Joe upset but McCain won't let go
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| Sun, 10-19-2008 - 3:02pm |
Today in USA Today:
(((NEW YORK (AP) — "Joe the Plumber" is lashing out at the media for analyzing his personal life since he suddenly became a focal point of the presidential race last week.
Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber from Holland, Ohio, told Mike Huckabee on his Fox News talk show Saturday that he is upset by the attention and has been unable to work with reporters crowded on his front lawn.
"The media's worried about whether I've paid my taxes, they're worried about any number of silly things that have nothing to do with America," Wurzelbacher told the former Republican presidential hopeful on his show, Huckabee.)))
But McCain won't stop bringing his name up in his rally's - so how is that helping Joe? Or is he just using him for political gain? So who is using Joe - Obama or McCain?
In the Raliegh News and Observer:
(((In Concord, McCain delivered a 30-minute speech interrupted by chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A!" and a roar at every mention of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He pledged to rein in spending, explore new energy sources and help troubled homeowners by buying up bad mortgages.
He invoked Joe the Plumber nearly a dozen times.
Wurzelbacher, an aspiring small-business owner, had asked Obama on a campaign stop this month whether his tax plan would hurt him. Obama gave a detailed explanation of his proposal and said by giving tax breaks to more people, it would help small business.
"Right now, everybody's so pinched ... ," Obama told him. "And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
McCain has pounced. His campaign passed out posters that read, "I'm Joe the Plumber" and "Let Joe keep his dough."

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Well I'm still not sure that it will eventually end up backfiring on JTP. He stands to make a lot of cash and potentially many new clients if he plays his cards right (and I hope he does....that's the American Dream after all isn't it)? It's certainly backfired on McCain though (despite those who steadfastly REFUSE to see it).
McCain supporters have said that he may not have even thought about what might happen to poor ol' Joe if he repeatedly used his name to the point of looking "sincerely" into the camera during the debate as if here were talking one on one with his buddy Joe. I could easily concede this point and give him the benefit of the doubt acknowledging that McCain is just incredibly naive not to consider that this would result in piquing the public's curiosity while everyone scrambled to find out who McCain'new "buddy" and symbolic stand-in for the American public was. Even conceding this point though, it doesn't speak well for McCain's thoughtfulness before going off half-cocked.
So....point conceded. However, now that he KNOWS about this and has actually seen what has happened to the poor guy, McCain CONTINUES to use his name in public (FREQUENTLY). I have to ask.....How can he claim to CARE about this guy (and by extension, the "average" American) if he continues to exploit JTP after knowing what he now knows? He has already proven through other actions - not just this one - that foresight (or doing his homework) isn't necessarily his strong suit....OK....that's fair (but not something *I'd* consider desirable in the next leader of the free world).
However, hindsight is 20/20....and it's now obvious that that McCain doesn't even have that.
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Me too. It's too bad he didn't stick with the metaphorical instead of pinning his entire debate strategy on a living breathing person. I've always felt uncomfortable when politicians use real people to score political points unless of course, that person has been asked and even invited to the event in question....but even then it's dicey. It was a miscalculation on McCain's part and unfortunately it has resulted in a private citizen (who isn't helping matters by willingly granting lots of interviews) being dragged into the fray.
uh?
I was asking her for clarification of what she was saying.
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That was me...but at this point after having participated in the over 300 post thread on this topic, I'd just consider it progress if certain folks could bring themselves to concede that maybe.....JUST maybe, McCain might be a TINY bit responsible.
I've been posting here for over six years....I've come to learn that even asking for that much is usually expecting a lot....Baby steps.
Oh for heaven's sake! There is NO EXCUSE for the press to villanize an ordinary citizen just because he asked Obama a tough question - No matter HOW MANY TIMES McCain brings it up.
The fact that McCain makes VALID points using his story IN NO WAY excuses the press from attacking this man. This is AMERICA, where we are supposed to value free speech - not PUNISH speech that is not APPROVED.
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