Oh, no - not Joe!

Joe the Plumber, a normal American in an abnormal storm of attention.

October 17, 2008, 3:30 PM
Full Comment by Kevin Libin
Unlicensed plumbers helped to build the American nation. Ours, too. It’s something to keep in mind before you jump on the American media’s gleeful bandwagon that seems hellbent on destroying the reputation of one Joe Wurzelbacher, apparently for having the audacity to question the tax plan of Barack Obama.

Joe Wurzelbacher has unwittingly become the latest football in the U.S. presidential race, after having his name dropped two-dozen times by both candidates in Wednesday night’s presidential debate. Last weekend, you see, Wurzelbacher was tossing around the ol’ pigskin with his boy in the front yard along Shrewsbury Street in Toledo, Ohio, when the working class neighbourhood was suddenly transformed by a visit by Obama.

Wurzelbacher strolled over to take a gander at the throng that had surrounded the Democratic candidate. He was reportedly unimpressed by the apparently softball questions aimed at him and ventured to ask a more challenging question of his own. He was thinking of buying the plumbing business he worked for, he explained to the candidate. Its income, he said, was approaching the $250,000 mark -- the point at which Obama claims he will begin raising income taxes. He asked: “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more isn’t it?” And thus, Joe the Plumber, as he’s come to be called, sealed his fate.
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Actually, Joe the Plumber’s question was off-the-mark, anyway. Whatever you think of Obama’s plan, there’s a difference between business income and take-home pay, and after business taxes, retained earnings, etc. are accounted for, it’s certain Joe, should he buy the business, would be earning far less than a quarter mil annually so his taxes -- at least according to Obama’s promises -- might not rise at all. That, by the way, could have been Obama’s response, instead of offering a classic redistributionist’s defense: “I just want to make sure that everyone behind you -- that they’ve got a chance at success, too.” Not to worry. Lucky for Obama, his comments aren’t under scrutiny here; he’s only the favoured candidate to become the next leader of the free world, after all. Joe, evidently, is the one who needs to watch his mouth.
Yesterday, on National Review’s Corner blog, Byron York presciently wrote the following:

“I don't know anything about Joe Wurzelbacher, but I just have one bit of advice.  If you have anything in your past that you're not proud of -- a messy divorce, a DUI, an unpaid bill, an indiscreet comment, whatever -- be prepared for it to become public knowledge.  The lefty blogosphere, along with allies in the press, will see to that.”

Alas,York was right. Before the debate was even over, the sound of news truck tires could be heard screeching in front of Joe’s house. He has had his personal life turned upside down as news hounds, eager to vet this Joe Average, rifle through his story. Apparently, they believe they have paydirt. Turns out Joe’s not a licensed plumber, but rather a plumber’s assistant. Terrible, I know. But there’s more: he owes $1,200 in back taxes.  And his real name isn’t Joe -- it’s Samuel! Joseph is his middle name; he prefers to go by Joe. These gory revelations, as if you could have missed them, have been detailed in exposés by CNN, the New York Times, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, Newsweek, the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, a hundred other sources, including in the international press. The Globe and Mail called him today a “false Republican idol.” Some have suggested he must be racist. The Atlantic Monthly asks that, if his name and profession can’t be trusted, then what’s next? Is Joe “not actually a man?” There. That oughta teach lowly American voters to dare question the wisdom of Barack Obama.
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