his history and it makes a person wonder what we are in for. Pass it out, spread it around, got any more, you aren't holding out are ya?

Jet Gorgon

Good luck, hard-working Americans following your dreams.
Fek it. Close your biz, go on welfare and stay home and watch Oprah. The govt will take care of you.

Thormaturge

It is as clear as the nose on my face what America is in for. British style socialism. As a Brit here it is:

A) Free healthcare = those who work pay extra tax so that people who don't pay tax can get free healthcare. It isn't free for those who are working. The "free" healthcare gets so clogged up with people with time on their hands that those who are paying need private healthcare in order to get treatment.

B) People with good jobs are "lucky" and should help those who are "unlucky". Heck, why should people who are lucky have better houses and cars than those who are unlucky? Better tax them some more and spread the wealth around so that the unlucky ones don't feel left out.

What bugs me most, however, is that one of the major criticisms of G W Bush is that he has little understanding of the world outside America... and America now looks set to elect a President who has even less.

There's a reason why Obama fans don't want to emphasise middle names. Joe the Plumber may be a tad trite, but Hussein the President isn't likely to have much appeal either.