Sick of Joe the Plumber? Me too.

Posted on October 23, 2008. Filed under: Uncategorized |

Ohio has gotten a lot of excitement during this presidential campaign season, which is thrilling for those of us who live here. We hear stories of both candidates visiting Ohio, searching for votes and holding rallies. It is always a great thing to hear your state in the national spotlight, except…maybe…when the national media is talking about “Joe the Plumber.”

Joe the Plumber is a man originally from Holland, Ohio, just 20 miles down the road from Bowling Green. Barack Obama stopped by his hometownto talk to American people about any issues in the election. He ran into this Joe the Plumber and Joe asked about Obama’s tax plan. Joe asked why Obama plans to tax “someone else’s hard work.” Barack Obama says his plan would raise taxes on Americans who make over $250,000, up from 36% to 39% (which is what it was under Bill Clinton), and this would benefit 95% of Americans. Joe contests that the number may become lower and lower, $150,000 or $100,000.

Joe Wurzelbacher works for Newell Plumbing & Heating Co. but is not licensed and cannot work in Lucas County outside of Toledo. In 2006, Joe made $40,000. He also has $1,183 in unpaid personal property taxes.

In the debate on Wednesday, October 15, Joe the Plumber’s name was brought up 23 times. Yes, 23 times! McCain and Palin have made Joe the Plumber the main point in their campaign! Seriously? It’s unfortunate when the newspaper must report that Palin cried out “Are there any Joe the Plumbers in the house?” when visiting the University of Findlay. The McCain campaign might not be making the best move here, especially since Joe the Plumber (as of right now) would actually benefit from Obama’s tax plan.

At least there is evidence proving we’re not all swayed easily by supposed “Joe the Plumber” types. Obama still leads in Ohio, and apparently we weren’t all swayed by Joe. I think it’s about time for Joe’s 15 minutes of fame to be up…