(Corrects third paragraph to say Joe about to buy a business)
Joe the Plumber was the surprise star of the third and final presidential debate, getting no less than 13 mentions in the opening minutes.
So who is this guy? His full name is Joe Wurzelbacher, and it turns out he had a close encounter with Barack Obama a few days ago. John McCain adopted Joe’s cause as a way to tar his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal. 
The apparent problem is that Joe is about to buy a company that makes a little over $250,000 a year, and under Obama’s proposal that would put him into a higher tax bracket. Obama told Joe that he wasn’t trying to punish his success, only to spread the wealth around.
“Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes,” McCain said.
“Joe, I want to tell you, I’ll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and be able — and I’ll keep your taxes low and I’ll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees,” McCain said, staring straight into the camera.
McCain got a little caught up in the moment and muddled in his message to Joe by saying at one point that “fifty percent of small business income taxes are paid by small businesses.”
Still, Joe the Plumber has become a bit of Internet celebrity and Republicans quickly latched onto his plight, issuing a statement saying his comments to Joe showed that Obama would “tax to death” the American Dream.
Obama’s response was that Joe the Plumber needed a tax cut five years ago, and Obama wants to “make sure that the plumber, the nurse, the firefighter, the teacher, the young entrepreneur who doesn’t yet have money, I want to give them a tax break now. And that requires us to make some important choices.”
As for Joe himself, directory assistance had no telephone listing for him in Toledo, Ohio. If you’re listening, Joe, we’d love to hear how you’re handling fame!
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Gary Hershorn (McCain makes a point at the presidential debate)
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what are everyones thoughts on this joe the plumber business one year on?
- Posted by karlWHAT ABOUT JOE THE UNION CARPENTER THE REAL MIDDLE CLASS!!!!!! OBAMA BACKS ME 100% John McCain HATES US,joe the plumber has his own buss. hes not middle class why doesnt n e one see this ,
- Posted by joe brocatoHow is it right to highly tax people below $250,000 who are trying to succeed and make it in life, but it’s completely wrong to highly tax people who are already well off? America will not grow if the middle class can barely earn enough money to live while the “rich” class continues to gain more and more money. It almost looks as if the “rich” class is trying to step all over the middle class just because they have more money.
- Posted by nyuk nyuk nyukBookdiva:
*** What troubles me and should trouble all Americans concerning Joe and the Obama campaign is that the people conected with Obama went after Joe like a pack of hungry sharks. They sought to discredit him and ruin him and it appears that Obama did nothing to stop this. ***
No. The media dug in to JtP’s life and reported on it, same as they do with anyone who ends up in the spotlight. The fact that what turned up made Joe and McCain look like fools is noone’s fault but Joe’s And McCain’s.
- Posted by Average CitizenJoe the plumber is not license? If true I would not do business with him. I am so sick of hearing about, Joe the Plumber! Mccain must be desperate for the low IQ votes.
- Posted by Bob the PlumberTo litteleers:
Obama is willing to increase his own taxes, so he can lower taxes for those of us who don’t make $250,000. Looks to me like he is willing to personally spread the wealth. What is McCain willing to personally contribute from his own pocket?
- Posted by NaniI am so sick of hearing about Joe”The Not Really A Plumber”. This guy doesn’t even have a plumbing license and doesn’t make anywhere near $250,000 a year. Not sure why he wants to jump on the McCain bandwagon. McCain needs to find a real small business owner that Obama’s plans would affect. The whole Joe Six Pack, come on, you have to be kidding me. I think I’ll go with Obama/Biden. Seeing as how Joe really is a Biden.
- Posted by Nani