Posts with the tag Joe the Plumber

Stephen Views the News June 28, 2009

Stephen from Elkins Park, PA — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:26:40 EDT

Stephen Views the News June 28, 2009

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/

The Conservative Perspective – Political Pornography

As I troll, surf and stalk what is happening in the news I often stumble upon such absurdity by so-called Conservatives that I do a check to ensure I have taken the correct medication for the day. In a clear-headed world such lewdness of logic could not be taking place. More often than not I ignore such offense to reason. When I have noted these mental burlesques they have been featured in a segment designated Derriere Orifice of the Week. This was indeed a special week!

* Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC), advocates of family values, opponents of gay rights and pontificators of how others should conduct their lives, were exposed for extra-marital affairs. Perhaps these disgraced icons of the holier-than-thou movement should pay more attention to what their own sexual organs are doing. Republican sexual indiscretions have become so prevalent that TalkingPointsMemo.com has developed a Sex Scandal Flow Chart, where all roads must lead to hell. Truth be told, I would not care less what happens in the private lives of politicians if not for those instances where their hypocrisy is palpable. The sanctity of marriage begins with one’s own zipper remaining in the up position. And what does it say about Senate Republican leadership that during their regular Tuesday luncheon meeting, following Ensign’s mea culpa apology to them, they showered him with applause. Good job John, another notch on the chastity belt!

* Noted natural healer and airwaves polluter Rush Limbaugh offered an alibi for Sanford’s love tryst in Argentina. Limbaugh said, “Sanford flew out of the country to have an affair because ‘President Obama drove him over the edge’.” The background of “over the edge” involved Sanford opposing the acceptance of desperately needed money provided in the Stimulus Plan for South Carolina. Sanford lost this fierce battle with his state legislature as he desperately attempted to establish his conservative credentials for a presidential run in 2012. The Limbaugh Prescription: committing adultery is the homeopathic approach to dealing with stress. Whatever bothers you, just get laid and blame it on the President.

* Right-wing anti-tax activist Grover Norquist offered an interesting perspective on recent Republican adultery. Norquist said, “It does indicate that men who oppose federal spending at the local level are irresistible to women.” Oh to have had this knowledge when I was single. Who would have thought that approaching a woman in a cocktail lounge as a tight-assed, anal-retentive bible thumper with a Shirley Temple in hand would have her disrobing and fogging up my eyeglasses?

* One of Maryland’s most prominent Republican organizations, Republican Women of Anne Arundel County, issued a letter by the organization’s President, Joyce Thomann. Her letter began “Dear Friends” and went on to say, “Obama and Hitler have a great deal in common in my view. Obama and Hitler use the “blitzkrieg” method to overwhelm their enemies. FAST, CARPET BOMBING intent on destruction. Hitler’s blitzkrieg bombing destroyed many European cities – quickly and effectively. Obama is systematically destroying the American economy and with it AMERICA.” I do have issues with Ms. Thomann’s grammar but, more importantly, this is a good example of what happens when rain closes the country club golf course. Idle hands are the devil’s tools.

* Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is the poster child for Attention Deficit Disorder and the mindless meanderings of a mercury-tainted cerebral hemisphere. Her malapropisms and malcogitation (sic) are legendary and the congresswoman from Minnesota is a frequent flyer on the Derriere Orifice express. She has announced that she will break the law by not filling out her 2010 Census questionnaire. Her explanation included that the Census led to the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940’s. This link attempts to analyze Bachmann’s irrationality and historical to hysterical errors. I suggest two aspirin one hour before reading. One wonders if the citizens of her district should be interned for electing her to congress. If one guessed that her public display of idiocy took place on FOX News you are exempt from completing your census form. And what does it say about your assertions when right-wing nut Glenn Beck thinks you have lost your census?

* Eight Supreme Court justices ruled that a school’s strip search of an Arizona 13 year old girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal.” The eight justices range in philosophy from liberal to moderate to conservative. But there are nine SC justices and the ultra conservative and reactionary Justice Clarence Thomas offered a dissenting opinion. Thomas said, “the court was making a “deep intrusion” into the administration of public schools and their efforts to fight the scourge of drug abuse.” Yes, the eternal challenge for a democracy is finding that elusive balance between the common good and individual freedoms. Someone should explain to Justice Thomas that “No Child Left Behind” had nothing to do with students baring their behind by lowering their Calvin Klein underwear.

* Just when you thought that Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher’s career as spokesperson for the conservative mind was over he floats to the top of the septic tank. At a speaking engagement to Americans for Prosperity in Wisconsin “The Plunger” said more than once, referring to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), "Why hasn't he been strung up?" Ah, the voice of Conservatism – cogent, articulate and erudite while conveying the ideals and principles of American freedom and democracy. I expect that Joe’s next appearance will be in Anne Arundel, Maryland at the annual Spaetzle Cook Off.

* Let my people go – Republican Representatives John Culberson (TX), Peter Hoekstra (MI), and David Dreier (CA) all compared their minority status in congress to the plight of the Iranian protestors. With the exception of living in a democracy and not being shot at or bludgeoned for their views their analogy is spot on. I suggest that they will feel better if they take the advice of the leader of their Party, Rush Limbaugh, and just get laid.

* Recall Republicans going ballistic when President Obama said that one of the characteristics his Supreme Court nominee should possess is empathy. Some would say that Republican opposition stemmed from the fact that they do not understand the meaning of the word. Well, there is some evidence that at least one Republican can express empathy. Meet Missouri state representative Cynthia Davis. As chairwoman of the Missouri House Special Standing Committee on Children and Families she was critical of a government program that provides food during the summer for thousands of low-income Missouri children who rely on the school cafeteria for free or reduced-price meals during the regular school year. “A report by Feeding America found that one in five Missouri children currently lives with hunger.” Here is where the empathy thing comes in. Ms. Davis extolled the virtues of hunger because “hunger can be a positive motivator.” Rumor has it that Ms. Davis has been selected Woman of the Year by the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County.

* Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell (R) signed the US Senate vacancy bill which takes away the governor’s power to appoint someone to a vacant US Senate seat. Rell said, “this bill gives directly to the people of Connecticut the decision on who would fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate… Since taking office as Governor, I have done everything in my power to make Connecticut a model for all states when it comes to openness, transparency and citizen participation in government." “Republican lawmakers had called the bill a "power grab" during lengthy debates in both the House and the Senate.” Lacking empathy and the concept of democracy, Republicans conclude that giving the citizens the right to elect their officials “is a power grab.”

Who then is sane? He who is not a fool.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus, aka, Horace (65 BC to 8 BC) Roman lyric poet

Stephen Views the News April 2, 2009

Stephen from Elkins Park, PA — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:06:19 EDT

Stephen Views the News April 2, 2009

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/

A positive take during worrisome times:

* Remembering what we have – The following is an excerpt from an email exchange with a reader: There is also a positive side to our discussion. At the present time you and I, our family and friends, enjoy a standard of living and peaceful (safe) existence far better than 99% of the people that have walked this planet. We do not know what the future holds but there is merit in remembering what we do have. In large part it is the result of those who came before us and it is a responsibility I believe we now have to those who will follow - to continue to make this a better place in terms of freedom, health and standard of living.

* A helping hand – “Drugstore operator Walgreen will offer free clinic visits to the unemployed and uninsured for the rest of the year, providing tests and routine treatment for minor ailments through its walk-in clinics - though patients will still pay for prescriptions… Spouses and children are also eligible for free services if they don't have insurance of their own.” The linked article provides details of this offer. Some cynics have commented that Walgreen is only doing it to build business for its Take Care clinics. I do not know if the claim is accurate but I do say that an initiative that helps people in need is worthy of praise. If Walgreen benefits in the long-term by building a sound business model it has the ring of intelligent capitalism. We have not seen much of it in recent years but there is promise.

* Helping the land – “President Barack Obama signed legislation on Monday expanding and protecting US public parks and wilderness areas from oil and gas development, billed as the largest US conservation measure in more than 15 years… The legislation - backed by members of both parties -- is "among the most important in decades to protect, preserve and pass down our nation's most treasured landscapes to future generations.” It is certainly a breath of fresh air seeing Congress and the White House acting responsibly with respect to our natural resources and environment. This is a role of government abdicated in recent years.

* Helping the country – USA Today reports: “The early federal stimulus money appears to be hitting its target, paying for new projects and creating jobs… Most early spending is flowing, as planned, into "shovel-ready" projects — a new bridge over a Louisiana bayou, the widening of a mountain road in Colorado — that wouldn't have occurred this year without stimulus money.” The $750 billion stimulus package is being used in part to create jobs and fix a crumbling infrastructure. Some of these funds will go into education, health care and tax cuts over the next two years. It is a win-win situation.

* Helping the world – “President Obama plans to open negotiations to draft a new arms control treaty that could slash the American and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals by about a third and possibly lead to even deeper reductions, according to administration officials… Just setting a new limit would send a signal to the international community in general that the United States is getting serious about its disarmament commitments again,” said Peter Crail, an analyst at the Arms Control Association, a Washington advocacy organization.” This is not to suggest that America does not need a strong defense. But, like intelligent capitalism, it is beyond time that America strongly consider intelligent defense. For too long we have funded defense systems that are impractical, outmoded and economically crippling and unsustainable.

* Another Republican icon vaporized ~ again – This may not be positive news for the general populace but it sure is a lot of fun. An anti-union conservative group benignly calling itself Americans for Prosperity has been funding Joe the Plumber traveling to various sites to speak out against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). Joe has become one of the faces of the Republican Party. He has also become one of the asses of the Republican Party.

Appearing in Harrisburg, PA to campaign against EFCA, people in the audience began asking Joe questions about the proposed legislation and why he was against it. “Pressed on the specifics of the law, Mr. Plumber repeatedly refused to answer, and finally lost his cool, telling his questioner: “Drop it, brother, drop it. I never said I was an expert, man.” Following some enthusiastic heckling Joe flushed his scheduled appearance in Philadelphia.

* The best news of all ~ the Republicans are no longer in charge – On April 1st congressional Republicans released their alternative budget to what Obama and the Democrats have proposed. The title of this Republican budget should read “Same Crap, Different Day” or “Dumb and Dumber” or “April Fools Meets Ship of Fools.” Some of the lowlights include:

~ The GOP plan would rescind the recently-enacted economic stimulus package, which would cause America—and the world—to spiral into Depression.~ The GOP plan would hand over nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts to the rich.

~ The GOP plan would freeze non-defense, non-veteran spending for five years.

~ The GOP plan would privatize Medicare.

Not only is this an alternative to what Obama is proposing it is the antithesis of what is needed in a damaged economy and unconscionable given the state of this nation. How absurd is this Republican proposal? “The marquee item, however, in the Republican plan is their inexplicably regressive tax cut for the super rich. Wealthy Americans in the top three tax brackets would see their tax burden cut to a flat 25 percent from previous rates of 35, 33 and 28. According to the Center for American Progress, CEOs from any of the top 800 corporations would receive a tax break of around $1.5 million a year. Meanwhile, if you earn $15,000 a year, your tax break will be around $0 a year.”

In the land of Uranus, where Republicans reside, the only focus is protecting those who least need protection or support. The American people are awakening to the dismal and incompetent Republican message as the GOP continues to transition from a once vital and proud political party to a re-run of Hee Haw.

* Darfur – I received a broadcast email message from Ruth Messinger of the American Jewish World Service. On Monday she had attended a meeting with President Obama at the White House on the subject of Darfur. Messinger reports that the administration understands the need to ensure the restoration of international aid groups into Darfur. “The President also clearly indicated that finding a political solution to end the conflict is a top priority.” The full press release is available at the above link. In every generation, in multiple locations, the worst of humanity forms a puss-filled boil over a group of people. The world community has never been able to prevent it but there is a long history of overcoming man’s inhumanity to man. Let us hope that Darfur can be brought back from hell.

* America – Few would argue that a core problem burdening our nation is the inextricable link between money and politics. The high cost of running a federal level election campaign has two very specific downsides: it forces candidates and incumbents to seek funding that too often comes from the deep pockets of special interests; it forces the incumbents to be in almost constant fundraising mode thereby reducing the time they devote to actually representing constituents. Regardless of who wins the election we are the losers. It is the inordinate influence of special interests that has contributed to a degrading environment, reduction in product inspection and safety, reduction in oversight that allowed financial institutions to go over the cliff and a host of other problems that we now must deal with. It is beyond time that our country addresses how federal elections are funded and there is good news on this front.

“Fair Elections Now” is a set of bills just introduced in both houses that would fundamentally transform Congressional fundraising. The bipartisan bill is being sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Representatives John Larson (D-Conn.) and Walter Jones, Jr. (R-N.C.). It is based on key elements that have been successful at the state level in Arizona, Connecticut, Maine and North Carolina. The Public Campaign Action Fund provides details of this legislation and links to a number of non-partisan organizations that support this bill. If one sincerely wants to change the dynamics of what is a broken electoral system, action should be taken to contact one’s Senators and Representative and demand that this bill be supported. VoteSmart.org provides contact information for Senators and Representatives. Democracy is a participation sport!

* If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.

Aristotle

Hi Joe The Plumber meet Joe The Believer (Sneak peep from my upcoming book)

Joe The Believer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:44:02 EST

After loosing the elections to Obama. John Mccain goes home with hope of having a wonderful Thanksgiving with his immediate family. Mccain flew into his hometown on his private jet but when he reached the airport, his usual guest didn’t greet him. There weren’t any balloons, the bands weren’t playing or crowds weren’t cheering. This was unusual, he didn’t even see Sarah Palin. He looked into the distance but all he could see was snow and his cold breath in the air. He looked at his secret service and even they looked shocked about what was happening. For 40 years his town greeted him every Thanksgiving, so WHAT HAPPENED.

He looked at his wife and gave her a smile then said, “Moneys been tight this year for everyone baby. Maybe the town couldn’t afford a celebration this year”

Mrs. Mccain looked at her husband with her devilish grind, “You’re probably right baby. Everyone can’t afford the things we have!”

Mccain grabbed his wife arm and helped her through the snow. He looked at his wife then said, “At least we still have our limo!”

Mccain’s limo was black and warm inside. The bar was filled with Champaign, just like years before. His secret service followed the limo in their black Yukon. Mccain could see despair in his wife’s eyes. He looked at her and said this while he rubbed her thigh, “Baby, I’m still your little P.O.W, right”

Mrs. Mccain’s wife batted her eyes then ran her finger thru Mccain’s hair and gave him a hug as he continued to rub her thigh, “You are my little soldier. Don’t worry!”

Mccain leaned back in his leather seats proud of what he just heard. But when he looked out his window it all disappeared, “What’s going on here?”, Mccain yelled.

Mrs. Mccain rushed to the window because she wanted to see. But what she saw she couldn’t believe, “Why do everyone in your town have Obama campaign signs in there yards!’

Mrs. Mccain looked at John and she immediately knew he was scarred. His eye lit up like a deer staring into your headlights, “I can’t believe it. My own people voted for Obama. What’s going on?”

Alarms kept ringing in John’s ears as he looked out the window and things slowly started to become clear. Most of the people he knew was in Obama’s below 250 thousand dollar tax bracket. While Mccain was trying to help the rich, he was forgetting about the poor. This is something that Republicans have done thousands of times before. As Mccain’s thoughts lingered as his wife started to scream.

Mrs. Mccain, “What the hell did you do? You lost to a black man. Now our lives are ruined. No one will ever remember you for being a prisoner of war. Now everyone will look at us and laugh. And our friends want come to our parties or to any of our functions because you were the first White Republican Man to loose to a Black Democrat.”

Mccain couldn’t believe what was ringing in his ears. He looked at his wife because he felt like he had to make things clear, “LooK!”, pointing, “This race wasn’t about color. I lost to a great man. A-----smart guy!”

Mrs. Mccain laughed, “You lost to a Smart Guy… You lost to a great man”, She paused, “You didn’t say that when you were running around calling him a terrorist. You didn’t say that when you made allegations that Obama was a socialist or he wasn’t fit to be President for the last 23 months”

John looked his wife dead in her eyes, “Now you listen here. I only said those things because your family was about to be taxed because of his policies, if your family loose money then I loose money. I didn’t marry you for only your body, Baby. I married you for power and your family seen me as an opportunity to increase their power.”

Mrs. Mccain was furious about what she just heard. Her eyes was red and her vision was blurried, “You little short dwarf. I know you are angry right now, so I’m going to act like I didn’t hear what you just said. But remember one thing! I made you and I’ll break you… Believe it..You had a chance to get power but you lost, I never lost and I can changed your world with a flick of the wrist”

John looked at her but he couldn’t figure out what he was seeing, “Who is this bitch”, he whispered. Like the old saying goes. Behind every strong man there is a stronger woman. Now while the Mccain’s argued the driver sat up front with his own ideas. He turned on his bullhorn so everyone outside could hear. Young kids threw snowballs as the limo riding by. An old lady with a walker stood on the sidewalk and held her middle finger up high. Other yelled, “Mccain’s a Liar!” loud and clear. Even the secret service trailed and started to cheer. The driver kept peeping from his ringside seats, hoping that the Mccains will continue to tickle his ears. When he notice nothing was happening he took a sudden turn. He knew where he could go and Mccain would burn. From uptown to downtown brick homes turned into projects then the silence finally cleared. The driver heard John whisper something in Mrs. Mccain’s ear, “I think we are in the ghetto. Be quiet. Maybe they want see us.”

Joe The Plumber, the price of gas

Petr Buben — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:29:05 EST

Yes, people, this election, this change, this redistribution and recharge of our democracy strength is about Joe The Plumber.
Go Mr Vicepresident!
Plumb the leaks, wherever they might be! The gas tank certainly was leaking at $4.50. Now at $1.80, that is more like it. Hundreds of billions for unnecessary wars.

With this new Administration, the American leadership in the world will be strengthened, renewed, and done so yet not with war, force and coercion, but again by example, by moral leadership, by inspiration and cooperation, and with utmost respect for all and from all.

That is the American way, and that is the way it always will be.

Let there be peace on our planet Earth!

The United States of America, with your acknowledgement of all, will continue to lead the way.

My Barack Obama's Book

Khaidji — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:49:35 EST

Khaidji’s Barack Obama’s book - ”Path To The White House”

If President-elect Barack Obama is reading anything other than ”Path To The White House” then he is not reading the light acrostic poetry that only Khaidji can provide.

I have heard a list of what Barack Obama was reading before and subsequently recommended this book for him and his family. It is my feelings that once Barack Obama reads ”Path To The White House” he too will find it as creative and ingenious as our other readers.

We would like to suggest that you get a copy but we recognize that some people will not be moved until President Barack Obama recommends this book, ”Path To The White House”.

This book covers his progress through the Primaries to the General Election and includes Tributes to his grandmother, “Toot”, his favorite interviewer, Tim Russert, and a special Birthday wish.

Readers will also read about The Audacity to Hope, my special forecast on HOPE that was written two months prior to the General Election. If I were asked then clearly I would say that ”Path To The White House” is what President Barack Obama should read and I would recommend that everyone gets a copy of this treasure which uniquely chronicles this great time in American and World history.

Khaidji is born in Barbados but has a passion for the greatness of now elected President Barack Obama.

Khaidji’s Barack Obama’s book - ”Path To The White House” and other books by this artistic writer may be previewed and purchased in physical book or immediate download from BajanBooks.com

We did it, we have him where he belongs

Heinz Rainer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:37:33 EST

Prez Obama, we are proud of you.

We believe in you and you will make it work.

our share :

http://www.squidoo.com/Obama-President

we faced the facebook :

http://hwrpics1a.spaces.live.com

No more Republicans. Enough is enough.

On Guard Against Gremlins and "Ghosts in the Machine"

Ken — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:44:28 EST

Kudos to all for a fine job. But now the work really begins. First order: Make it to inauguration. Overall task as we provide the man's muscle: Watch out for those gremlins! Joe the Plumber has a cherrybomb for every Democratic toilet in town. Please do not laugh: The opponents of our agenda are not above sabotaging the peoples' plumbing to create a job for themselves in 4 years (or less.)

Let's keep those pipes clean! Defend our public infrastructure!

McCain & Palin: "Joe the Plumber is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO!!!"

Terri — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:58:58 EDT

This just gets worse all the time!!!! I can't stand it!!!!! Yesterday, at a rally in Defiance, OH, Senator McCain started trying to get "Joe" the Plumber to come on stage. Turns out he was supposed to be there but he wasn't because he evidently can't even follow simple directions. But, of course, it wasn't HIS fault! He actually blamed McCain's campaign staff! Anyway, after McCain stood there and kept calling for him, and looking really pathetic and silly doing so, ("Joe? Where are you Joe? Are you here Joe? Well I thought you were here!) he eventually said 'oh well you're all Joe the Plumber' why don't all of you stand up'....like they weren't already!!! What followed amazed & enraged me (I didn't think it was possible for McCain to get any worse, but he DID!!) McCain then started talking about how great Joe is and, this is a quote now: "give Joe a hand, for all he's done for America!" If that particular statement wasn't bad enough in other rallies Senator McCain has stated that "Joe" his "role model", "a great citizen from Ohio", and "a great American hero"! "Joe" is Senator McCain's role model?

What about all the men and women who have fought and died for this Country, Senator McCain? What about the mothers & fathers, sisters & brothers, spouses & children of those people? People that were proud to either go fight themselves or have someone in their family who did! McCain & Palin usually acknowledge these people at their rallies by having asking them to "hold your hand up so we can honor you" and everybody claps. But when it comes to who McCain & Palin single out and bring on stage with them they choose to acknowledge "Joe" the LOSER and the LIAR!!! Here we have a United States Senator, who wants to be President of this Country, that has, by his vote, been a part of sending men & women off to war! Then this same man gets up on stage and, before national audience, announces that his hero, his role model, his definition of a great American is this loser! Then he wants the crowd to applaud "Joe" to "Thank him for what he did for America". He wants this guy cheered and celebrated, for being a liar, while, at this very moment we have troops in harm's way. How must it make those troops feel? Here they are, a world away, fighting for their country, in danger of being killed at any time, missing the birth of their children and time with their families that they can never get back. Then they see or hear about the man who wants to be President, their next Commander in Chief, a United States Senator is making some nondescript guy, whose sole 'contribution' was to ask a question that was filled with and based on NOTHING BUT LIES, being the best thing that ever happened to America. How must those soldiers families feel, when they are making the sacrifice of their loved one's presence and possibly their lives and the man who wants to be President is making some loser out to be an "American Hero" and his "role model"? But "Joe" the Plumber is John McCain's GREAT AMERICAN HERO!!! I am just simply outraged, enraged, furious, appalled, incensed, pissed off,....there just isn't strong enough language to describe how I feel about this!!!!!

What about the veteran's of WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War and the other various conflicts, police actions, diplomatic missions, etc.? My grandfather served in WWII! Like many of the young men at the time, he was drafted and sent to Germany. He married my grandmother one week before he left and my mother was 2 years old (walking, talking, the whole bit) before he ever saw her! My grandmother talked about walking down to the Post Office, praying every step of the way, that my grandfather's name would not be on the list of missing or killed in action (that's how they did it back then)! My grandfather landed on the beaches of Normandy, you know...D-Day, and was involved in several other battles! My grandfather DID something for his Country!!! My grandmother told me he was never the same when he came back. How could you be, after seeing your boyhood friends shot to pieces or blown up in front of you? My grandmother DID more for this Country than Joe the Freakin' Plumber, through her sacrifice of being without him all that time and being a new wife and mother and having to do it all by herself! But McCain wants to acknowledge Joe the Plumber for all he's done! Let's highlight "Joe's" accomplishments, shall we…

First and foremost and his whole basis for fame is simply that he is a nothing but a BIG, FAT, BALDFACED LIAR and someone who evidently likes to do and/or say things just to make someone else look bad or get other people into it so he can stayed back and watch the feathers fly!!! Lie #1: His name isn't even "Joe"! Lie #2: He is NOT a licensed plumber!! Lie #3: He is not in the process of buying his bosses' business Lie #4: His bosses' business (if he was going to buy it) doesn't make the $250k to $278k that "Joe" said it did, right there on TV! Lie #5: He doesn't make anywhere near $250k himself, he made somewhere in the area of $40k last year (which therefore makes you ask 'why would he be concerned about having to pay more tax at $250k) Lie #6: was portraying himself as an honest, tax-paying citizen...the IRS had to put a lien against him for $1,100 in tax he refused to pay! Then he goes around & comments on government policies, like foreign affairs, like he has any idea! He clearly does not!!! But he has no problem getting out there and stating his idiotic ideas and saying things that either come from his ignorance and lack of education or just blatant lies!!!

What gets me are the people that actually listen to this guy!!! I would be willing to bet that his education ended in high school except maybe for some trade school (like the how to snake a toiilet course or how to turn the water on!) I mean absolutely no disresect to trade school but it doesn't really compare to going to a university that teaches a well-rounded curriculum and upon completion you receive a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree, does it???

Senator Obama has surrounded himself with extremely intelligent and learned people that have great knowledge, expertise, wisdom & experience!!! People that are, without doubt, geniuses! Madeline Albright, Dick Lugar, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton and Al Gore are simply the best & brightest when it comes to foreign policy! I can't think of anyone that would be better than, and few that would be as good as, any one of those people! These people also happen to be friends of and, much more importantly, advisors to Senator Obama! But "Joe" the Plumber is acting like John McCain's foreign policy guy. While he is out there stumping for him and agreeing with statements like "a vote for Obama would be a vote for the death of Israel". To which "Joe" says "I'll have to agree with you on that one, that would be a problem" He agrees with this statement even though Senator Obama has, many times, declared his support to Israel!

"Joe" the Plumber is SO BAD that FOX NEWS, who is by NO MEANS counted among the Obama Supporters, even called him out on it! The FOX NEWS anchor was so appalled and floored that he was practically speechless. He actually issued a disclaimer disavowing everything that "Joe" said. If you ever watch FOX NEWS you know what a big deal that is!!! The man is a complete and total idiot. During a rally yesterday, McCain handed him the microphone to address the crowd! He then began telling them how 'we need to take back control of our Government' and that they can do that by doing "research" and then making informed decisions about the world and what goes on in it. He didn't word it quite that way but he did say 'do research like I have'. Really...he's done research, has he? Well then why, every single time he opens his mouth, does something else ignorant and stupid come out. Further, I don't think his little speech was even his own words because he can't put more than two words together without sounding like a completely uneducated boob!

John McCain & Sarah Palin are holding "Joe" up as an American symbol, the symbol of Small Business in America AND HE DOESN'T OWN A SMALL BUSINESS!!!!! They call him a great American. Both McCain & Palin say "Obama and his media friends have attacked poor "Joe" for asking a question, what's that about?" Well I'll tell you...the McCain Campaign kept making sure "Joe" stayed in the spotlight and 'poor' "Joe", who according to McCain, didn't ask for any of this, was and is LOVING IT!!! If the man didn't want to be in the spotlight, he wouldn't jump in front of every camera he sees!!! Poor "Joe" is trying to make money off this whole farce! McCain & Palin will most probably do anything they can to help him capitalize on it. As far as him being 'investigated', the media tends to look into anyone that is getting that much press and attention. They really didn't have to 'investigate' very hard to find out THE TRUTH about Joe. Why are McCain & Palin so mad about that, because it is THE TRUTH!!! They, nor "Joe", for that matter have ever disputed any of it!!! Even after they found out what a liar he is, they still continued to act as if he hadn't lied…when they KNOW he did!!! This certainly doesn't make their characters look good! They are committing the same kind of dishonesty and questionable actions they are pledging to get rid of in Washington!!!

That whole "Joe" thing would have worked better, though not to base an entire campaign on as they have, if they had ACTUALLY USED someone who 1) owned a small business and 2) made over $250k and 3) had some kind of formal education and was learned and up to date on current events!

I apologize for the length of this blog but I could go on and on....I had to make myself stop!!!!

Please vote for change! A vote for Obama/Biden is a vote for hope!

Terri

Vote Obama/Biden '08

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Socialism – Sarah Palin and Answer for Joe the Plumber

Unknown user — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:01:00 EDT

I’ve just seen Sarah Palin on CNN and she also mentioned a question that Joe the plumber had.

Sarah, I believe in capitalism too, socialism is not communism and they are not the same.

Joe the plumber, similar to Sarah’s answer, different economic policies or tax strategies do not make your country a socialist or communist one but they can, for example, result in economic prosperity or bankruptcy. Another example is that under the Bill Clinton administration the US was still regarded as a free and capitalist country and not a socialist or communist country. The Bill Clinton administration ended with a balanced deficit and when the Bush administration cut taxes to the wealthy and corporations in 2001, it resulted in deficits the size of 500 billion dollars a year, which make you poorer and the United States poorer, for a total of over 3 trillion dollars. This is what caused the US dollar to fall and lead to the economic crisis.

The other thing is the saying “the rich get richer”. When the rich get richer they use their influence and power to get richer and more powerful. For example, they may use people and the media to say that cutting all their taxes is good for the economy. This is not true, if they have all the money, how you are going to pay for your education, buy a car and a home. And it certainly does not mean they will build a factory in the US instead of China where “Joe the plumbers” are less expensive. But what does happen is that they become so powerful that they become the defacto kings and nobles. This is very similar to dictatorship but more obscure then a recognized king.

I don’t like communism, kings, or dictators and I think we are on the same side on this one.

All the Best Joe.

There are other dictionaries and definitions but this is what I got from merriam-webster.com

Capitalism:
an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market

Socialism:
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

John McCain – Banks, Regulations, Licenses, and Joe the Plumber

Unknown user — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:26:32 EDT

I would like to know if John McCain supports deregulating the Construction industry and the required licenses like the banking industry.

So basically if your house collapses on top of you or a sky scrapper topples over, sort of like the banks, it’s at your own risk. The way a free and buyer beware market is suppose to be.

Don't worry Toto, you'll be back in Alaska before you can say "Joe The Plumber"

Martin Edwin "Mick" from Churchton, MD — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:26:01 EDT

Joe the Plumber

Sherry — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:07:21 EDT

I understand the the average American doesn't understand the in's and out's of high finance and the way that it basically helps businesses to avoid or minimize taxes. I've worked for a wealth growing institution for years and do understand those particulars. Our clients are Fortune 500 companies, local corporations - big and small- and individuals whose networth is more than $1 million. When an individual like Joe the Plumber opens his own business, he is wide open to tax minimization like you and I could only dream of. First off, he incorporatios or forms an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). His tax advisor or bank, if it offers such services, can incorporate him in a state, island or other vicinity that is tax friendly and still have his businees licence in the state where he will actually be doing business. They then create a shell company in a tax friendly jurisdiction that makes it appear that a good deal of his business is being done in the state in which the shell company exists. Major tax breaks there! By the time things are said and done, he will probably be paying less taxes than he is now and he will be able to write off things like a trip to Mexico (for business purposes, of course!). He could bring along another couple under the pretense that he wants to get that person's plumbing business. That's just a very, very quick overview. We haven't touched on Delaware Business Trusts, Cayman Island Business Trusts, etc.

I don't understand why the Obama campain hasn't gently fired back regarding the perks of owing your own business! It is not Joe the Plumber that I would be more concerned with, it would be Joe's employee or two that I would be most concerned with!! They would be hurting more than The Plumber would ever be hurting.

We need to get this info out there! It has the potential to help Obama and also let "Joe the Plumber" know what's really availble to him besides a vote for John MCCain!!!

Sherry

Delaware

Anti " joe the plumber" movement

Amous — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:33:38 EDT

good morning,

so you saw last night joe the plumber ..near sarah palin right? i don't know what kind of "b n't p job " he was giving before ...but what is important and what you want to learn and wakeup to today is..

the brought him for one thing ...undecide voters who are making 250k+ or more ..vote for mccain!

what you can do ...

my name is amous , i own startup less than month old and will worth more than 250k+ , and yes am already (touch wood) made 262 last year.

it's for you bloggersmosaic.com will show n't one joe the plumber..but as much as we can i will give you chance to tell your fellow why we should vote and will for obama...

go now and act now! bloggersmosaic.com

also we want to build a mosaic of barack obama photo from collection of obama voters photos...

jump in and send your pic on bloggersmosaic.com

don't let them run with their cheap "joe the plumber" show

bloggersmosaic.com now!

also the anti joe the plumber group will soon be active !

Vetting as an Indicator of Judgment

HeinousJ — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:18:26 EDT

The first blog I posted had to do with McCain's choice of Sarah "I Kill for Fun" Palin. It was written the day of the announcement, well before Palin was vetted -- something McCain clearly didn't do. Now, we've all seen what poor judgment McCain exercised in the most important decision he could make in his campaign.

Now, he has propelled this guy, "Bob the Builder" as I'll call him, into the national spotlight to attack Obama. You all know who I'm talking about, but I can't bring myself to use the generally accepted nickname -- which lies about his occupation.

I briefly thought that this guy must have been a McCain plant to trap Obama with his now proven false claims (not a licensed plumber, not intending to buy a business as he claimed). Then, I thought he couldn't be a McCain plant because he's turned out to be such an embarrasment. Yet, McCain's campaign is still using that guy -- and multiple variations -- on the stump.

But then I come back to Palin. McCain chose her, and look at what she has shown herself to be under that pretty face of hers. "Bob the Builder" is no better. He is now using his 15 minutes of infamy to try to land book and record deals. Watch for a TV movie now that "Bob" has hired a publicist.

These two things should give everyone great pause. Why? McCain chose these two people. Who would he choose for cabinet posts? Supreme Court seats? Advisors? Will it be new, unvetted people, or the old RNC guard -- if any remain? Neither is an acceptable choice to me.

McCain does not have what it takes to be president. He has shown himself to be:

lacking in judgment;
lacking in leadership skills (can't control his own campaign / message);
lacking in the temperament required in today's world;
lacking in emotional maturity and, therefore, behavioral control.

The prospect of a McCain / Palin administration terrifies me. If by some act of evil they should win, I will seriously consider returning to the land of my ancestors: Holland!

VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE * VOTE* VOTE * VOTE

Joe The Plumber [or The GOP Sparticus] Has A Publicist!

Bridget Petrella — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:16:58 EDT

How sad is it that John McCain and Sarah Palin are now expecting us to believe that the recent "I'm Joe The Plumber", a.k.a. the I Am Sparticus" Ad is sincere. Joe The Plumber is now being flown all over the country by the GOP to make absurd statements and fiend questions from the public. All this and Joe has his own personal publicist. He's asking anyone who will listen to give him a country music career.

I had just returned home late Tuesday night and saw the e-mail message: “We are excited to announce the addition of Joe ‘The Plumber’ Wurzelbacher to The Press Office for exclusive public relations representation!” Wurzelbacher, of course, is the Ohio man who wants to buy a plumbing business but is concerned about the nation’s financial future. The guy whose favor was aggressively courted by both John McCain and Barack Obama in the last presidential debate. The guy who, as The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart says, has already done more interviews than Sarah Palin. I must emphasize that The Press Office is a reputable company that’s owned and operated by Jim Della Croce, a respected music industry veteran. His other clients include John Anderson, Pam Tillis and McCain supporter Aaron Tippin. But you have to wonder about the plans for Joe the Plumber’s upcoming public relations campaign. Will there be more media opportunities for him after the election? A lot of public appearances? Is there a book deal in the works? But, dear God, please don’t tell me Joe has abandoned his plan to buy a plumbing business so he can concentrate on his real dream — to become a country music star.

Are these people FOR REAL? And we are supposed to just BLINDLY follow the GOP, John McCain and Sarah Palin over the cliff and onto the rocks below? How incredibly STUPID do these people think we are? It's so painfully obvious that Joe The Plumber is NOT QUALIFIED to help any of us to make an informed decision. Get out and VOTE PEOPLE! Show the GOP, George Bush, John McCain and Sarah Palin that we are so done with their games, their smoke screens... their penchant for "inventing" so-called truths... THIS IS A TIME FOR CHANGE! Vote For Barack Obama!

Support for Change

Joy from California City, CA — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:21:13 EDT

Good-Morning Senator Barack & Michelle Obama,

We were pleased to receive your letter October 25, 2008, which was yesterday. So I would like to share with you why we are happy to get involved. We are hard working community participants, that’s part of my family’s life.

I was reading this morning, and thought about you. So I would like to share this with you and your wife.

With 7 days left I pray you will continue to get your strength from the Lord. With my life He gives me His Strength. “He went up on a mountainside by Him self to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.” Matthew 14:23.

Christ Jesus in His humanity felt the need of complete solitude-to be entirely by Himself, alone with Himself. Each of us knows how draining constant interchange with others can be and how it exhausts our energy. As part of human kind, Jesus knew this and felt the need to be by Himself in order to regain His strength. Solitude was also important to Him in order to fully realize His high calling, His human weakness, and His total dependence on His Father.” Streams in the Desert. L. B. Cowman. P.p.403-October 26 2008.

I understand a little about your mom, and these are a few reasons that I stay close to God. I was a single a mom for 15 years of my sons’, Keith & Kevin, life before I remarried. I quit a good job in Buffalo N.Y., so I could better our life by going to Talladega College, when I was 32 years old. At that time 1974, only the youth were on campus, so I was a big joke. I had to get on welfare and food-stamps. It made my sons hide when I had to use food-stamps instead of money, I was happy for the help. A big $80.00 a month plus food-stamps and our apt. was 200.00 a month plus utilities. HUD would not let me qualify for a $50.00 apt. because I was not getting enough money from welfare. It’s been hard for all of us who have been single moms. Thank God for grandparents and friends.

I am from Huntington W.VA, so I cast my vote by way of California City, Ca.
For these reasons:

My husband Marvin, a builder, completed two homes and lost both of them in December 2007. Built two fourplex’s, which we live in one of them, and they are trying to take these. My husband has worked so hard to make our life better, and because of Bush, we just keep hitting bottom.

God has blessed us, because a few years ago a doctor did foot surgery, I was in pain for four years he kept me coming back almost every week, sending me to all of his colleague, and it came to the point they said it was all in my head. When I was able to change insurance, the new Doctor let me know that what was wrong with my foot had never been removed. So I took my old doctor to court and he admitted that he knew he done surgery in the wrong place. When asked why he did not correct his mistake, he just shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know. This happen in Glendale Ca. courts; I lost the case, out of work for four years with no income from me, and was in to much pain to take care of my daughter Joy, that we adopted. They said I lost case because too much time had passed. I found an attorney the next day when I read my report that when I requested an out side doctor, he reported that the doctor had not remove the matter, and the surgery needed to be done over. This was three months later, but the old doctor did not share this with me.

After four years of pain I was able to return to my teaching position, in six weeks. I am looking forward to your insurance plan, because we have not had insurance in years. My son Joshua, just yesterday had to pay out $200.00 for x-rays, he does not have the money because he in college finishing up his Masters this spring but because he can’t afford insurance he had to pay.

I know you can help us in our community, because of the type of service you have given through out the years.

My husband and I went to a community hospital when we were living in Pomona Ca. Because his mother was in the hospital, it was a day after Christmas, and the hospital had call to say they were getting ready to take his mother back to the nursing home, and we had plans to meet her there.

The hospital and the nursing home were only a few blocks away from our home, but in 15 min they called back, to say it was now a code blue. we could not understand this because it was an in and out procedure that was to take place, she was not even suppose to spend the night, and when we asked why she was spending the night, to start with, they said that they wanted to keep an eye on her. My husband showed concern that she was out of it, and she didn’t know we were there. After getting the code blue call, we and the children rush to the hospital only to sit in the waiting room for hours, because they were working on her. It was getting late so we made arrangements with my son Kevin to take care of the younger children.

We returned to the same door that we had been using so we could find our way back to her room. It was raining cats and dogs that Friday night, so as we enter the door where the security guard asked us to sign in at front desk, so I did. I could hear the voices in the background, so I ran to see what was going on, because my husband was in the area. I don’t know why the guard was yelling about us signing in I told him that the desk clerk said I could sign in for both of us, but he was still yelling as we started to his mother’s room.

He started poking his finger in my husband back as we were walking up the halls. My husband kept walking with his mind on his dying mother. We had walked a long ways to the elevators with this guard still poking my husband. I finally turned to him and said you are acting like a punk, please stop poking him. At that moment, he grabbed me by my neck in a chock-hold I could not breathe, I was trying to free my self, but he had my feet off the ground.

He carried me, in a choke-hold, a long ways back before he threw me to the ground, placed me in handcuffs and he and another man sat on me to the point I was suffocating. Bystanders were trying to tell them to stop, but they had dogs which kept them back. The Pomona Police came, I was glad to see them until they jerked me by my handcuffs and tried to make me stand. When they saw that I couldn’t they dropped me to the ground. I was bleeding, I was bruised, I could not talk and I was hurting so bad that all I could do was whisper.

One man picked up my purse and the contents, which was a Bible and a cell phone. When the man brought me my purse while I laid on the floor, he said, “Joy, is that you?” at first I did not recognize him, then he reminded me he was the social worker in the hospital and I that I had followed the ambulance to the medical center, a young male child had been hit by a car, and the family had not arrived and I did not want him to die alone. I stayed to pray and to be with the family, and that’s how he remembered me. He said he knew I had not done anything wrong.

The hospital would not treat us, they would not get any help for us, and they were putting us out of the hospital. After about 3 hours the head of the security came and took me for treatment, also told me how sorry he was. The lady in X-ray slammed me on the cold metal table. I just did not know people could be so cruel.

After we were able to be wheeled to his mother’s room, I asked my husband why he did not help me. He replied that every time he would break lose, two mussel men would grab him and twist his arms tearing at his rotator cuffs. We were all night trying to make a report about the matter. They kept saying there was nobody in charge.

His mother never regained conscious. She died the following day; we still don’t know what happened to her. Sometimes we feel that we were beaten to distract us, so we wouldn’t ask questions concerning his mother.

We both were out of work seems like forever. We went for treatment everyday. We lost that case, because they said we were trying to steal a baby.

I know if that had been your community Obama you would had helped us, because you know how the big boys mess over the little people who don’t know what to do.

I have been a teacher for years I was hurt at work. So we had to refinance our home, in Riverside.Ca. my husband, still unable to work because of the beating. Our home was a true gift from God, it was 5.000 sft. a view of 360 of the world, on top of a mountain, we called it Mt. Zion; we had 3 ac of land. It was haven forever for anyone. My son Joshua who cares for young people had a New Years party for over 150 people so they could have a good time without drugs or alcohol and no sex. We had many people on Mt. Zion. Our plan was a camp with horses, teaching young people personal development , job training, addressing their spiritual and social needs ,helping unwed mothers, abuse women and children, working with the homeless and dysfunctional events that happen to good families in the community. That included gang and suicide prevention, parent and marriage enrichment programs .Well these are some of the achievement we were doing, until the refinance company stole our home, and gave us 30 days to move. Our things are everywhere. Some are in storage places and they are trying to auction that in a few days.

So you see must find work because of our crisis. We will no longer be victim because GOD is Victorious. We speak for all the people who can’t be heard, we will see a change in you.

WE the people are sending you 10.00 a widow’s mite, because we believe in God and you Obama for such a time as this. This is not a poor little me story , I don’t know how God has taken care of us all these years. I know we have all ways worked for HIM.

Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye, so no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face. I’ve thrown my self headlong into your arms—-I am celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I am so full of answered prayers. Psalms 13:3-6.

Take a long, hard look. See how great He is - infinite greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out. Job 36:26.

Chef Keith Hicks, his new Forth Worth restaurant, Buttons will be in Chapel Hill @ Interstate 30 and Hulen St. in the former 29 Degree Tavern location. You must stop when you are in the area, and tell him his mom sent you. He would love having you and the family. He was voted #1 chef of 2007. Just like you, with the help of God. You will be voted our next PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

America for Change.

Thank you. Joy G. Anderson Hodges. joyfullspirit8.wordpress.com.

For Biden, let's clear this one up too...TAXES

Sin City Scott — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:51:38 EDT

Joe Biden was correct in his statement that folks making $150,000 would get a tax cut. The oversimplification of the Obama tax policy and the 'taking one phrase out of context' is again mccain/palin sleaze tactics.

Here it is; study it and learn it and make repulsivecants look bushesque!

Per the Tax Policy Center, here is how Barack Obama's tax plan breaks down for individuals:

$0-$18,891 = $567 tax cut
$18,982-$37,595 = $892 tax cut
$37,596-$66,354 = $1,118 tax cut
$66,355-$111,645 = $1,264 tax cut
$111,646-$160,972 = $2,135 tax cut
$160,973-$226,918 = $2,796 tax cut
$226,919-$603,402 = $121 tax increase
$603,403-$2.87 million = $93,709 tax increase
$2.87 million-plus = $542,882 tax increase

Joe the plumber does not define us!!!!!!!!!!!

Linda from Dayton, OH — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:46:03 EDT

Joe the plumber hit the Ohio road with mccain today....my thoughts to turn the page on Joe by getting all of us unemployed folks with signs...."LINDA THE UNEMPLOYED", "JUSTIN THE UNEMPLOYED", ELLE THE UNEMPLOYED" "TOM THE UNEMPLOYED" ect,,all these signs displayed at upcoming rallys, by all of us unemployed folks would make a statement. Redistributing the wealth......heck, how bout redistributing some jobs!!!!Joe the plumber needs to go.....hundreds of signs with name and unemployed would get some attention. I have my sign "LINDA THE UNEMPLOYED" LET's GO!!

MY AMERICAN REALITY

Old Rufie — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:59:03 EDT

I am a 55 year old American who just lost his job due to lay offs. I had been with the Company for 7 years (after losing my job with an Airlines on 9/11). The CEO of this company has personally profited more than $25,000,000.00 in the past three years. I suffered a serious illness in 2006 which left me with physical challenges and medical bills (even though I had medical insurance), but now I will lose health coverage in 90 days. My credit was ruined due to the prohibitive medical expenses from my copay. I have an 86 year old mother who just lost $8,000.00 of her modest "nest egg" due to the financial crisis brought on by wealthy Wall Street executives. My car is on the blink, but although I live in the third largest city in the state...the only form of mass transit is buses and to travel a mere 4 miles it takes some three hours.

I am starting this blog as a forum to ask some direct questions and give some direct responses to the mounting 'dribble' being presented by the Republicans. Perhaps, thoughts, ideas and responses from WE Americans who are so desperate for the CHANGE Obama & Biden will bring might assist the remarkable team that Barack brought together.

Let me begin with this...

Since when did Tammy the Teacher, Nancy the Nurse, Mike the Mailman, or Wilbur the Waiter make more than $250,000.00 a year? I called a few plumbers in my area and can't find a one that makes anywhere near that amount. But, PALIN the POLITICIAN keeps spouting off about "Joe." Heck, a member of the U.S. Congress is only paid $169,300.00. I have had my fill of Sarah the (would be) Soothsayer!

The Real Americans

Kaiser Farooque — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:36:11 EDT

NOTE: This post is both on my Xanga site and the smaller blog I've started up on my Kizyr for Obama page.

Where is the real America? Who is a real American? Who gets to decide which is which?

There are some interesting, yet troubling, comments recently made by a lot of the folks related to the McCain Campaign. And once again, it offers a huge, huge contrast to the message that Obama's been carrying throughout. Let me give you the following:

"I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that." ~Rep. Bachmann (R-MN)

Now, to be fair, this came on Chris Matthew's Hardball, after Chris Matthews was clearly acting like a jerk. But still, concluding that interview by suggesting some kind of media witch-hunt? No wonder she now finds herself having to apologize, and donations instantly increased to her opponent without him having to even do anything. Second:

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation." ~Sarah Palin

Again, to be fair, Palin did apologize for "the way her comments came off". It's a bit of a non-apology-apology, but still, her comments are troubling for another reason entirely (which I'll get to momentarily). Third:

"...the Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia. And that's really what you see there. But the rest of the state, real Virginia, if you will, I think will be very responsive to Sen. McCain's message. ... I mean 'real Virginia' because northern Virginia is where I've always been, but 'real Virginia' I take to be the — this part of the state that is more Southern in nature, if you will. Northern Virginia is really metro D.C." ~Pfotenhauer, McCain Advisor

Now this one upset me the most. Primarily because Pfotenhauer here had the audacity to say that I don't live in "real Virginia". Now, let me lay down for you a few facts:
(a) I moved here from Tennessee, not Washington
(b) I pay Virginia state income tax.
(c) I had a choice to go to Maryland, DC, or Virginia, and I chose Virginia. I'm here entirely because I want to be, and I like this state. (The lower taxes, rent in metro-accessible areas, and rich diversity of the state, really helps, too. VA's state flag is also the coolest out of the 50 states--seriously, take a look.)

So tell me, why am I not a "real" Virginian? Oh... I know. Because politically I don't agree with you. Does that mean that when I was in Tennessee, despite being born and raised in Nashville, that I wasn't a real Tennessean because I didn't vote Republican? No wonder Pfotenhauer is now scrambling to retract her comments. But, she was given a fair chance to clarify them on the air, and she simply reinforced them. Her apology now means nothing.

Obama criticized for telling Joe P to share the wealth----well look at the truth

William Henry Mee — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:03:53 EDT

Between 1950 and 1980, worker productivity rose by 93 percent and wages rose by 89 percent. Compare that to the 1920s, where high productivity gains were accompanied by declining wages and falling income for the vast majority of American consumers. Then we had the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, and wages and productivity were readjusted. Since 2000 the productivity of American workers has increased by 20 percent, while the wages of the average worker have grown by less than 1 percent---these are warning signs. Between 2000 and 2006, corporate profits grew at an average rate of more than 10 percent a year—more than five times the average rate of growth in corporate profits during the previous 50 years. Corporate profits as a percentage of national income skyrocketed from around 9 percent to more than 15 percent during the same period—higher than at any point in the past half century.

Well-to-do individuals also did well: the 15,000 families at the top of the income scale saw their annual incomes go from about $15 million a year to nearly $30 million (that’s $450 billion). They alone accounted for more than 25 percent of all of the growth in income for the entire country. The remaining 1.7 million families in the top 1 percent of households accounted for nearly another 50 percent. That means that the remaining 170 million families/households split the remaining 25%. The bottom 90 percent of families accounted for only 4.7 percent of that growth, which went entirely to the top 20 percent of this group. (all stats in these two paragraphs from: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/10/redistribution.html).

When the disparity in wealth between the upper most and the poorest becomes wider it is a prescription for disease, famine, revolution, crime, ignorance, and even more excessive greed which exacerbates all the problems. Witness the Fall of Rome, the onset of the Dark Ages, the depression of the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, and now where we are at today. ‘Spreading the wealth’ is the only way for the rich to survive as individuals, families and as a class. It is a way to relieve their soon to be guilty conscious. Greed is a disease and an addiction that threatens to tear apart our country.

The Middle Ages royalty which accumulated great wealth on the backs of serfs, indentured servants, and sharecroppers---eventually were overthrown; the guillotine for France’s Queen Marie Antoinette who reportedly said “Let them eat cake.” Which was her quaint idea of letting the peasants share with her own pampered lifestyle—because she was genuinely concerned with their welfare while the King Louis the 14th was completely out of touch. But as the economy got worse and as the Queen’s statement got translated and spread across the countryside it referred to the froth that a pig makes as it eats out of a trough and is scraped off by the farmers to feed other animals as times get hard—“let them eat the cake” (what has caked-up). It was enough to cause a national bloodbath and purge of the rich.*

So Americans have been eating cake and have only know realized it. They are starting to get mad; if Obama and the 60 vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate don’t win---violence might occur---certainly Florida 2000 protests will occur. The Election of 2008 might be the “French Revolution” that restores the natural balance of the economy or the situation might slip further into depression and even armed revolution. It really depends how soon the Republican Party lies down and admits the error of its ways. The more it fights back and tells lies, that will only be discovered later, the harder the fall will be. Perhaps the Party will be destroyed or go the way of the Whig party and be replaced by an independent party or by a patchwork of Libertarian, Constitutional Law and Green parties.

People have been fooled by the Reaganomics theory of “Trickle Down” and how the rich man will take care of you. Even Alan Greenspan in his testimony to Congress on October 23, 2008 admitted that the Chicago Milton Friedman School of Economics and the Ayn Rand theories were proven not to work. Bush-Cheney bought these failed policies to their zenith and their legacy must be made to pay the price. Rejecting McCain-Palin is the first step towards your theological and economic retribution. This is not “class warfare” but pay-back for virtual crimes committed against the American People and our way of life. This is something that even the “Liberal” media like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Weiner Savage, Michael Medved, Laura Ingraham, Michele Maulkin, Bill Bennett and Bill O’Reilly cannot stop. These multi-millionaire broadcasters have been fooling you into supporting their lifestyle and addictions (Bennett’s gambling, Limbaugh’s drugs, O’Reilly’s phone sex, etc.). Now is the time to reject them and the crooked Republican politicians (Dick Cheney, Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, Jack Abramhoff, Stevens, Craig, Vitter, Anthrax Attacks, etc.).

* = She was Austrian and had not produced a male heir and was seen as aloof and as a failure. The lavish parties with things brought in from India and China--and her diamonds gave the negative impression to the people. But at the end she spent more time away from the palace in the countryside and realized how bad the economy was. But it was too late.

<End>

If Joe the Plumber made $100k more than Sarah's Spree, He'd Pay More Taxes!

Henry M — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:53:09 EDT

f you appreciaterd this message, then please have a look at the rest of my blog, http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/henrymu and support and contribute to the campaign (it’s not over until the polls close): http://tinyurl.com/henrym4obamafundraising

Henry M

How does a GOP 'Trickle Down' economy work?

Marjani — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:34:42 EDT

3525.6 in reply to 3525.1

1) "Trickle down" economy means the rich get to unzip their pants and "p" on the poor at regular intervals by half-a paying them, then overcharging them for goods and services, then passing the tax burden on to the same people who aren't being paid and yet are still paying astronomical market prices for goods and services. I call those "trickles" the Golden Showers compliment of the elitist privileged.

2) The vast majority of people who will be gettting a tax CUT are taxPAYERS -- meaning they actually work for a living. If you don't pay taxes, there's nothing to cut. However, thanks to someone who thinks that anyone who doesn't make $5m a year is not considered rich, then we're ALL on welfare from where they sit.

3) Forty-two percent of income tax payers make less than $30k a year and end up with ZERO tax liability. On the other hand, the people who do the loudest shouting about their tax money are barely paying taxes themselves: They get shelters, deductions, write-offs and other tax benefits that the poorer working classes are not privvy to, which dually shifts the tax burden to those who can least afford it.

More than 90% of taxpayers with zero liability when they turn in their returns every April earn less than $30k a year, thanks to Joe the Plumber Inc. who refuses to pay Joe the Taxpayer anything above slave wages. If the corporations and business are forced to pay a living wage, he takes his business and moves it to foreign nations where he can legally get away with paying people $1.25 an hour, or $10 a week. It's not that these "lazy people" don't want to work, it's that business owners like Joe the Plumber Inc. and AIG and Chase Manhattan don't want to pay them TO work, so they end up in low-paying or part-time jobs making next to nothing anyway. Either way the middle class goes, whether its in trying to earn a living, trying to barely get by feeding and clothing themselves and their children, trying to pay for healthcare, in trying to educate themselves or their children, or you name it and what have you - they're getting screwed.

4) Businesses pass ANY and every increase on to the consumer, anyway, so tax increases are simply another liability that you, Joe Taxpayer, end up footing the bill for --and you are going to pay it whether there's a liberal or a non-liberal in office. Between tax shelters, write-offs and business owner tax credits for nearly everything you can name, higher-income people rarely pay any taxes anyway and are on the million-dollar corporate dole that Joe Taxpayer pays for off the money he's NOT getting for working.

The heaviest burden for tax liability has always been on middle income and low-income workers, who, while they barely make a living wage, also pay the highest prices for consumer goods and services from groceries to utilities and have to fill in teh gaps while the higher-income people get tax breaks that they themselves can't have. That promise that it would "trickle down" came to pass in the form of the smell of GOP urine.

A $5,000 credit if I can afford to pay $5,000 isn't a help, it's a wash.

Corporations like McDonalds, which makes billions of dollars off of average consumers, and pays young people and/or low-income workers just at minimum wage, have traditionally ended up with ZERO tax liability at the end of a fiscal year. Between the low income and part-time workers and the larger businesses and corporations, all of that "no-pay" debt then shifts directly to the middle class, who are the ones who can least afford it. Yet, helping corporations like McDonald's and business owners who make more than $250k a year pay lower taxes was supposed to make this society better when all it did was turn these working people (called 'welfare recipients' by the GOP) into lifetime economic slaves who can barely get by and will likely be where they are for the rest of their lives, because social programs to help them get a boost up are being cut from the budget AS corporate taxes are lowered.

5) People who don't work for a living because they're lazy make up less than 1% of the nation's welfare "Brats," corporations, however, make up more than 48% of those on the government dole to the tune of, not millions, but BILLIONS.

6) What does all of the above do? It keeps the average working class stiff in an eternal cycle of poverty from the first job they get to the day they retire, and just long enough to hear some Republican come along in their late stage in life and threaten to take all they have left: Social Security and Medicare.

7) Too lazy to work is a racist disqualifier, because it is meant to apply to the 42% of African Americans who make so little money that they end up not having to pay taxes. They quote that 42% of AMERICANS don't pay taxes--what they really mean is that 42% of WORKING BLACK AMERICANS end up with zero liability at return time every April. They are trying to scapegoat some of the most disenfrachised citizens in America by calling them "lazy" and "welfare recipients" when the people they're talking about DO work to make them rich--almost for free. They say they love America, but clearly can't stand certain Americans.

8) The REAL statistics are that 42.5 million Americans have zero tax liability on their returns, (32%); not 42%.

If they can hook you with those figures, they actually tie directly into low-income slave-wage black Americans who actually DO work for a living and are not paid properly. They are overworked and underpaid due to the residual effects of racism and working for phenomenal cheapskates who, if they could use their labor for free and it not be against Federal law, would do just that.

Overall, as they try to slink and slither under that Jim Crow III, Esq. lie about "lazy people who don't pay taxes" (they refer to low-income blacks who don't get decent paying jobs (or ANY jobs at times) BECAUSE THEY ARE black...they use them as an excuse to cover their own dirt of getting rich off labor that they don't want to pay for, by way of salary or benefits like affordable healthcare coverage. They enrich their own mindsets about racial superiority by taking away another man's pride, just because they CAN.

I'm happy to say that my husband IS Joe the Plumber, but he doesn't need a tax break to hire anyone because he works alone. He left corporate America in order to be his own man and call his own shots and be his own man. If he needs workers, he can hire subcontractors and Indies who are then responsible for reporting and paying their own taxes. He'd rather work with indies... regular employees make LESS money and have to spend more time making less money. A "job" isn't helping you, but getting a long-term tax cut or no tax increases so that you can own your own "average Joe" business and work from home--that's what Republicans are deathly afraid of. They won't have a vast pool of slave-wage minions to pull from if Obama's plan works.

That's less time away from home, away from spouses and children, and more time to spend cultivating a family and a home. That's the kind of earning, spending, saving and investing power that we all need. Under Obama's plan, the slave wages stop and maybe everyone gets a shot at building a competing business right next door to good old boy, Joe the Plumber.

I'm all ears to arguments on this point

Now, Joe the Plumber can, like Joe the Taxpayer, do his civic duty and quit whining and pay his taxes like a good Joe the Citizen will be happy to do.

If they want to take advantage of free enterprise and a free market economy, they have to learn that it costs money-tax money-to keep it moving along. If they benefit from it, they can pay for it like everyone else has to.

Should we really feel sorry for Joe the plumber?

Zarko — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:06:10 EDT

It seems Joe the plumber is not that much in trouble as McCain wanted us to believe and his taxes won't increase a penny.

On the other hand, I wish that me or any other 95% of Americans could feel that sweet kind of pain - make over $200,000 per year without being able to buy your business.

How about we worry a bit more about the ones who can't buy food or clothes for their kids, or worse, who can't afford to send kids to good schools and thus get away from the grip of the vicious circle of poverty?

150,000 Reasons to Laugh Out Loud

Cheryl — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:36:09 EDT

150,000 Reasons To Laugh Out Loud

After an entire day of media coverage regarding Sarah Palin’s new wardrobe I find myself giggling at the what I see is the greatest blunder of the entire Republican campaign so far. At the same time they are holding their “Joe the Plumber” rallies they are trying to justify spending $150,000 on clothing for a political liability named Sarah Palin who will only be needing them for about ninety days.

First, the Governor of Alaska bragged early on about that jet that she got rid of because she wanted to cut unnecessary spending in government. She tells us in a debate that we “need a dose of Wasilla” vaules. Then she tells her supporters that she is a reformer who will change Washington by stopping the waste…oh really? New clothes are necessary and a justified expense for a presidential campaign, no argument there, but at $150,000 for ninety days it means that she is averaging over $1600 per day for outfits. Now, as a woman I know that a middle of the road quality suit can cost from $250 to $500 depending on where you buy it and whose name is on the label. Shoes can be anywhere from $100 to $250 again depending on the where and the who. Okay, so taking that into consideration and even bumping things up to a higher end quality for 90 outfits we’re still at less than $150,000. Buying clothes at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue is hardly cutting unnecessary spending. Go ahead and buy clothes, get makeup and hair consultations but if you are going to brag about cutting spending and waste then you’d better seek out a moderate made-in-America way to do so and you’d better be sure you are spending like the average hockey mom.

Today’s insult to my average intelligence is that while running the “Joe the Plumber” rally series this week trying to show their support for the middle class, Palin is sporting fancy designer clothes that the middle class would probably never be willing or able to buy. With the new wardrobe worth $23,500 more than Joe the Plumber’s house I sense a slight disconnect. People are losing their jobs, their homes, their health care, their pensions and retirement investments and becoming more desperate for help every day. Yet we watch the Republican campaign spend $150,000 on clothing, hair and makeup for a negative, inexperienced, ignorant woman and claim they will be donating it all to charity after the election. Gee, what a big thing to do. What great humanitarians those Republicans are. I suppose public financing is a bit different from private donations in that you do not really feel you have to be fiscally responsible with the expenditures.

Then the one Republican who came close to answering the question about the wardrobe today tried to compare it to Barack Obama’s use of the campaign jet to fly to Hawaii for the weekend to be at the bedside of his dying grandmother. That is truly amazing.

There is nothing wrong with a new wardrobe for a political candidate during a campaign, nor is it ours to judge what or how much the McCain campaign decides to waste, but the hypocrisy is our business as Americans. Because if we are to trust a candidate for the next four years that candidate better be able to demonstrate how he/she can walk their talk. The McCain campaign is actually walking their talk very well, because their talk is made up of lies so will their actions be. The American people are smart enough to see through the crap and the polls show it.

I KNEW JOE, THE PLUMBER AND YOU ARE NO JOE THE PLUMBER

Jan from Laguna Woods, CA — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:39:23 EDT

I KNEW JOE THE PLUMBER AND YOU ARE NO JOE THE PLUMBER By Jan Marshall

I saw that faux undecided “Joe" create a fantasy scenario and then become indignant because if he were to became successful, he might have to pay a small tax, which is a very American custom. It brought to mind another Joe from another time. A couple of faucets had become clogged. My friend, Rita the recommender, suggested I contact Joe, the plumber who had saved her from disaster one leaky day. I should have known this would be a special moment when he actually returned my call. No service person had done that in years. Then he arrived at my home the exact time he said he would. The previous repairmen never would commit themselves to an exact time. “Will you be home between March and April?” they'd ask and of course I would. Never leaving my home; not for my kid’s graduation, not for my prearranged rendezvous with Sean Connery, not even for already purchased tickets for a lecture called SEX AND ARTHRITIS: CAN WE HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER? (The answer to that one lies in my empty Aleve ® bottle). Oye. Not for anything did I leave my house in those days. When that particular serviceman showed up, he had the wrong part-I mean for the appliance. He had to send to Hong Kong for it. By the time it was delivered my ice box went out of style. I had to replace it with a modern one which created mixed feelings. I enjoyed the fact that food remained fresh and cool. Sadly, though, the ice-man no longer cameth to my house and he was a real hunk. So I truly appreciated Joe’s promptness. I showed him the sink and he went to work. He explained what he was doing and we chatted casually about various things and we laughed a lot. He wanted to know if I was Italian and I said no. He seemed genuinely disappointed. I did admit to being a pasta freak and that pleased him. He was from Italy and was so in love with this country. He told me about the thrill he felt the first time he had actually earned enough to finally pay taxes which he was certain helped finance the schools his grand kids attended. Perhaps the very road I lived could have come from his earnings. He went on and on about projects his money undoubtedly financed. He said that "now I feel like a true American". Just when I thought I would not see him again I got lucky. Two commodes stopped working. One had a major leak and the other was clogged so I called him. He arrived on time and went to fix the problems. We were old friends now and shared stories from our past. I made coffee and served cookies. “Fig Newtons!” he cried. “How did you know that Fig Newtons were my favorite sweets in the world?” he asked. What could I say? I wanted it to be fate that had prompted me serve that particular type but in fact it was the only thing that my kids had neglected to devour. Joe made out another bill that was more than fair; he also scribbled a note to my husband. “You got a terrific wife. You'd better be plenty careful or I will take her away from you. Yours truly, Joe the Plumber.” I knew he was kidding. As a matter of fact he was on his way home to be with his wife of 50 years. Before he left he asked me once again if I was Italian. I finally agreed that way, way back in my past there could be a chance that I was. "I knew it. I just knew it,” said Joe. He hugged me. When he left, I filled out my own tax return earlier than usual. Then I had a huge bowl of linguini. Perhaps by osmosis….? THE END

Jan Marshall author of "Still Hanging In There: Confessions of a Totaled Woman" is founder of the International Humor and Healing Institute in Laguna Woods, CA

Neiman Marcus?

GoyitoMKE — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:48:26 EDT

It’s time for all this negative campaigning to stop!

We all know that Sarah and “First Dude” Todd Palin’s 17-year-old daughter (who apparently must have received an incomplete for her “abstinence only” sex-ed course) became impregnated by a hockey player and self-proclaimed “F***in’ Redneck” high school dropout. While for whatever reasons the Palins have virtually crowed over the out-of-wedlock pregnancy in their family, the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate has been pilloried by some among us in the other camp.

For this and many other reasons I condemn the joke that someone sent me the other night: “Q: Why does Sarah Palin bring her 14–year-old and 7-year-old daughters with her to all her campaign appearances? A: She’s trying to make sure that they don’t get pregnant before the election."

Come on now; let’s cut this distinguished Alaskan family some slack! Let’s also back off a bit on our criticism of the Republican National Committee (RNC) rewarding Sarah Palin and family $150,000 to spend at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue to spruce up their wardrobe a bit. After all, when divided among the 7 Palins (and the “F***in’ Redneck” high school dropout that impregnated the oldest Palin daughter) we’re talking about an average of only $18,750 a head. By my calculations that’s less than $10,000 a month, per person. And hey, as the father of an almost 3-year-old, let me ask if you know how much it costs to dress your kids these days.

If nothing else, let’s try to be more charitable. And while on the topic of being charitable, the RNC has implied that the “gently used” clothing might be donated to charity after the campaign. I sure hope the Palins have the good grace to launder it before they toss it in the Salvation Army or St. Vinny’s collection bin. I for one can hardly wait to see the homeless wandering the streets in such fashionable designer clothes. Just imagine, it’ll be “Morning In America” all over again.

I digress for a moment to share a favorite family story that my elderly mother tells about herself: Way back in the good old 1960’s, the Bishop’s Clothing Drive for Latin America in our diocese was in full swing. My mother, young and idealistic, enthusiastically went through our family’s closets and pulled out an old tuxedo that no longer fit my father. Off to the Latin America clothing drive it went. Later, to her own chagrin, she fretted that some impoverished Andean village may have elected a terribly unqualified man as its mayor simply because he showed up at the local debates dressed in a badly out of fashion tuxedo. Oh well, we’ll never know for sure.

But back to my original point: It’s time to stop all these negative campaign messages.

I end my appeal to decency with a simple question: What in the world is the matter with mediocrity? If McCain and Palin are good enough for the revered American political expert Joe The Plumber, then shouldn’t we just drink the Kool-Aid and elect them without question?

Gregg in Milwaukee

Joe The Plumber - Was it Worth it?

ChicagoMusicPromotions.Com — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:36:08 EDT

Dear Readers,

Do you really think it was worth it for the people to bring a 3rd party into this whole debate and had them spotlighted into the whole debate factor? Now since the Joe the Plumber thing was mostly a ear catch you got the actual joe the plumbers being flooded with phone calls, press and emails and putting them into the spotlight?

If i was a business owner of that aspect i would have probably lost my mind after the 30th phone call or 100th email in reguards to media and other outlets trying to probe your life and see what you are about. I feel in some ways the media invaded privacy to probe into the "joe the plumber" american people, i dont feel to win a debate you need to drag someone else into the spotlight to make a point.

The Other Factor.

So yes the Joe the Plumbers got ALOT of press and media coverage they probably would have never gotten, however what if they wanted to stay small (company wise) and even community wise without being drilled with over 300 phone calls, and endless amounts of email, and even with that IF they own a website you got a HUGE traffic spike that could end up with them going over the limit on the website bandwith and or user load might cause the website they own to stop responding.

My Own Opinion

IF that was me i would be PISSED, especially when its un-expected and or just out of the blue and all of a sudden BAM you get drilled with phone calls, emails and other wanted and un-wanted things plus now you got a endless supply of junk and spam emails from people who now have your email address since now you are technically famous. So then you gotta spend more money to build a new website to handle the traffic, get a new email account (since your other one is now pretty much over conjested with spam), and also you have to switch up your whole game since your now in the spotlight to thousands of consumers or even millions.

So i think before anyone puts anyone in the spotlight to at least give them a Pre-Warning ahead of time so they know that whatever you might say might come back on you as a person of interest since you were all of a sudden a test subject or effective change of thought.

Feel Free to leave your thoughts personally as for me being a SMALL business owner and website owner this is just my own opinion.

Respectfully
Matthew Nalett

New Music Promote
newmusicpromote.com

Chicago Music Promotions
chicagomusicpromotions.com

Joe "the" Gimmick

Michael from Holmdel, NJ — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:18:21 EDT

McCain Camp, enough with the insipid, trite platitudes! If you insist on dragging the public discourse into the shallow mud puddle with cracker-barrel archetypes, at least be sure that your folksy invention is authentic.

I am sure you read that “Joe” isn’t a plumber (as if that should matter to the democratic process), nor is he even a Joe. Joe is a last-minute act of desperation. And, very analogous to McCain’s other act of desperation (Palin), it’s starting to backfire.

After mentioning the Joe’s name (or sobriquet) a gazillion times in the final debate, McCain expects the press to give him a pass when he finds an obscure individual to exploit, kind of like his running mate. Oh why is the big, bad meanie media always picking on poor innocent Johnny McCain?

It really is a shame that Joe isn’t a plumber, as he could have pumped the septic tank that is today's Grand Old Party!

Debate Breakdown - What really happened

Spencer Tweedy — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:16:10 EDT

Summary

As usual, I believe the overall winner of this third and final debate was Barack Obama. The main reason being that he never strayed from issues, and as a result of that, McCain’s “side-step” answers were, well, just wiped right off the field.

It seems as if the topic of the debate was “Joe the Plumber”, who was portrayed by John McCain as a hard-working American, who would like to purchase the company he works for, but would not be able to because of Barack Obama’s tax plan. First of all, Joe Wurzelbacher would not be affected negatively (or possibly at all) by Obama’s tax policies, because the business he wants to buy (and himself) makes less than $250,000 a year, thus not being touched by the plan. Second of all, Mr. Plumber here isn’t a licensed plumber! This just goes to show how incredibly false McCain can be, and all to attack Obama.

Here’s a copy of my live debate coverage from Wednesday:

8:01
Hi everyone. Thanks for coming to watch my live coverage of the final presidential debate!
8:02
Okay, we’re off to a start..
8:04
Thoughts and prayers for Nancy Reagan, hospitalized tonight.
8:05
McCain: Take 300 billion dollars, go in, and buy those abandoned homes.
8:06
New financial plan is “a good first step” - Obama
8:07
Take tax breaks from outsourcing companies and provide tax credit to middle class. - Obama
8:09
McCain: A plumber named Joe was trying to realize the American dream, and when he saw Obama’s tax plan he was disheartened.
8:10
Obama: I will provide a tax cut for 95% of working Americans. NOT A PENNY for corporations or big oil.
8:10
“I wanna give them a tax break now” - Obama
8:11
Okay, so now ‘Joe the Plumber’ is the topic of the debate.. wow.
8:12
Obama: My friend Warren Buffet, for example, can afford to pay a little more to provide a tax break for working families.
8:13
McCain: Business tax rate is 35%, Ireland’s is 11% (true or false?). We need to make it easier for businesses, not spread the wealth around.
8:14
[Note: Actual quotes will have quotation marks, and please excuse any mistakes made while quoting]
8:16
Obama: Medicare’s a giveaway. Its not improving senior’s lives. I will go through the budget, page by page, and eliminate lines or improve it.
8:18
McCain: When we become energy independent, we’ll create millions of jobs. Government debt has gone completely out of control.
8:18
“I opposed subsidies for ethanol” - McCain
8:18
“I saved taxpayers 6 billion dollars” - McCain
8:19
Here we go, the first pork-barrel ear-mark spending quote, and from McCain.
8:20
Obama: Earmarks are one of the centerpieces of his [McCain's] campaign.
8:21
“Sen. McCain voted for 4 out of 5 of Bush’s budgets” - Obama
8:22
“I’m gonna give a new direction to this country and economy.” - McCain

Yeah, but what direction?
8:22
McCain: I can balance these budgets. Americans are hurtin’ tonight.
8:23
McCain calls for federal spending freeze AND to buy out mortgages..
8:24
Obama: McCain has claimed that I will raise taxes for anyone making over 40,000 dollars a year. Even FOX disputes that.
8:25
Obama: Essentially what you’re proposing is eight more years of the same thing.
8:25
Quick observation: McCain is getting defensive!
8:27
Bob Schieffer: Both of you have pledged to take ‘the high road’ in this campaign.

Schieffer goes on with words and ads used by both campaigns and asks if they’re willing to say these things to each other, face to face.
8:29
McCain: Obama lied about accepting public financing.
8:29
“John, 100% of your ads have been negative” - Obama
8:32
Is it just me, or is Barack’s hair getting grayer?
8:34
Yes! Obama slams McCain for rally death threats.

For those who are not aware, last week people at McCain/Palin rallies were heard saying “Kill him” “off with his head” and “terrorist”
8:34
“When people suggest I’m palling around with terrorists, that’s not talking about issues” - Obama
8:35
“He’s having a temper tantrum” - Anonymous
8:36
“What we can’t do, is try and characterize each other as bad people” - Obama
8:37
Did McCain just accuse Obama of voter fraud? Hrmm.
8:37
“Mr. Ayers has become the centerpiece of their campaign these past weeks.” - Obama
8:38
FINALLY! Obama corrects rumors of former Weatherman Bill Ayers and his association with him.
8:40
“Let me tell you who I associate with, Joe Biden, Warren Buffet, [...]. Those are the people I associate with.” - Obama
8:41
BREAKING NEWS: McCain is slamming Obama for being associated with Acorn when McCain was the keynote addresser for them in 2006
8:42
“His [Joe Biden] consitant pattern throughout the years is to fight for the little guy” - Obama
8:43
Obama: We need to re-prioritize. Biden knows what’s most important for working families.
8:44
McCain: Sarah Palin is a reformist.
8:44
“She’s a reformer, through and through” - McCain
8:45
Okay, is cronyism a real word?
8:46
Bob Schieffer: Do you think she’s qualified to be president?

Interesting, here, as Schieffer doesn’t say vice-president, but instead says president…
8:46
NEWS FLASH: Sarah Palin has been referring to the campaign as the Palin McCain ticket. DOUBLE NEWS FLASH: She’s a running-mate, not a candidate.
8:48
I just learned something. We’re importing more than 60% percent of oil. I thought it’d be more.
8:50
McCain is getting angrier. For example, he just made the mistake of saying “nuclear pants”. That’d be cool. Nuclear pants, genius.
8:50
Obama: We use 25% of the world’s oil in America.
8:52
“We invented the auto industry” - Obama

That’s a pretty interesting statement, considering we’ve fallen so behind today.
8:52

8:52
Sorry, for those who are offended by that image :D.
8:54
McCain: Senator Obama has never been south of the border.
8:56
Obama: We have to hold auto makers responsible for not making fuel efficient cars, because very much of our energy is used on transportation.
8:57
Here’s another strange new word. McCain just said “fark” Or did he? I don’t know, but that doesn’t sound right.
8:57
McCain just compared Obama to Herbert Hoover.
8:59
If you have health insurance, you don’t have to do anything. The only thing we’re gonna try to do is lower costs so those savings can be passed on to you. - Obama
9:01
Hey Joe, if you’re out there and you can hear me, could you tell me if you’re actually friends with John McCain?
9:01
McCain: We need to put health records online.

LET’S START WITH YOURS! The only time anyone has seen your health records, McCain, is when you let a couple of reporters in to see them for a couple of hours, with no cameras or anything. Dude!
9:02
Obama responding to smear from McCain about not supporting ‘Joe the Plumber’: Here’s the fine you’ll get, Joe. 0, that’s your fine.
9:04
McCain is so incredibly smug, its not even funny any more.
9:06
Wow, did McCain have a stroke? He seems unable to talk.
9:07
A reference to gold-plated Cadillacs in a presidential debate sounds somewhat out-of-place.

Then again, many things said in this election sound out of place.
9:08
Quick note: Rother is not a word, McCain
9:09
Congratulations, McCain, you have officially won the title of Grandpa by every left-wing pundit.
9:10
Q & A: What’s a litmus test?
9:11
Obama on abortion: Women with their family and religious advisors can make the best decision on this subject.
9:12
“The court has to stand up if nobody else will” - Obama
9:12
“We need to change American culture” - McCain
9:14
McCain is now claiming that Obama voted against rights of immediate health-attention for failed-abortion childs. Why on earth would ANYONE vote against that?
9:15
NEWS FLASH: In Illinois there is already a law requiring life-saving treatments for failed abortions. Obama is the senator of Illinois.
9:16
“There surely is some common ground” - Obama

I thought that was a kind of refreshing comment by Sen. Obama.
9:16
“Nobody’s pro-abortion. Its always a tragic situation.” - Obama
9:18
Schieffer: We spend the most money on education in the world, yet our students trail in almost every subject compared to most countries.
9:20
“Turn off the TV and put away the video games” - Obama, when talking about parent’s responsibility over students.
9:21
Obama has an interesting idea:

Four thousand dollar credit for college students in turn for some form of community service.
9:21
“We must improve education in this country” - McCain
9:22
Obama: Federal government needs to step up and help local school districts with funding.
9:22
But, Obama continues, they never followed through with funding.
9:23
“I think Obama’s kicking butt” - Anonymous
9:24
“We can’t give money to every interest group that comes along” - Obama
9:24
“Somebody’s gotta pay for it!” - Obama
9:26
“How do you reform without spending money?” - Anonymous
9:26
“I’m not going to continue throwing money at a problem” - McCain
9:28
“I think we’ve had a very healthy discussion” - McCain
9:29
McCain: We cannot be satisfied with the last eight years.

Well, sorry bud, but you’re someone who contributed to the unsatisfactory side of the last eight years. You slam Bush when you actually mimic his policies.
9:30

Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Policy Issues
Here’s the link to all of Obama’s policy information.
9:31
“And that’s why I’m sure our brighter days are still ahead” - Obama

Wow, what an optimistic statement.
9:32
And that’s it! The debate was closed with a quote from Schieffer’s mother, “Go vote now, it’ll make you feel big and strong”

9:33
Thank you all for reading, now get out and vote!

Is Rollins Right?

Bill from BC, Obamican, Veteran, Husband, Father, Educator — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:54:40 EDT

Please read the linked column by Reagan political strategist Ed Rollins.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/19/rollins.powell/index.html

Rollins is hoping that everyone looks at the political landscape as superficially as his column suggests. Here are the real facts.

For McCain to win, virtually every state that is in play has to go his way. This includes Virginia and Colorado where Obama is polling at more than 50%. This means that not only is McCain going to have to win over just about all of the few remaining undecideds, but that he is also going to have to take votes away from Obama, especially in those two states.

Joe the Plumber in Masses --- Suggestion

Coonsey — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:59:54 EDT

I think it would be hilarious to see a bunch of plumbers OR electricians OR waitresses OR janitors come forward as a group to take on John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Followup Comment on The Party of Debt and Deficit

Sahil — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:39:57 EDT

Thanks for your comments. I would like to say the following in response:

The figures are for annual deficits not for federal debt which everybody knows is $10 trillion now. That figure effects the US credit rating and the currency. The federal debt has been growing almost all the time over the past forty years. The years it has shrank, it has shrank by very little i.e.

1970: $2 billion,

1974: $2,

1975: $4,

1999: $2,

2000: $105,

2001: $102 billion

The deficit each year adds to the federal debt. Even if you balance the budget the federal debt still remains at the same level. The only way to reduce the debt is to have budget surplus.

I still tend to think that the Obama campaign may have missed the clarity of these figures. It is at least better to talk about than defending against remarks about Joe the plumber.

If at this point the Obama campaign needs to introduce a new talking point it should be something like this because of the economy and it will also help other democrats running for the Congress.

Is there a way to make sure that the Obama campaign knows about the apparent clarity of these figures? Please.

Joe the Secessionist

Citizen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:52:22 EDT

Joe Vogler (I don't know if Joe was a plumber) was murdered during a sale of illegal explosives. Did Joe wear a Stars and Stripes lapel pin? No way, Joe said, "I won't be buried under their damned flag...when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones home." Who was Joe? Joe was the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party. It's stated goal is " the ultimate independence of Alaska," from the United States. They are modern day secessionists.

Surely a woman like Palin, who has lambasted Obama for marginal associations with a man who shared a community board, has denounced her secessionist husband for his membership in the AIP. Oops, She was the keynote speaker for their 2006 convention. Hard to say she didn't know what they were about, she attended their 2000 convention with her Dude. She recorded the greeting for this year's 2008 convention. Say it ain't so Sarah! What, no renounciation of the Dude who wants to steal those oil reserves from US Citizens? No renounciation of the Dude or his organization that wants to rip the largest state from the Union? I presume that since Palin has read "All of them" newspapers, that she should have some understanding of what happened during the last Civil War. No renuciation, but it's okay for her to engender hatred against a man attempting to do something constructive for his community that involved sitting on a board with someone who did something horrid when Obama was only eight. Oh, Sarah, beware of the log in your own eye before you condemn the splinter in Obama's.

'Joe the Voter' and other Joes, McCain Doesn't want you to know about.

JJ — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:29:55 EDT

Joe the Plumber? What about 'Joe the Voter'

and 9 Other Joe's McCain doesn't speak about.

Wednesday night, I prepared to watch the last debate with a plate of pericos and some cold Dos Equis, and my lovely wife Nora (whom I call Scully--I'll save that story for later).

Scully has been a devout politico's wife for about ten years, a Chicago yellow-dog democrat, her father was a democrat, her mother was a democrat and she will die a democrat. She is also the one person fond of my affinity to watch every political news show and my willingness to talk politics with anyone -- anytime. For this someday she'll be awarded a purple heart, congressional medal of honor or a tall glass of Scotch, more than likely the latter.

In her eyes, I am, when it comes to politics, all-knowing, all-seeing, and can turn tap water into a great chardonnay at fundraising receptions, however , I am NOT infallible." So every election cycle (until I report for work at the great caucus in the sky), I make sure that the most qualified candidate receives 150% of my unequivocal, loyal, articulate and vociferous support (I reserve the other 50% for possible mid-cycle corrections or retreats--JK).

CNN -- Debates a la Boxing!

So it was this week, when I sat down to watch the much ballyhooed debate-to-end-all debates on CNN, that my Mexi-Mind began to wonder. With CNN HD you get the equivalent of HBO Boxing's Comp box, for each political pundit. Red/Blue dials tracking positive and negative points --LIVE! This is great, although I'd prefer totals discussed Larry Murchant and an interview with each fighter at the end.

After a some- day-dreaming about a rendition of a Jimmy Leonard-like introduction for each debater, (in this corner wearing blue satin shorts the Master Blaster against Economic Disaster, the Senator of Suave, Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama)---my mind returned to the Dos Equis and the salsa, only to be mildly irked by the introduction of "Joe the Plumber."

Joe the Plumber joins Joe Six-pack in McCain/Palin's portrait of America.

You see folks I hate glittering generalities, specifically I hate Palin's introduction of Joe Six-pack, and Holly Hockey-mom, or whatever her attempt to classify the sum of our American cultural and social experiences into some tacky image of mediocrity, is.

For a better understanding of my views on the Republican right's incessant attempts to instill fear, loathing and bias into American politics read my book, "It Is Not OK- put an End to Mediocrity!" (Publication Date -- sometime soon after I get around to writing it.)

As McCain pronounced the moniker 'Joe the Plumber', I winced.

I pained. I pained, then I winced. (Repeat as often as he was mentioned)

So after 90 minutes of inconsequential jabber on the possible investment practices of one, Joe the Plumber (mentiroso, in this climate who's going to lend you the money?).

I began to thinking of the dozens of Joe's, McCain/Palin hope you don't meet.

Yes, like a retort to the PC v Mac commercials, I realized that Joe Six-pack and Joe the Plumber are everywhere. But not like McCain thinks. No, like GI Joe, they come with different costumes and sometimes a --kung-fu grip.

So allow me introduce you to the latest Joes:

Joe the Unemployed Machinist. After dedicating the last ten years, to his company, missing two days for the birth of his son, and patriotically supporting his country and the current President, this Joe, has lost his job at manufacturing plant, because fabrication has been outsourced to China.

Joe the Manager. After climbing the ladder at this national retailer, with aHS diploma, blood sweat and tears, he loyally invested in his company's stock options and made dedicated contributions to his 401 K. Joe the Manager, lost 30% of his retirement kitty, last week, and his hour were cut down to 36/week, because Republicans like McCain let wall street fat cats deal fast and loose with his investments.

Jo-Jo the Custodial single Mother. Jo-Jo has no healthcare and lives in a hotel with her three kids. She was diagnosed with Lupus, and once unable to maintain her work schedules, she was laid-off under her employer's neutral attendance policy. She unsuccessfully applied for unemployment, as these benefits are predicated on being an able-bodied adult, medically cleared to seek employment, she was denied. Receiving only TANF assistance, she was unable to qualify for healthcare coverage under CHIP(children's health insurance program), because Republicans like McCain did not fund CHIP in Congress, and state Republicans created barriers that impede her access to services.

Joe the Farm-worker. After legally immigrating to America, labor Joe, struggles with ostracism, racial profiling and discrimination because he belongs to a race of people currently blamed for our economic woes--he is Hispanic. He grew-up in a Migrant family and his sole job skills are dependent on obtaining a livable wage in an industry that belittles his contribution to the economy, and frequently characterizes him as an illegal, despite his US Residency. He hopes to have his children exit the migrant stream, have been dashed by the Republican led cuts to Federal funding for Migrants programs.

Zhoe the Immigrant. Zhoe lived in a war-torn European country. She read about America in magazines, books and movies. She thought America was the land of the free and home of the brave, open to all willing to risk life and limb, to get here. She was found starving in an eighteen wheeler amongst 15 other men and women, in Arizona. She is waiting deportation, because while her skills are needed, and her desire to join our country is commendable, Americans under Republican rule have come to fear foreigners and are callous to her plight.

Joe the Homeless Veteran. After loosing his arm in Desert Storm, his family in 1995, and eventually his home, Joe suffers from acute PTSD and dementia. He is missing all his teeth, sleeps in a cardboard bed, is only 42. He wears a pair of faded fatigues, remnants of his loyal service. Republicans believe a lack of self-reliance and will, keeps Joe, on the streets. Rather than admitting that their failed policies on Veteran Affairs contribute to Joe's misery, they fail to protect and care for the Men and Women, who gave their limbs and lives for freedom.

Joe the Deployed Soldier, aka GI Joe. After enlisting at age 18, due to a barrage of non-stop recruiting tactics at his high school, promises of bonuses, and post military employment, Joe was KIA in Iraq, at age 20. he is the victim of a ill-planned, ill-equipped, foreign military intervention, in a land fearful of Americans, and a war instigated by Bush, supported by McCain, that can only be ended by Obama.

Jose el Carnicero. A naturally born US Citizen. After selling you ground beef every day, for the last two years, you'd be surprised to know Butcher Joe is a first-generation Mexican-Arab-American. Mexican Father, Arabian mother. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school, and first to serve in the US armed forces. He performed with valor for three tours in Iraq. Today he suffers quietly from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and needs dialysis from a war-related injury. Joe has no VA hospital near his community and can't afford the 4 hour drive to the nearest one. Due to his appearance, Joe has been stopped by US ICE officials before boarding every flight, since ending is tour in Iraq.

Joe the Teacher. After succumbing to the effects of a flu--yes a flu, teacher Joe, lost his life because he couldn't get the medical care he needed at an ER. He had selected the basic coverage because his wages were so low he needed every cent of his payroll to make ends meet for his family. Since, his coverage did not include ER visits for flu like issues, Joe was told he would incur a $750 bill for his ER visit. Jo refused medical attention, to avoid debt. No one realized it was advanced pneumonia and he died overnight.

Joe the Voter. After 8 years of failed public policies, the worst economic crisis in American history, seeing neighbors, friends and family sacrifice their sons and daughters in Iraq, sacrificing the amount of food, healthcare and education they and their children can buy, after seeing their civil liberties eroded, and the international image of America tarnished, Joe the Voter is you. He is your friend, family and neighbor. Folks, Joe the Voter is desperate for leadership and change.

Joe the Voter, also known as Knock-out Joe, is heading to the polls with a powerful jab, and a tremendous left-hook, and a furious right-cross. Joe heralds from Anywhere, USA, he weighs in on every important issue and is the current world heavy weight champion of the 'Liberty and Justice for All' belt, and the 'I Want my Country Back' Belt.

and John---he wants change, and he wants it now.

JJ Martinez

The Truth about "Joe The Plumber"

Kevin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:02:05 EDT

John McCain apparently forgot, or was too lazy, to vet the story concerning Joe the Plumber. Of course this is from a man who picked his running mate after talking to her for about 1/2 hour and a person who sent the entire world to war for no apparent reason. So, what do you expect? Here are the details on Joe the Plumber as reported by McClatchy:

He is NOT a licensed plumber. He is not a plumber at all. At most, he is the guy who hands the plumber the tools.
His name is not Joe. It is Sam. Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher.
His estimate of the value of the plumbing business he works for was wildly exaggerated. He thought it was $250K to $280K. Ohio records show its total revenue to be about $100K - Far low enough to get a TAX CUT from the Barack Obama Tax Plan.
Finally, "Joe" actually has no plans to buy the business anytime soon. I am sure he has to be a licensed plumber first wouldn't you think?

The Washington Monthly reports on the fallacy of this story as well. The San Francisco Chronicle also points out that John McCain's hero just flat out does not pay the state taxes he already owes. Of course he is against taxes... he does not even pay the current ones.
Just like in his pick for Vice President, John McCain rushed headlong into a buzz saw on this one. He tried to pick out an "average American" to use as an example and what he got was a liar, a tax cheat, and someone who exaggerates. Wait, he got a Republican!!

Obama calls for balance, not socialism

Hellataz — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 23:37:16 EDT

From CNN Sen. Obama had been campaigning outside Toledo, Ohio, on October 13 when he met Joe Wurzelbacher, 34, who works for Newell Plumbing & Heating Co., a small firm in the Toledo area. "I'm getting ready to buy a company that makes $250-270-80 thousand a year," Wurzelbacher said. "Your new tax plan is going to tax m more, isn't it?" Obama explained his tax plan during the roughly five-minute exchange — telling Wurzelbacher that the tax rate on the portion of his income that was more than $250,000 would be increased from 36 percent to 39 percent. But he also mentioned that his plan includes a 50 percent small-business tax credit for health care and a proposal to eliminate the capital-gains tax for small businesses that increase in value. Obama said his tax plan, which he said focuses on bigger breaks for people making lower incomes, would be good for the economy. "If you've got a plumbing business, you're going to be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you," he said. "Right now, everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody. And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." ______________________________________________________________________

So now McCain and Palin are attacking obama for being a socialist. I don't think he is, but does have some financial views that lean in that direction. But what he told Joe the plumber (who by the way was an obvious plant by the McCain campaign)made sense. I know you wealthy people do not want o pay more taxes, but can you not agree that if the poor and middle class aren't given some tax relief and they instead have to use their money for the basics, food, clothes, gas, mortgage and healthcare then where do they get the extra money to pay for plumbing services, or other services big and small business runs like landscaping, construction, car repair, or even luxuries of hair salons, department stores, toy stores, car dealerships, electronic stores, furniture stores, movie theaters and restaurants. Without the extra income, the regular 95% of americans not making over a quarter million dollars a year, can't afford to buy into any commerce, putting thousands of companies out of business. I see store closing more then ever before, it's not due to them paying more taxes, it's due to sales dropping to record lows, because in the end we all balance each other out. Companies make money to buy more product and hire employees (as well as make a profit), employees make money and buy the companies products thus keeping the company in business. You can't have one without the other, and when the republican's "trickle down effect" is in place, greed gets the best of most business owners and they pay employees less, lobby the government for more tax breaks to keep more of their money, while the employee is only paid enough to pay for living expenses while paying high taxes making them fall deeper in debt unable to engage in commerce and thus unable to help companies stay in business. Obama is not trying to take all the rich and distribute it to the poor, he's just trying to shift a small percentage of the financial responsibility onto the the wealthy who can afford to pay it, thus allowing the middle and lower class a chance to keep more of their money so that they can in turn spend it on products by big businesses. Balance, that's all we're talking about here and why is that a bad thing?

Open letter to Lou Dobbs

Olivier from France — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:35:23 EDT

Dear Lou,

I feel I can't refrain myself anymore, and need to write this message after having watched your show today. Since “Lou Dobbs Tonight” airs at a convenient time family-wise, I have been watching it for most of the year. I have always found it much too centered on yourself, has always been exasperated by your interrupting and not letting finish your guests in order to make your angry/biased remarks (and polls in which you use the most misleading wordings I have ever seen), and always suspected you to be a very conservative Republican in disguise. Amid all this, I “tolerated” your show as a background noise, and also to hear from different sources. Today is the last straw. It is very clear that you dislike Senator Obama, and are angry about his rise. But, as the last example of your hypocrisy, you said that he is an elitist (again), and does not respect “Joe the plumber” which is (again) way too coincidentally in tune with the Republican’s campaign. Obama accuses McCain to use Joe to make people think that his plans are better for the middle class, and states that it is very likely that Joe makes less than $250,000 (which means that he would benefit from Obama’s tax cut). You subsequently reproached to Obama to have meant that a plumber was not entitled to make more than $250,000…

Either you are trying to manipulate people’s opinion, or you don’t understand plain English.
Take it from me, a non-American legally living in the US (nobody’s perfect, me even less probably for you: I am French), I don’t know what part of “do you know many plumbers who make more than $250,000?” you don’t understand, but it has nothing to do with a plumber being entitled to earn that kind of money.

What bothers me is not even your tone or your opinion; it is your self-positioning as “Mr Independent”. Message repetition has a clear impact on perception, and I bet that a lot of voters, and probably independent voters, actually perceive you as being a real independent. This means that you are in the position of potentially helping McCain’s campaign, by making him the right candidate for independents, through attacks aimed at Obama and…. Bush’s administration. Easy! Your populist strategy, in the way that you simply play on people’s hot buttons to make them agree with you and like you, is a mock one. You know that your impact would be less if you admitted to be on McCain’s side, you thus choose to manipulate and lie. It is incredible that CNN allows you to do that, and I will use all means of communication to spread the word. Once again, it’s not about what you say, it’s who you pretend to be. I still hope that you will either balance your comments, or do your political coming-out, for the sake of honesty and ethics.

Best,

Olivier

The “Joe”s in Palin and McCain’s Lives

Al Pao in San Francisco — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:13:50 EDT

Joe 6-pack

Sarah Palin has called out his name during the day and at night. He apparently drinks all day and all night. Joe 6-pack must be a chronic alcoholic, or a chronically recidivistic alcoholic.

Joe, the plumber

His first name is not Joe. It is Samuel. "Joe the Plumber has been confirmed as Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher." See http://politicalirony.com/2008/10/15/mccain-plumber-08/

He is not a plumber. "The New York Times has turned up that he is not licensed, either as a plumber or a contractor. Also, Joe claims to be a member of a local plumber’s union on his Facebook page, but a union official says that is not true. So he has been working illegally as a plumber." Ibid.

He does not pay income taxes. "Joe has gotten into trouble for not paying them." Ibid. Perhaps he thinks that McCain will bail him out or pardon him.

So, Joe the "plumber" is actually a fraud. And he is McCain’s hero. No surprise there. Charles H. Keating, Jr. was as well. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five

I don’t think either of these personal friends of Palin and McCain is symbolic of the American middle-class. The American middle-class comprises of hard-working men and women who pay their share of income taxes, who do not misrepresent to others intentionally and who are not chronic alcoholics.

It is clear who these "Joe"s are, but it is unclear how many across the United States are like them or identify with them.

I’d like to see a poll showing the percentage of American voters who think they are either a McCain and Palin "Joe" or a "Jane" or who aspire to become one.

Notes on Class Warfare: A Primer for "Joe the Plumber"

daniel96 — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:58:40 EDT

Of all the articles of faith the Republicans cling to, the one that is most damaging to our society is the concept that sharing wealth is Socialist behavior and any policy or program that the majority of the people are in favor of and that benefits everyone is Socialist.

McCain, as recently as yesterday is accusing Obama of being a Socialist…

"At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

The reality is that Class Warfare (the Republican’s code phrase for their battle against social economic programs) has been practiced in the U.S. since the country was formed. Today’s battlefield is Washington D.C. and the warriors are called Lobbyists. They are careful not to mention phrases like Class Warfare unless they have to, because they know the class they represent are winning the war.

I’ve often wondered why people like “Joe the Plumber” who would, given his actual income, (not his stated income) benefit more from an Obama administration, consistently vote contrary to their own self-interest. In this case, it’s the Republican ideology, that equates Socialism with Communism, which says nothing about borrowing $200 million a day from China being a threat to our way of life, but waxes long on how gay marriage, abortion rights, “Socialized Medicine” and other wedge issues, will be the ruin of us all.

Turns out the wealthy, for all their power and influence, have trouble voting in their own self-interest too. And like “Joe the Plumber” they are blinded by their own Republican ideology. An ideology that says money is power, wealth is the only valid measurement of self worth, and that the poor are poor because they have failed to achieve. The wealthy aren’t stupid, even the ones who are can still afford advisors who are smart enough to know that a system of government that allows unlimited wealth to coexist with unlimited poverty, can’t prevail. The wealthy were made aware of the impossibility of ever-increasing profit in a shrinking economy during the stock market crash of 1929, but the idea of giving some of their amassed wealth to people they don’t know or control, then as now, is antithetical. But doing so would limit the amount of wealth they could stockpile. The kicker is that instead of building wealth until the collapse of the banking system, and then losing everything, they could keep their lesser riches safely forever just by sharing a little more with the less blessed of our society. It’s a basic flaw in our Capitalist system that can only be patched by their greater generosity.

There was a deathless quote from Marriner S Eccles, Fed Chairman under the FDR Administration that I saw recently on Real Time with Bill Maher where Eccles critiques the collapse of the stock market in 1929. Change the dates to now and it explains the current stock market collapse better than any other report or analysis anybody could produce…

“A giant suction pump had by 1929-30 drawn into a few hands an increasing portion of currently produced wealth. This served them as capital accumulations. But by taking purchasing power out of the hands of mass consumers, the savers denied to themselves the kind of effective demand for their products that would justify a reinvestment of their capital accumulations in new plants. In consequence, as in a poker game where the chips were concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, the other fellows could stay in the game only by borrowing. When their credit ran out, the game stopped.”

History is repeating itself today because the Republican ideology regarding the economy has not changed in 80 years, and the wealthy still have trouble realizing that their view of Capitalist utopia doesn’t work if they insist on pulling all the capital out of the system.

Class Warfare, Redistribution of Wealth, any other label its detractors hang on it, is just a necessary mechanism to preserve a balance between the haves, and the have-nots in our society that keeps our economy in balance, to the benefit of all. Scandinavian and other European countries have a society that is based on Democratic Socialism, they have plenty of rich people, great infrastructure, and their working class actually gets free health care, free college education, and 30 days vacation annually guaranteed for full time employees. Sounds impossible, if you listen to the Republican candidates, in fact it sounds so preposterous that we shouldn’t even try. That’s because our leadership has lowered our expectations to the point where we don’t believe in the value of our own work anymore.

That’s the real theft here; the business elite have devalued the American worker’s labor. What the Washington crowd neglects to mention about free trade is that to be competitive worldwide, American workers need to work as cheaply as workers in Bangladesh or in China. So they will try to convince us that foregoing healthcare and living in hovels instead of a 2000 square foot home is not their fault, its just our patriotic duty to keep American goods flowing to the world at a fair price.

They can kiss my ass.

My response to "Joe the Plumber"

Emma — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:46:51 EDT

Joe Wurzelbacher, or as he is now commonly known, “Joe the Plumber” has been front and center in the media since the debate on Wednesday. In a swift and magical weaving of political rhetoric, this 34 year old dad from Ohio became the focus point of the world. With lightning speed it traveled around the globe and instantly made the issues of this Presidential race abundantly clear, far more so than the debate itself.

Mr. Wurzelbacher has unwittingly been cast as the “average” American in this soap opera called The Presidential election 2008. Of course, this being America, the nation of supreme greatness, the word “average” can’t actually be used, so political strategist and pundits, applauded by the media, had to find some other word to get their point across. On to the stage, like a knight in shining armor, comes “Joe the Plumber”, questioning Obama and his taxes, much like McCain needs the average America to do.

Plumbing is undoubtedly a fine job and an important one. After all, without plumbing we’d all be squatting in bushes when nature calls or washing our pots and pans in the rain. But what exactly is it that this average American believes?

Help Joe the Plumber!

AJ from Lyons Park — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:56:57 EDT

other than being Republican, unlicensed and behind on taxes... someone needs to explain to Joe that if he buys a plumbing business and he gets a profit of $280,000.00 the extra $1800.00 or so he would pay under Obama's Tax Plan isn't that big of a deal.-

No wonder he is a conservative icon, he has shown the same financial savy as the rest of the Republican Party the past 8 years.

Don't be afraid of "Joe the Plumber"

Christopher LaBelle — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:52:05 EDT

The great thing about America is that we can agree to disagree. I am fully behind small business and the ability of small business's to succeed. Joe the Plumber would have to be having a "Net Profit" of over $250K, closer to $300K and even at that he would only see a modest increase. What bothers me about the discussion of "Joe the Plumber" is that Senator McCain represents these "Fat Cat's" on Wall Street and protecting them with the same parrellel as "Joe the Plumber". He is protecting individuals that make over $500K, many of them making Millions of Dollars per year and telling us he is really trying to protect "Joe the Plumber". This is simply absurd. It is those that make millions of dollars, hide in tax shelters and pay no taxes that I believe Senator Obama is targeting. It is fair for these multi-millionaires to pay more taxes. Warren Buffet, the 2nd wealthist man in the world admits he should pay more taxes and is behind Senator Obama. Now if the 2nd wealthist man in the world who believes in the free market and capitalism can vote for Senator Obama, why can't the other wealthy individuals get behind health care, education and tax breaks for the middle class. A stronger educated middle class that can provide for their families is "The American Dream".

Does the "Joe the Plumber" story make your furious? Then do something about it.

Steve Sulkin — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:10:19 EDT

Does the "Joe the Plumber" story make your furious?

It should, it's fabricated, Joe is not a plumber, is not buying a business, if he did it would be a business small enough to have it's taxes decreased by Obama's tax plan, and Joe was a plant, orchestrated by the RNC.

This is a game and we should be alarmed that such games happen and even more alarmed that it becomes the center piece of a presidential candidate.

McCain should be ashamed of himself and he is not. The ends justifying the means is his battle cry, a dangerous situation. Don't think we will win this election easily. It will be tough and I believe the polls are wrong, it feels wrong, something is up and I don't know what it is, but we need to make sure that we don't get another election stolen from us. We, in America should not be afraid of stolen elections, but we are afraid and for good reason.

So if this all makes your furious, do something about it and keep pushing to make President Barack Obama a reality.

Conservative Defections and the Liberal Media Myth

Brian Normoyle — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:15:20 EDT

In a FOX News interview Friday, John McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds complained about media scrutiny of "Joe the Plumber"--the newest character in the three-act farce that has become their campaign. Of course, McCain's "old buddy Joe" and the veracity of his narrative would have merely been a passing blip on media radar had the campaign not thoughtlessly forced him front-and-center in the final presidential debate as just another prop in their play. Bounds huffed and puffed about "[Barack Obama's] allies in the media"--otherwise known as journalists doing their job--but in so doing, he forgot McCain has a penchant for throwing otherwise ordinary persons under the bus by not properly vetting their "compelling" narratives before pitching them headfirst into the gladiator arena of national politics. If the campaign had done its job the way journalists are now trying to do theirs in this election, most of us would never have heard of Sarah Palin or Joe the Plumber.

One can hardly fault campaign surrogates for attempting to discredit the media and label them as biased, liberal or "in-the-tank" for Obama. The cultural myth of a liberal mainstream media is dubious, but conservatives have successfully framed political discourse for decades by propagating it among a credulous base.

This time, however, it seems terribly desperate and utterly disingenuous to denigrate journalists for doing something McCain should have done days earlier--and with respect to Sarah Palin--months earlier. At this point in a flailing and increasingly erratic campaign, the tactic of complaining about a liberal media bias is as futile as is it trite. But more importantly, it belies a more significant and insurmountable problem for the campaign: apostate conservatives. Traditional media conservatives are abandoning John McCain like rats deserting a sinking ship. Andrew Sullivan questioned his integrity, Peggy Noonan and Kathleen Parker his judgment. William Kristol advocated McCain fire his entire campaign and start from scratch and even Charles Krauthammer seemed perplexed by his frenetic behavior while admitting Obama passes the Reagan presidential-mettle test. Stinging as those resounding critiques may be, and they certainly have a bite, the final nail in McCain's campaign coffin may have been hammered in by conservative endorsements of his opponent.
Andrew Bacevich endorsed Obama in March and Wick Allison did it in September. Then there were the two iconic Christophers: recently Hitchins and last week Buckley, son of National Review founder William F. Buckley, who is widely credited as the father of modern conservatism. Hitchins endorsed Obama Monday in a rebuke of McCain's temperament and character, while Buckley cost himself a job at his late father's magazine by announcing he will vote for a Democrat for the first time in his life when he pulls the lever for Obama in November.

The nation also heard Thursday from David Brooks and Friday the Chicago-Tribune endorsed a Democrat for president for the first time in the 160-year history of the paper. As if it couldn't get any worse for McCain, we're likely to hear the revered Colin Powell offer his support, if not a full-throated endorsement, of Obama on Meet the Press Sunday morning.

With just over two weeks to go until the election, this repudiation by the right-of-center punditocracy doesn't bode well for a candidate who was never a darling of conservatives to begin with--particularly among the evangelical right. Does this mean McCain has already lost the election? No. There exists a real possibility for a McCain squeaker, though getting there will be an uphill war (not battle) at this point.

What it does mean is that Republicans will not be able to blame a mythical liberal media for their failure to energize the electorate. I have long considered the specter of a liberal media to be a fable born of paranoia. Invented as a strategy to win elections, it later became a defense against potential Republican failure and a tagline to foment mistrust among the electorate. But when used to perpetuate a patrician v. plebeian mentality, it's a script perfect for aiding campaigns that win and justifying those that don't.

Casting themselves as the underdog party of Jesus, small government and real patriotism, Republicans claim to fight for the common man while they brand academics and journalists as biased, elitist pigs (instant snobbery, just add education). Then they rehash the hackneyed line about liberals and how much better they think they are than the working-class, and the result is a seemingly impervious battleship of electoral dominance. That is until reality seeps in and that ship starts to sink, leaving many heretofore stalwart conservatives to reverse course or jump ship altogether.

If McCain fails to win in November, the campaign will have the sellout himself to blame, along with several other parties. This year, however, the imaginary liberal media will not be one of them.

"Spreading the Wealth"

Al Pao in San Francisco — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:56:38 EDT

McCain and his supporters are raising a concern that Barack Obama might be a proponent of socialism when he counseled a voter outside of Toledo, Ohio, to "spread the wealth" when he was concerned about having to pay higher taxes when his income exceeds $250,000 annually.

Their concern is unfounded.

Senator Obama's response does, at first glance, have a socialistic tinge to it. Those were not the choicest words to use under the circumstances. To understand the Senator’s words, one has analyze them from different perspectives.

First, the accumulation of wealth by Americans often comes with their generosity in their gifts to charities. What Senator Obama was referring to when he advised "Joe the Plumber" of Ohio to "spread the wealth" was to remind him of the Christian virtue of charity.

Furthermore, making a donation, and subsequently taking a charitable deduction on Schedule A on Form 1040 in the tax same year, is a transaction that is fully in comport with the spirit of capitalism.

Finally, having a higher marginal tax rate on earned income above $250,000 annually will provide GW Bush and McCain the money to pay for the wars they want to win without having to borrow it from China and thereby compromising American economic strength and national security.

Another victim of the Economy

Change B. Hope — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:13:17 EDT

I thought my job was Iron Clad. I have just switched jobs in October last year from a big company in Wisconsin to a private and successful company in Ohio. At first glance, one would think I was stupid because of the rate at which manufacturing jobs were closing in Ohio, but I did my homework.

Lauren Manufacturing Company has been an exceptional company. Over 4 years ago, they switched their strategy to a more Lean Manufacturing philosophy, getting vertically integrated with their raw material suppliers and cutting their lead time to customers from months to a maximum of 5 business days. And, has never - in over 40 years of existence as competitive force in the market - had a lay off except for once which made them decide to change the business strategy. By the way, they had a global presence in Europe and recently, India. They had birthed Edgetech, an innovative global supplier to the Window and Door market in the U.S and internationally. I was the only Process Quality Engineer for their 2nd largest Business group - The Building and Construction Unit that oversaw process improvement and resolved quality issues to eliminate rot cause of product returns due to bad quality. Iron Clad in my position because as the housing market crashed and energy prices exploded to all time high, we were in the business of making homes more energy efficient, providing weather-stripping and insulations and could not keep up at-times with demands from Wal-mart, Lowes, Home Depot and the likes for our energy saving products. But did I do my homework? Didn't see this coming.

I thought My Company was safe. I still think my company - or at least, my department is. I, on the other hand, had placed my mark with the company. Last September - shortly before I resumed there - we had quality issues that cost the Company about $10,000. The last time I ran my report - Monday last week - ; our quality cost for September was about $1,800. Over 80% in savings in a year for the company - I could go on...Although other departments in the Automotive industry were seeing about 40% decline in sales, my [former] department sales would be reaching record sales this year than ever achieved. Yes, in a declining housing market in the US, my [former] department will be reaching sales figures of at least 10% over what it had EVER recorded in books since the housing boom. Yes, Operational and business strategy, and I were in the mix.

I got a call from the receptionist slightly after lunch today to the HR office. I met my boss on the way and he walked with me there. Haven been in the company for over a year now, there was only one thing I could think of: Performance evaluation and/or appraisal talks. Let me not be too optimistic: with the economy the way it is at the moment, I might be told to hold off on any expectations and also given commendation for my work. I was dead wrong.

I arrived at the VP HR office with my boss already present. Shortly after, I was sitting there astonished as the VP HR continued his rambling about serious economic woes and the decision to lay off people. ME? But I thought I was Teflon to this since my department is arguably the most sparsely staffed but yet the backbone of the company's finance at this trying moment of the economic meltdown? Did I do something wrong? Did I rub someone the wrong way? Did I say anything incendiary to provoke this? When? Was I targeted? Is it because I'm the only salaried minority? Is the new VP of Operations biased somehow? But he was just out of Michigan. Did I do something to him? I just got here! Am I not a perfect fit? Wow! Did I just get "laid off" when my department is being the savior of this financial global recession to my company? …And I could hear his now distant voice talking about me being eligible for unemployment benefit. Didn't I just hear or read about unemployment benefit endowments dwindling dramatically? Am I screwed? Joe the Plumber. Why did that enter my head? And I turned down a job at Boeing for this?

I guess after all, my analysis and job security was not iron clad. To be fair, I did overhear the HR VP during the conversation in my head that there were others on that list. Now I know why it is called Black Friday. Time to dust up the resume because unemployment benefits wouldn't pay the car loan or my rent. Another victim of the economy.

It's been four hours and thirty-six minutes since I handed over my badge to my Ex-Boss.

Being Fair to Joe the Plumber

David Banach — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:10:44 EDT

I was bit disappointed with the discussion of Joe the Plumber in the last debate. But not because McCain chose to take from the discussion an issue that divided us: Should we “spread the wealth around” in a way that might seem be more equitable through a socialist-like redistribution of income? Nor was it because it propagated the fiction that there are lots of people just like us, teachers, fireman, and plumbers, who make $250,000 a year. I expected that. What disappointed me was that Obama didn’t take the opportunity to make a case for progressive taxation that was a foundation of the economic message in his book, The Audacity of Hope.

There are values that we all share. Values that define who we are as a nation: (1) The American Dream: that every American, no matter who they are or where they come from, can achieve a good life for their family it they work hard and play by the rules; (2) Fairness: Everyone should pay their fair share of the costs for the benefits they reap from our society; (3) We Are All in this Together: In America we rise and fall together. We don’t cut and run, abandoning those who stood by us in the social compact that binds us as a nation.

The case for asking Joe, or anyone else that rises far enough to make $250,000 a year, to pay more taxes than the rest of us has nothing to do with income equity and redistribution and everything to do with these basic values. Joe benefited from our educational system and from laws and regulations that kept the playing field level for people like him. Before he became successful, he couldn’t afford to fund these things from which he benefited as much as he can now. Does he really want to deny this same opportunity to those who, though no fault of their own, haven’t yet become as successful as he has?

Joe, because of his success, uses, and benefits from, more of the resources of our society than someone less successful. If you have seven houses, you benefit much more from the fire protection budget than someone with none. Joe has benefited more from the stable economic climate our military expenditures and economic regulations have provided. His fleet of vans and the chemicals he sends down drains cost us more as a society to clean up after than a teacher does. Does he really think it is fair to not pay his fair share for the systems he benefits from?

If Joe were to become old or disabled, lose his business, or face a catastrophic illness in his family, we as a society would not abandon him. We are only as good as we treat the least of our brothers, and only as strong as the weakest of our neighbors. He depends upon his neighbors being well off enough to buy his services. His quality of life depends on the people in his neighborhood having enough hope to keep them from turning to a life of crime or drugs. He is not an island: his customers, the people who serve him when he goes out to dinner, who bag his groceries, and valet park his car all affect him and make up his community. Now that he has made it, does he really want to abandon them? Will he really cut and run on the people with whom he lives? We are all in this together.

I thought Obama’s performance was good enough. But what I really would have liked to have heard in this time when fear is overpowering hope, what I really would have like to have seen, was Barack Obama’s calm face and warm eyes looking our from my TV screen and saying: “In America, anyone can become Joe the plumber. In America, if you play by the rules, anyone make a safe home for their family. In America, even in this time of trouble, we are all in this together. This isn’t just in Red America. This isn’t just in Blue America. It’s just America, and these are the values that define us.”

Josy the Parent, not Joe the plumber

Binrondav — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:23:45 EDT

Everybody's talking about "Joe, the plumber." How about "Joe or Josy, the parent." Let's talk about what it is like to raise children and the worries of this great country's parents. On one extreme some parents, often mostly mothers, make just enough to get the rent paid, and what is leftover gets split between clothes, food, and medical care. These parents work long hours and don't have the luxury of taking time off from the job to be there for their kids' school play or sports event. And they also have to choose between time off from work and taking care of a sick child. And it isn't just the money. Most employers don't consider time off for fami;y reasons an acceptable fulfillment of responsibility.

Mothers and fathers have to choose between how much parenting they will neglect, or how much of their professional development they will ignore. Women's health, especially, is always affected by the stress of keeping too many balls in the air - dishes, mops, school lunches, office paperwork, the sick cat, and the calender with last week's missed orthodontist appointment. We sharpen our kids homework pencils with one hand and check work messages with the other. We try and instill good values at home and at work and find ourselves cheating in the corners because we are just so tired.

At home our kids are frightened by environmental stress. They fear that the earth will no longer exist as they know it. They worry that the planet is going to implode. They ask about their parents' jobs, and can't be sure that their mother or father will keep working. They want to know what the Great depression is. School is everything to our kids, but only some of them really get the best of what education has to offer. Mostly they are upper-income and largely white, and even then, the most important things that any child could learn about citizenry, responsibility, the arts, humanities and the higher principles of science are overshadowed by the trivialization of humanity on televsion, computer games, all the other electronic media that has made a brisk walk in the woods something extraordinary and wierd.

Sarah Palin can shoot all the wolves she wants and the pregnant teenager of a governor will likely have her medical, food and rent bills paid and a job to go to when she wants it. John McCain can air quote women's health endlessly but it doesn't change the reality that women's bodies can be worn down by all the laboring and loving of childrearing in a manner no man will ever understand.

The truth is that somebody has to raise the children who are our next generation. We can't outsource this job. We don't want to outsource this job. Forget Joe the Plumber and his whining about having to possibly pay new taxes on his $250,00 business.

What about our children? What about making sure that they have an earth upon which to live, and education that will prepapre them to prosper in the generations to come as well as an economy that can stimulate new technologies and create jobs for everyone?

Barack Obama has a good plan for people who wish to parent. He supports legislation that takes care of parents so they can care for the children who are this amazing country's future. Joe Biden knows about taking care of kids because he took care of his boys after his wife and daughter died. Barack Obama knows because he was raised by a single, struggling mom. Joe the Plumber also knows about parenting because he is raising a child of his own. But --- instead of focusing on the reality of how difficult it is to parent and what we may be up against as our economy worsens, McCain picked another unvetted campaign partner to rile up Americans about his tax problem. Joe the Plumber's problems are nothing compared to what awaits our children's destiny if we don't change this country's failed polices - now.

Jim The Democratic plumber

James — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:48:35 EDT

Don't listen to John McCain or that Republican plumber!

Obama Rhinestone T Shirt-First Day with 01 20 09 in rhinestones

Cassandra M. Bellantoni — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:01:12 EDT

We call it Obama's First Day and it is the hot seller of the week! I think people didn't really believe until this last week that it was going to happen, but now they are confidently purchasing this hopeful Obama Shirt. We have many styles of Obama Rhinestone shirts selling all over the country and even in Euorpe. Check out our latest commercial about to Air on BET next week!

Joe the Super Awesome Plumber?

Economan — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:10:44 EDT

Ouch! How low will the Republican Party go? Planting a fake plumber at an Obama rally? Time for a little debunking. So it turns out, Joe isn't even a licensed plumber. He only earned $40,000 in 2006, and worst of all, owes $1,183 in back taxes. All of this is in the Toledo Blade report here. I think any journalist should dig deeper into this to see if in fact the GOP paid this liar to appear at the Obama rally and ask his inane question.

Let's look at the facts. In order for Joe the plumber to make a gross salary of $250,000... he would have to earn $684/per day and would have to work all 365 days in the year. Assuming he works 24 hours out of the day, he would need to make $28.54/hour. The median salary for a plumber with over 20 years of plumbing experience... a whopping $21.57

This would mean that even working for every waking second, Joe would need to make over the median wage of a very experienced plumber. Joe, sadly, has no license and little experience, bringing his median wage down to $16.58. Yes, plumbers seem to charge a lot, but, once you factor in their costs, materials, gas, worker wages, health insurance, etc. It really isn't as much as you think.

The blatant McCain trick here is to try to make everyone think that increasing taxes would somehow dampen the American dream and slow growth. So, a company that has the opportunity to make a lot of money would resist growing the business just to avoid paying more taxes? That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Honestly... what economic textbook has anyone read that provides concrete evidence that lower taxes actually promote growth in the economy?! Poppycock, I say!

JOE THE PLUMBER IS A RIGHT WING RADIO PLANT!

Juli Norwood — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:42:07 EDT

John McCain thinks americans are stupid... he doesn't give us any credit for smarts when he tries to boost his campaign by riding on the shirt tails of made up character called Joe the Plumber! McCain's whole campaign is a joke!

Joe isn't his real name

He is not a licensed plumber

Nor is he really speculating on buying his bosses business!

Fact is he only made 40,000 last year and can't afford to buy the bosses business.

He lied when he said the business made 250,000 to 280,000, the business make around 100,000

The guy has a lien due to not paying his taxes!

And another bill unpaid just over thousand which makes the 2nd lean against him.

So this whole "Joe the Plumber" thang was just some lame McCain Campaign gimmick!

This is the best McCain can do! LOL This is how out of touch McCain is... Joe the Plumber is suppose to represent the middle class Blue Collar working man... who is he trying to kid the middle class blue collar worker DON'T make 250,000! 95% of America makes less that quarter million. The majority of small businesses in america make less than a quarter of a million dollars.

He should pack up and get out of the race... if planting this guy at Obama's campaign is what he thinks the Americans deserve at a time our country faces one of its worst crisises ever... when our number one priority is hearing real solutions from our candidates!

Obviously McCain doesn't have any real solutions to offer, so he sets Joe the Plumber loose hoping he'll distract the voters from what's really important to us!

We don't appreciate being played for fools!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677#27229397

Juli Norwood

Let's get it straight from the person that said it... Obama!

Beta_T — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:51:43 EDT

I haven't blogged here in ages, too busy on the cyberspace front lines, LOL But I did want to share this in light of all of the Joe the Plumber spin going around today.

If you have not already seen it, PLEASE watch Obama's total unedited conversation with Joe, it is awesome!!!! Go Obama! You may want to email it to all you know to fight the republican spin which is VERY WRONG as you will see:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6031110

I'm looking forward to 11/4/08 and I hope it will be the beginning to a long relationship with all of you wonderful Obama supporters!

Final Debate Over: YOU GOT NEXT

E Joyce from Indianapolis, IN — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:42:13 EDT

''All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"--Edmund Burke

NOTE This video is a must see for everyone: It is Donna Brazile in a panel discussion in New York:

The Final Debate is over. Senator Obama was the overall winner, and his performance reminded me of Tiger Woods, who knows when to shoot a par and when to go for the birdie, especially when he is ahead and it's Sunday on the ninth hole. The next strategy -- the only one the McCain camp has left -- is to make a case for the perils of having a democratic Congress and a Democratic President. The Independents and the uncommitted were looking for a McCain win of the final debate; what they got was a laughable, and I mean that literally, performance full of grimaces, grunts, thinly veiled anger and contempt for Senator Obama. Um, memo to Senator McCain: Just a few talking points as you round out the final push:

-- Palin is a Governor not a Senator, as you referred to her last night.

-- Palin's child has Down's syndrome not Autism.

-- You must have forgotten your own senatorial voting record.

-- You really should have vetted Joe the plumber before you used and reused him as an example of the average American, given that he is NOT registered to vote, has some personal/financial/legal issues that were not ready for primetime, and is not a licensed plumber.

-- And finally, perhaps a few anger management classes may beneficial; life is too short to be that angry all the time.

What I have determined, after reading the interview of Gayle Quinell, after watching the videos of the people in Palin/McCain rallies, that these people have neither the capacity nor the desire to hear the truth. They don't want the truth, they want to be right, they want to believe that "White is right." And that is frightening when combined with the delusional behavior of Sarah Palin, who simply does not understand that she does not understand, comprehend or has the faintest idea as to what she has done wrong in Alaska, what harm she is doing in this country with her focus on making lies become the truth by continual repetition. Palin is incredibly dangerous to this country on so many levels. Just don't ask Elisabeth Hasselback of the View, who has begun to sound like a McCain batteried Stepfor d wife, since she cannot see past her own convictions to consider that she might be wrong. And the McCain campaign is not stopping Palin. Even the conservatives are giving pause to what has become a bizarre side show and an almost surreal soap opera-level drama.

There is a saying that character is what you are when no one else is in the room. I received a forwarded e-mail, which I don't always open nowadays because I get so many. But I decided to open this one. At first I thought: This has to be a made up story, it's too good to be true. So I decided to fact check, sure that I would be proven right. I wasn't. I think this story simply reinforced my view of Barack Obama, when it comes to his character. When all is said and done, it is character, intelligence, ethics and courage to follow your vision for the greater good that will be the qualities imperative within the next President of this country. As I watched this final debate, watch the anger, contempt and something close to hatred ooze from behind the fairly transparent mask that John McCain wore, I knew that the people of this country will have a choice to make about changing their internal paradigms and beliefs in order to come to the same conclusion I have. This is too important to get hung up on skin color or perceptions that are not reality. And try as they will not to do so, it is encouraging to see the slow shift in attitudes.

Those who follow my writings know what I have said about polls. Believe it or not, I think that it is even more important now than ever before that you DO NOT GET COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT THE POLLS SAY. POLLING IS A BIASED SOURCE OF INFORMATION, THAT IS EITHER INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY MISLEADING. The reason for so many polls that are being referenced on every news media available, is that there is a psychological effect of political poll information. There is an inherent part of a human being that likes to be on the winning team. So when someone hears polling statistics, one of three things occurs: 1) They pay no attention to the information, because their individual choice is based upon other factors. 2) they actually use the poll statistics to decide how to vote, JUST to be on the side they perceive to be the winning side or 3) They decide not to vote at all because the polls say their choice is going to lose so what's the use. So here are some reality checks you need to put into place when it comes to polls: No one really tells us who they are polling and how many people were polled, and what questions were asked to get the information. You see, I know from experience that many pollsters/surveyors ask questions in a way that will yield the answer desired by the client. That means the questions are biased. While there are different points of view on the number Next there has to be at least 500 responses if the statistics are to reflect the opinion of a large group of people. And no one tells me who they asked or how many. Here's an example: on last night's news, the local television station in Indiana stated that their poll indicated that Obama had 47% of the votes, McCain 44%. This is a traditionally red state, so this was news. So imagine my surprise when watching CNN this morning and their polls showed McCain with 45% of the votes and Obama with 41% (I may be off by a point). Two different polls, one state, huge disparity. Confirmed for me that polls mean nothing. And now that the polls show Senator Obama with a double-digit lead, you should be even more focused, not less on getting family, friends and neighbors to the polls EARLY, to make sure they have the best opportunity to vote, and/or to find out if anything about their eligibility has been mis-handled, while there is time to fix it. November 4th will not be the day to resolve any individual voter problem.

DO not get this twisted. We have to take this seriously enough to make sure that every single vote is counted, every one we can reach out to votes. We need to stay focused on making sure we get out the voters on or before November 4th, and then make sure every vote is counted so volunteer to monitor the polls, volunteer to drive people to the polls to vote.We have to take this seriously enough to make sure that every single vote is counted, every one we can reach out to votes. Forget the polls, forget the noise. Every vote counts this time. Until November 4th nothing is in the bag and we cannot assume that the worst in this country will not happen. Tell your friends, families, peers that they must, must, must make sure that they VOTE. Our country's future depends on it.

Visit my YOUTUBE blog for the latest video -- McCain's Problems Revisited.

Say it ain't so, Joe (the Plumber)

Llysse Smith Wylle — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:38:13 EDT

Joe the Plumber: we loved you once.

When we found out you weren't registered to vote, we were a bit disappointed.

When we further discovered that "rich" as you claimed to be, you hadn't paid your taxes, we were a bit MORE disappointed in you... but, okay. You're not a tax expert. You're a plumber.

It was a little tough for me to take that someone making $250,000 a year in profit wouldn't be willing to pay $900 extra on his taxes so I and 95% of your neighbors could have a break, pay for gas, keep a little more of our income when we need it so much. My family struggles for groceries... but okay. What are we to you, after all? (Some of us are you five or ten years ago, but forget that... and especially forget that some of us could be you a few years in the future.)

Then we found out you weren't even a plumber. Wait, what?

Lastly, we discover that you, Joe the Plumber, are possibly even related to Charles Keating, one of McCain's cronies from the Keating Five scandal. No wonder you're calling Senator Obama a socialist and suggesting he's "tap dancing like Sammy Davis, Jr." Hm. We suspect in others, as the saying goes.

At least you won't be voting for McCain, seeing as how you didn't bother to register. All my Ohio friends are voting Obama, by the way.

Joe Not My Foe Bro

Khaidji — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:07:59 EDT

The assumption that Barack is not catering to the needs of the people is farcical. Now, to make it all seem like a redistribution of wealth and if it were to presume that this would be a bad thing, giving all people in America a fair chance is not understanding the needs of the country. Given that the increase in taxes is not over 5%, I wonder why the rich seem so threatened.

Joe Not My Foe Bro

John McCain how dare you

Ostracize my policy as if you knew

Every ramification and yet you didn’t know

No penalties will be charged to plumber Joe

Or how could you sit with that grimacing smirk

There when you realized your attacks didn’t work

My campaign has had nothing to hide

You should have known having searched far and wide

For months we have been telling you about the middle man

On TV you cited Joe as rich, you still can’t understand

Every single person in the middle class

Bears a burden I want to change by new Laws I’ll pass

Remove all taxes from them but the rich who can give

Ought to pay back some from the affluent lives they now live

Easy Download or hard copy of
”Path To The White House”
By Khaidji

Joe The Plumber

Robyn — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:42:04 EDT

Barack - Please go to Joe's house. Go inside and close the doors to the cameras and explain your position. Please. If you can get Joe's vote you can win the race.

McCain Undone By Affect And Temperament

Irish Musician for Progressive Solutions — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:45:27 EDT

From the Media Consortium: McCain NewsLadder

Special Debate Edition

In the much-anticipated final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign season, the man who landed the greatest number of punches, say the commentators, ultimately lost the debate. Despite the invocation of a terrorist, it was a plumber who may have been McCain's undoing. Salon's Joan Walsh explains it this way:

John McCain promised to kick Barack Obama's "you know what" on Wednesday night. He hinted that he'd bring up former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers and worse. Instead McCain bludgeoned Obama with Joe the Plumber, and the effect was more farce than fierce.

Indeed, one Joe the Plumber, "an apparently wealthy Toledo businessman who complained he'd pay more taxes under Obama's plan," according to Walsh, was cited repeatedly by McCain as the kind of regular guy who would suffer under several Obama proposals, ranging from income tax to health care. In fact, it was later discovered, Joe would only pay higher income taxes under Obama's if he netted $250,000 for himself, and would only incur a fine under Obama's health care plan if he was a large employer who refused to make "a meaningful contribution" to his employees' health care coverage.

But McCain just couldn't let go of Joe -- and then Obama got in on the act.

Live-blogging for Mother Jones, Johnathan Stein and Nick Baumann, initially began counting the JTP references, but by the half-hour mark, simply offered up this:

10:01: Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber Joe the plumber.

10:05: Do you think Sen. McCain's advisers told him to speak directly to the American people, and McCain thought they said he should talk directly to an American person? Thus the to-the-camera addressing of JTP?

[...]

10:15: Turns out, the plumbers were the first union to endorse Obama...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-media-consortium/mccain-undone-by-affect-a_b_135206.html

Why pick on Joe?

Michael from Columbiana, OH — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:13:09 EDT

I saw the debate last night and I didnt like the way McCain threw "Joe the Plumber" under the buss the way he did.

I'm also self employed as a Carpenter/sub and like Joe, I have no license to do the work I do from the State of Ohio where I too live. Its just unnecessary money out of pocket that's not required by the state, and the media has made it sound like Joe is operating illegally or something and probably has caused damage to his local Reputation as a plumber which in turn may keep him from buying the company now anyway.

Nice going John. That didnt work so well you, or for the poor guy you threw under the buss. Maybe when its all over you and Bush can go live on his ranch and live happily ever after playing monopoly with yourselves.

I hope Obama is for real and he doesn't make it even harder on me that it is right now as far as that Tax thing goes. One thing I do know he is right about is that the Old way Is NO way!

Mr. Obama Please don't let us down Sir. I'm counting on you now.

Anybody else ready for a Change? I know I am.

Looks Like McCain Camp Vetted Joe the Plumber as Closely as Sarah Palin

Farzin — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:09:27 EDT

So a funny thing happened on the way to the forum:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081016/NEWS09/810160418

Turns out that Joe the Plumber is actually not a plumber (licensed one anway), has a lien against him for failing to pay his taxes (maybe explains his opposition to taxes), is not an undecided independent (registered as a republican), hates social security (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/237630.php) and may even have an indirect relationship to Charles Keating and Savings & Loan Scandal (I am not asserting this last one as fact - but here is the link: http://www.eisenstadtgroup.com/2008/10/15/joe-the-plumber-wurzelbacher-related-to-charles-keating-oops/) **UPDATE (claim not true - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/16/133831/42/1001/632600)

Best of all - he is admittedly better off under Obama's tax plan than McCain's.

Looks like another wonderful job of vetting someone by McCain and his staff. You think he'd learn his lesson from Palin and dig a bit into backgrounds before he introduced another unknown figure on a grand stage.

Why I support Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Bob Bartnick — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:12:56 EDT

Two things that I got out of the debate Wednesday night is that, one, Joe Wurzelbacher is a rich man, by my standards, if he's bringing home more than $250,000 a year as a plumber. Two, John McCain said that he wants to eliminate the teacher certification program for programs like Troops to Teachers.

[Edit: SAY IT AIN"T SO JOE! Once again, Sen. McCain fails to properly vet someone before bringing them to the national stage. It turns out Joe the Plumber's story is a hypothetical situation. Joe's not licensed, which is required in the city of Toledo for apprentice or journeymen plumbers. Joe also has some financial hardships involving back taxes. Joe doesn't have the money, and probably can't qualify for a loan to buy the business he someday dreams of owning because of tighter credit lending practices due to the financial collapse following eight years of failed economics under George Bush. It turns out ol' Joe the Plumber would benefit from Barack's economic plan. He will actually be able to save more money (after taking care of his back taxes), so that he can realize his dream of one day owning his business sooner.]

John McCain wants to deregulate the American education system. He wants parents to be able to send their children to the public school of their choice. He wants to remove the teacher certification exam requirements for military veterans. His education approach is as completely irresponsible as his desire to deregulate the healthcare industry. First, if we allow for parents to send their children to the public school of their choice. There will be tremendous overcrowding problems at some schools, while others will have to shut their doors. However, McCain doesn't support smaller class sizes, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. His plan will also greatly impact the school transportation system. It will also have a dire impact on many extra-curricular programs. Can you imagine how this would impact high school sports? Some schools are already known as basketball and football factories, this would open the floodgates for coaches that are now limited by school boundaries from putting together super teams.

Now that his deregulation philosophy has ruined the economy, he wants to ruin the healthcare industry, and the education system. I cannot afford to have my employer-paid health benefits taken away. While they don't pay for all of my benefits they pay for more than half. My insurance plan for my family for health and dental costs me about $600 a month. If my employer was paying half, it would cost me $1200 without their contribution. Over a year, it would cost me $14,400. With John McCain's $5000 credit, it would cost $9400. For a year, it will cost me $2200 more than what I pay now. McCain contends that the increased competition for healthcare would drive down the cost of premiums. In theory, you would think this, but there is no guarantee that it would happen. I can't risk something that may or may not happen.

Now, back to Joe the Plumber, whom McCain once refered to as Joe Wurzelburger. It seems Mr. McCain gets tongue tied with difficult words. Hmmm . . . who does that remind me of? Anyway, for McCain to constantly defend those making more than $250,000 a year (which is less than 5% of Americans), shows just how extremely out of touch he is with reality.

My wife and I have three children ages 6, 3, and 1. We have a household income of less than $80,000 a year. I have a master's degree, a sizeable student loan, and a nice job to show for it. My wife also has a degree, but due to the cost of childcare, my wife stays at home with the two little ones. She used to be a director for a large non-profit organization, but hasn't been able to find a position since we moved to Missouri that would pay her enough for us to come out ahead.

A couple of years ago, we purchased our first home, but were smart about it. We laid out our budget to see what kind of monthly payments we could afford, and backed into our price range that way. In order to maintain the monthly payments, we knew that a fixed rate mortgage was our best option. Interest rates for home loans were low at the time. Knowing this, the likelihood that they would continue to drop was far less than the likelihood that they could go up. While we've tried to live within our means, being able to pay the bills hasn't been easy. We've been late at times, so that we could pay for necessities. Like most Americans we have some credit card debt that we are working on paying off. We have one car payment. We've cut out many things, so that we can get by. We used to drive to Illinois at least once a month to see our families. We can no longer do that. We shop at grocery stores like Aldi or Sam's Club so that we can stretch our dollar further. Nothing infuriates me more than the financial bailout that's going on right now. No one should be rewarded for their poor decisions, but I understand why it needed to be done. The bail out does not guarantee that better decisions will be made, or that it will change the way in which these companies manage their finances. I also do not think that homeowners facing foreclosure should be rescued if they've made poor decisions. They should have lived within their means to begin with.

Prior to the last couple of years, I used to be a fan of Senator McCain's. I would have prefered him to George Bush, either one. However, as he geared up for this election, he changed. He stopped looking out for the average American, but instead sold out to the strict Republican ideology to get more votes. By selling out what he once stood for, he lost many of the independent voters that he so desperately is trying to appeal to now.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden, on the other hand, have made their careers looking out for the interests of common people like me. They understand the issues that families are facing today. They have focused their campaign on telling us where they stand on these issues, and how their plans will benefit us. All that I've heard from the McCain camp lately are personal attacks. Not attacks on flawed policy, but attacks on personal relationships that are weak, at best. If all the McCain camp can give us is attacks on their opponents without talking about the issues that matter most, then they must not have a policy that they can stand by.

America needs Barack Obama and Joe Biden now more than ever, and I will do what I can to support them.

Joe the plumber's union endorses Obama

Jonathan from Acton, MA — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:37:32 EDT

Dan Rodricks of the Baltimore Sun says that John McCain's repeated mentions of an Ohio guy -- Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher -- failed to land a knockout blow. Partly that's because, as Obama pointed out, McCain's math does not add up. But there's another reason: many "regular Joe" plumbers across the country are rooting for Obama.

Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 12 in Boston has a message: Go Obama. These plumbers from my hometown have officially endorsed Barack Obama for President.

But these are not the only plumbers to endorse Obama. Check this out. The United Association (UA) became the first International Union to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Who does UA represent? Plumbers like Joe.

Joe the Plumber is Really Joe the Plant

mtnwizard — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:36:37 EDT

JOE THE PLUMBER IS JOE THE PLANT

Final Debate My Thoughts

Ronna — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:07:50 EDT

I watched last nights final debate and was so proud of Barrack for not playing into John McCain's desperation. Barrack will lead us into a better Amercia as we have seen him keep his composure and thoughts as McCain was so all over the board. Joe the plumber was about all he could think about and could not even get that right. He is an old man and I am sure he has done some good in his political career but it is so clear that this is truly his last reach for this high office at his age he knows that at 72 when he loses that in another 4 years he truly will be to old to even consider. That is why it is sinking in that this really is his last shot and why all the lies that he is spreading. Ok maybe his party is spreading but he sure has bought in to it. This is just a thought , I feel that this is why he finally got the nonimation for president his party threw him to the wolves as they did with Doyle. They knew they were going to lose and everyone backed off and let John McCain have the nonimation for president. Thanks GOD we have a strong and good speaking Barrack to take us through this mess. This is just a thought from an old lady that lives paycheck to paycheck.

Josephine and Joe

Henry M — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:23:44 EDT

If Joesephine the Plumber had married Joe the Bartender, would they have named their son Joe the Plumber?

If you liked this message, then please have a look at my blog, http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/henrymu and support and contribute to the the campaign (it’s not over until the polls close): http://tinyurl.com/henrym4obamafundraising

Henry M
Information, Media, and Technology Management Consultant

No Higher Taxes for Joe the Plumber

Kamana — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:45:58 EDT

Last night’s Presidential debate was by far the best of the three. The back and forth between the candidates vividly highlighted the differences between them, both on policy and personality. Obama was convincing when he stated that under his plan, 95% of Americans would see tax cuts, despite McCain’s repeated reference to the Joe Plumbers of the world who would not be able to buy a business because of Obama’s tax increases. He effectively dismissed McCain’s contention that small business owners would have to pay a penalty if they didn’t offer health insurance, pointing out that instead, they would get a tax incentive to do so. Interestingly, Joe the Plumber later appeared on CNN to say that he currently does not make more than $250K and would therefore not be subject to higher taxes under Obama’s plan.

Last night Obama lay to rest any fears about his connection to Bill Ayers, pointing out that Ayer’s violent anti-Vietnam war protests occurred in the 1960’s when Obama was only 8 years old. He explained that in addition to Bill Ayers, several leading Republicans were involved in the Reagan Administration funded board of the Annenberg Challenge, a non-profit that raised funds for education. So respected is Ayers as a college professor today that thousands of college professors signed an online petition in his support, http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1256945.html , stating "The current characterizations of Professor Ayers -- 'unrepentant terrorist,' 'lunatic leftist' -- are unrecognizable to those who know or work with him.” Perhaps most compelling was Obama’s statement that Ayers played no part in his campaign and will play no part in his Presidency – instead he named the people from whom he would seek advice as President, such as Warren Buffet, Paul Volker, and his running mate Joe Biden.

McCain for his part performed better than at previous debates. His statement: “Senator Obama, I’m no George Bush” was perhaps his most effective rebuttal of Obama’s assertion that McCain’s campaign would be identical to Bush’s. He engaged the audience through most of the debate, though his repeated referral to Joe the Plumber and focus on attacking Obama didn’t do much to enhance his image as a leader. Obama, meanwhile, showed immense restraint when asked to comment on Palin’s readiness to serve as President, calling her a “skilled politician.” His calm and considered responses were compelling. Poll numbers reflect that Americans have are tired of personal attacks – instead, they are looking for a leader who can and will focus on repairing the economy, reforming education, and providing better and cheaper health care. Obama had clearly demonstrated that he’s the man for the job.

Joe The Plumber: The Full Story

David from San Diego, CA — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:37:31 EDT

After much was said in tonight's debate about Joe The Plumber, and after watching the way that Fox news cut their clip of Senator Obama's response into misleading sound bytes, I thought it was important to see the full video of their conversation. After some searching, I was able to find it here

Essentially, this comes down to a debate on whether or not Americans who have more means should pay more taxes. While Senator Obama's choice of words in using the phrase, "Spread the wealth", was unfortunate, his plan is certainly a far cry from "Socialism" or "class warfare" as some pundits have put it.

I tend to agree with people like Warren Buffet who state that those of us who run successful businesses benefit disproportionately from use of government paid services, such as subsidies, transportation and resource allocations-- basically the stuff that tax dollars pay for-- and should therefore be required to give more back.

You can disagree with me there, and that's fine, but to take the full answer that Senator Obama gave which seems to me to be very straightforward and honest, and cut it down to a misleading clip does us all a disservice. What puzzles me most were follow up interviews where Mr. Wurzelbacher (aka "Joe the Plumber") claims that Senator Obama "tap-danced" around his question. Did he not hear the same response that I did? If Mr. Wurzelbacher disagrees with Barack Obama's plan and doesn't think that people struggling to try to achieve the same American dream that is now within his reach deserve a break, if he is not convinced by the argument that helping out those who will buy his business's services will benefit him in the long run, fine. That's his opinion and his right as an American to disagree with the candidate and stand up for what he believes in, but let's have a full disclosure of the conversation and an un-biased assessment of what was said so that people who may disagree with Mr.Wurzelbacher can be free to form their opinions as well.

Joe The Plumber Web Ad Idea

ian — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:10:31 EDT

How about assembling a group of real plumbers named Joe who support Obama, and show a quick montage of each of them saying, "I'm Joe the Plumber and I support Obama because..." ?

Joe the Plumber's Taxes and Abortion

Michael Bindner — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:45:38 EDT

Joe the Plumber does not want his taxes raised.

Too bad the Senator from Illinois did not answer the question correctly.

Joe the Plumber's taxes won't go up under the Obama tax plan. How's that again? It's simple. If Joe the Plumber hires staff, these wages are deductible on Joe's taxes on Schedule C. Joe only pays on what he nets and on what he bills directly. He does not pay taxes on the labor of others (with the exception of payroll taxes, etc.)

IntroYou must enter an Intro for your Diary Entry between 300 and 1150 characters long.

Joe the Plumber does not want his taxes raised. Too bad the Senator from Illinois did not answer the question correctly. Joe the Plumber's taxes won't go up under the Obama tax plan. How's that again? It's simple. If Joe the Plumber hires staff, these wages are deductible on Joe's taxes on Schedule C. Joe only pays on what he nets and on what he bills directly. He does not pay taxes on the labor of others (with the exception of payroll taxes, etc.)

This is what the Democrats always leave out of the tax debate. The wages of others are always deductible. Joe, hire as many people as you have business and your taxes will only go up if you personally bill or clear over a quarter million - and if you as an individual (not a business entity) pull down that much, you will be able to afford the higher rates.

The dirty little secret of higher taxes is that the Joe the Plumbers out there want a certain life style. If we raise their taxes, they will expand their businesses and hire more staff to make more profit after taxes. This is why when you raise taxes you get more economic growth a year down the road.

This is why McCain will be a drag on the economy and why Obama will bring it back. This is also why we had a 2001 recession - because Clinton cut capital gains taxes while balancing the budget. When Bush cut capital gains taxes and taxes on dividends, as well as taxes on the wealthy, he increased the the deficit as well. If McCain cuts spending he will cause a deeper recession. If Obama raises taxes and cuts spending, the economy will grow.

The other thing I wish had been discussed was abortion. It would have been nice is to distinguish between being pro-abortion and pro-choice (and maybe he will, its still going on). This might shut up certain Catholic Bishops, or at least not let the Catholics for Obama feel they are alone in this.

For good measure, he could also attack the pro-life movement for promising to end abortion and never actually doing anything of note. Currently, the pro-life movement promises a neo-confederate gutting of the 14th Amendment by taking away the power of the federal government to cancel equal protection violations by state governments. That is no way to end abortion, since the wealthier will travel to abortion states while anti-abortion radicals limit civil liberties in their states more and more - just as the Slave Power limited civil liberty in their states. Obama, as an African American, is the best person to make that argument.

Whenever abortion is raised, and Sarah Palin is raising it, it must be turned back on what the anti-choice lobby is actually proposing. They must be called on their insistence on the rights of the unborn while they softpedal what they would do to enforce those rights (and how it won't work).

Objective Debate Analysis - Joe the Plumber

Dave — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:09:37 EDT

Every time McCain mentions "Joe the Plumber", no matter how serious the dude's point he may be making, I imagine a fat guy's rear end and butt crack hanging out of his Levi's?

... but I digress.

So, McCain thought is a shame if Joe's business paid more in taxes if his business had PROFITS greater than $250,000? Poor Joe; poor, poor Joe. Here is the thing old butt-crack Joe needs to consider: If people making far less than $250K/yr don't get the Obama tax cut, they likely will not be able to afford to pay for a bath room make-over, a new kitchen, or even a service call to clear a drain. BTW, plumber Joe will get help with his business from Obama by getting a $3,000 tax credit for every new employee and a no capital gains tax for a small business.

Joe, John: We have tried the Voo-doo, trickle-down, supply side, Reaganomics and seen the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Its time to try some trickle-up ecomonic that Obama is proposing, and just maybe butt-crack Joe will be all the better for it?

Joe was interviewed by Katie Curic, turns out he does NOT make $250K/yr:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/Joe_speaks.html

... and the NY Times says Joe never bothered to get a trade license, said he was in the union but lied, never intended to buy the business he told Obama he was planning to invest in, and has been subject to leans. Someone needs to tell McCain's team they need to do some basic vetting of the people, and their stories, before McCain springs them on Americans thinking he is setting in place a 'game changing event'. Unfortunately for poor old McCain, these people's stories turn out to be nothing more than Republican fairy tails.

Oddest statements from McCain:

"ACORN is destroying the fabric of democracy”

It is sad how Republicans see democracy building groups who register voters in the "wrong" economic and/or racial demographic (as discussed in a previous blog). The clear conclusion one must draw from this hysteria over voter registration is Republicans are anti-democratic.

See YouTube video, In Defense of ACORN

"I wouldn't attack Obama as much if he had accepted my offer to have 10 'town hall' style debates"

OK, let me understand, McCain and Palin would not be all lathered up with accusations that Obama "palls around" with terrorists if Obama had agreed to the debate? Lame, utterly lame. McCain has made this stupid statement several times in the past, and in the repeating, it is not making any more sense (maybe McCain should have learned from the ignorant and oft repeated (and equally disproved) "thanks, but no thanks" statement by Palin?).

McCain "Again…just again, an example of the eloquence of Senator Obama, health (indicates air quotes) of the mother. You know that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement to mean almost anything."

Yah, we know, McCain does not give a flip if a woman's life is at risk or the circumstances of the pregnancy, as in the case of rape. The lack of concern for woman, their health, their rights, by Republicans is why I vote Democrat.

Joe the Plumber, Obama's Civility and a Defense of the Fairness and Capitalist Nature of Progressive Taxation via a Sports Analogy

Farzin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:04:25 EDT

The following exchange between Barack Obama and a small business owner regarding his tax policy and the concept of progressive taxation should be watched by all because its fascinating and revealing in several respects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFC9jv9jfoA

First, I think Obama makes a compelling case for the sensibility and equity of his tax policy and progressive taxation principles in general.

Second, I think this exchange provides great insight into what kind of leader Barack Obama is and how he walks the walk on his promise to elevate the civility and discourse in this nation and rise above politics. In short, he was confronted by a person obviously opposed to his policies and rather than shun him or ignore him or call him names/stupid, Barack engaged him, respected his views and tried to explain in very real concrete ways, ways that the person himself can relate to, as to why his policies were good ones and might in fact be beneficial to the questioner. In the end, even if the man was not converted (unsure), it was clear they both walked away from the exchange better informed and with more respect for each other. Related to the last point, it's a great contrast to how we see the right and McCain/Palin treat their opponents. If a person opposed GOP tax policies, he/she's either ignored altogether or just demonized as a socialist in favor of income redistribution - there is simply no acknowledgment by McCain/Palin that there may be merit to the position or respect warranted. This civility in discourse is something we've seen in all Barack's appearances, including the debates. I do not think we can underestimate how important a "Change" this is and how much further it'll bring us as a nation as we aspire to bridge divides and heal wounds of partisanship.

Third, I think this shows that Barack is not scared to tackle tough issues, where others may run away from these challenges. Dems have often run away from frank discussions of tax policy or arguments for "progressive taxation" because they were afraid of making the case for it. Barack made a good case for it in a realistic context.

I have always thought that Progressive Taxation is a no-brainer for any civilized society that wants to be successful in the long term. I think the struggle has always been over how to frame the issue and explain it in a way that makes sense. As I said, I think Barack did a good job above. But I also think beyond appeals to fairness and equity, another line of argument can be that Progressive Taxation is misbranded as socialism. In reality, it's actually a capitalistic enterprise that we see play out in all walks of life.

One way to think of this and explain it to every day folks is through an analogy to how a sports franchise runs its business - no doubt a capitalistic endeavor. Think of what we see in ticket pricing all over the map. A sports franchise sets its policy with a set budget (expected revenue) in mind. It realizes that some seats are better than others and offer more amenities (better views, more comfort, proximity, etc.). It recognizes that its constituents are not all equally positioned from a financial perspective. It recognizes that if its cost is too severe in either direction, it risks alienating the top or the bottom and losing revenue. It recognizes there is alternatives to doing business with it (cable, other franchises, minor leagues), albeit remote (just like a taxpayer can be potentially disincentivized and choose to do less/no business or take his/her business out of the country - things that are possible, though they require effort). And it's key to realize that this is just illustrative and not meant to be exact, but the counter-argument that one has the choice to say no to higher prices with regard to buying tickets is really not a valid distinction or inapposite here, because just like that - I'd argue that the ones who are complaining (i.e., the rich) do not have to benefit from the great US economy (or make millions of dollars so as to qualify for higher taxes) if they don't like the tax consequences.

The key here is that in every instance, what you see as the solution that emerges is a progressive (not proportional or flat) pricing policy that charges significantly higher prices for the better seats and lower prices for the worse seats so that it can keep these seats affordable for all. A flat rate simply wouldn't work because of the reality that the landscape is unequal. A proportional rate simply won't work for much of the same reason, because too many folks get priced out at the bottom end. So in effect, what you get is redistribution/subsidizing. The pricing is tweaked (by reacting to the market reactions - free market) to hit the spot that you achieve your revenue goal and sell-out the place.

At the end of the day, despite gripes (nothing is ever easy) most recognize the inherent necessity and fairness of this concept in this context - so hopefully they can see the translation. The tax policy can be likened to this in every respect. The progressive tax rates are tweaked to achieve rates that invite maximum participation and obtain the desired budgetary revenues. The benefit of the bargain is still worth it, and more people get to benefit/participate.