Perhaps not surprisingly, Wurzelbacher, who campaigned alongside Sen. John McCain during the 2008 campaign, did not have many nice things to say about Obama's speech and stimulus proposal.
"I believe he's taking America down the wrong path," Wurzelbacher told POLITICO. "So far every step he's taken I pretty much disagree with." Wurzelbacher has been pondering a run for Congress and said, "If I became a congressman I would literally bang people's heads together and probably get in a lot of trouble."
Guess it depends whose heads are getting banged together.
Hmm. From this report, it sure sounds like Joe is in hot demand. Caveat: Maker's Mark was flowing, so who knows for sure.
But as night wore on to early morning, Joe finally got some “quality” alone time with a certain female cast member. I’m not that familiar with the show, but I know it wasn’t Tina Fey or Amy Poehler. The skinny brunette, I think it was. Kirsten, maybe? Joe’s got good taste: she’s definitely hotter in person. And judging by her taste in plumbers, maybe a closet Republican. I didn’t see what time they left, but it wouldn’t surprise me if someone got her drain snaked last night. Politics sure makes strange bedfellows! (I ran into Joe this morning at the hotel - see picture - and ever the gentleman, he refused to reveal more than his mile-wide grin.)
Obviously Joe the Plumber has hit a raw nerve, exposing Barack the Marxist for the fraud he is. Now the angry, far left loons are desperately lashing out, equating Joe Wurzelbacher with neo-Nazis.
Update: That's not the least of it. Now a radio talker and Huffington Post blogger is openly calling for the Joe the Plumber to be murdered (H/T Hot Air).
Just one minor little detail. Joe Wurzelbacher didn't say that. Good grief, can the headline writers at least read the copy submitted by the reporters?
Samuel "Joe the Plumber'' Wurzelbacher at his first campaign stop, sidestepped the economic message that his "Joe the Plumber Tour'' was designed to convey when he endorsed a statement made by a member of the audience in Columbus that "a vote for Obama is a vote to the death of Israel.''
"I agree with you,'' he said. "I really think that would be a problem.''
Rob Portman, a former Cincinnati congressman and White House budget director, served as emcee for Joe and the other "Joes'' that the tour was designed to highlight. He shook his head when asked after the Columbus event if he agreed that support for Mr. Obama was support for "death to Israel.''
He noted that the man who originally made the comment was not associated with the campaign. The man had identified himself as a Jewish senior citizen.
Wurzelbacher, like many others, likely agrees Obama wouldn't exactly be the best friends of Israel and considering his many raging anti-Semitic associates, that's a fair assessment.
More importantly, and more newsworthy, is the fact Wurzelbacher may be suing the goons who illegally searched through his records trying to smear him.
Mr. Wurzelbacher also said Tuesday he's considering a lawsuit over the fact that government workers have apparently searched some records pertaining to him since he challenged Barack Obama on his tax policy two weeks ago.
"I have contacted a lawyer,'' he said as he formally hit the political stump for the first time since his conversation with Mr. Obama in his Springfield Township driveway led to his name becoming synonymous with Republican John McCain's campaign.
"Other than that, that's as far as I've gone with it,'' he said. "I'd like to see justice done. That's just for other people who dare ask their elected officials a question. They shouldn't have to go through the scrutiny that I've gone through. It shouldn't have to bother their families the way it's bothered my family.''
Investigations are under way into why child support, driver's license, vehicle registration, and other computer records pertaining to Mr. Wurzelbacher had been accessed after he was thrust into the political limelight.
We know why they were accessed. Now just punish the offenders.
Here in Obamaworld, we think only happy thoughts of hope and change, where magic unicorns bring us promises of the world loving us again and where everyone lives in perfect harmony.
Just make sure, whatever you do, you do not question the Dear Leader of Obamaworld. Otherwise, your life will be ruined.
"State and local officials are investigating if state and law-enforcement computer systems were illegally accessed when they were tapped for personal information about "Joe the Plumber."
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher became part of the national political lexicon Oct. 15 when Republican presidential candidate John McCain mentioned him frequently during his final debate with Democrat Barack Obama.
The 34-year-old from the Toledo suburb of Holland is held out by McCain as an example of an American who would be harmed by Obama's tax proposals.
Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate.
Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.
It has not been determined who checked on Wurzelbacher, or why. Direct access to driver's license and vehicle registration information from BMV computers is restricted to legitimate law enforcement and government business.
They don't know why? Uh, hello! They wanted to trash the guy, that's why.
Paul Lindsay, Ohio spokesman for the McCain campaign, attempted to portray the inquiries as politically motivated. "It's outrageous to see how quickly Barack Obama's allies would abuse government power in an attempt to smear a private citizen who dared to ask a legitimate question," he said.
Isaac Baker, Obama's Ohio spokesman, denounced Lindsay's statement as charges of desperation from a campaign running out of time. "Invasions of privacy should not be tolerated. If these records were accessed inappropriately, it had nothing to do with our campaign and should be investigated fully," he said.
Sure. Baker then reminded us to look at that shiny elephant over in the corner and to not be distracted from hoping for some yummy change.
It used to be stuff like this wound up with people going to jail, as Ed Morrissey notes. Now? Whatever it takes to get Obama elected is acceptable by the media.
Thirty-five years ago, a group of Plumbers did the same kind of thing in a presidential election, and it changed American politics forever. This smells of the same kind of Nixonian tactics.
Lovely times we live in.
Michelle Malkin wonders where the champions of privacy rights are. A very legitimate question.
I figure this must be the first time in American history a presidential poll has been taken on someone nobody had heard of a week ago.
To no surprise, feelings about Joe the Plumber split along party lines. Whodathunkit?
Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters have been following news stories of Joe the Plumber somewhat or very closely. Among those following the news story, just 40% agree with Obama’s statement, and 47% disagree.
Forty-four percent (44%) of voters have a favorable opinion of Joe the Plumber, while another 41% have an unfavorable opinion and 15% are not sure. Among those following the story, the numbers for Joe are 58% favorable and 37% unfavorable.
As with just about everything touched by the presidential campaign, the responses divide sharply along partisan lines. Seventy-one percent (71%) of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Joe while 64% of Democrats express an unfavorable view.
The surprising star of the Presidential debate is a hit with middle income voters. Among those earning $40,000 a year to $100,000, 52% have a favorable opinion of Joe the Plumber while 33% offer an unfavorable assessment.
Those who earn less than $40,000 a year are less impressed—just 39% have a favorable opinion of him while 44% provide an unfavorable review.
Those with a higher income have an even lower opinion of Joe—35% favorable, 52% Unfavorable.
Condescending elitists.
I wonder what his ratings would have been had he not been mercilessly savaged by the leftist media the past few days?
There may be a small window for McCain to exploit his relative popularity among middle-class voters. He better act fast.
You've got to figure the left will find his name much more palatable now. But given the gangland-style mediaassault on the guy, can you blame him for going into hiding? Who knows, maybe he can go back to Alaska. As part of his terms, however, and in return for just a taste of freedom, Team Obama did force him to cast an absentee ballot because, you know, every vote counts.
OK, but seriously, the absurdity of one innocent civilian getting more scrutiny in two days time than Barack Obama has received in two years campaigning is a damning indictment of the drive-by media.
"The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house," McCain told a rowdy crowd at Florida International University. "He didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn't recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks."
McCain said Joe's question is important "because Senator Obama's plan would raise taxes on small businesses that employ 16 million Americans."
That, said McCain, will kill jobs at a time when America needs to be creating jobs.
"Senator Obama says that he wanted to spread your wealth around. When politicians talk about taking your money and spreading it around, you'd better hold onto your wallet," McCain said. "Senator Obama claims that wants to give a tax break to the middle class, but not only did he vote for higher taxes on the middle class in the Senate, his plan gives away your tax dollars to those who don't pay taxes. That's not a tax cut, that's welfare. America didn't become the greatest nation on earth by redistributing wealth; we became the greatest nation by creating new wealth."
As Democratic nominee Barack Obama pulled into the Roanoke Civic Center on Friday, he was greeted by the usual McCain campaign supporters that show at Obama rallies. But this time, those waving McCain-Palin signs were joined by dozens of people waving standard-issue plungers. Some wore white t-shirts emblazoned with "I AM JOE THE PLUMBER" on the front.
It's all too good to be true, therefore it is. Newfound celebrity Joe Wurzelbacher happens to share the last name of a man involved in the Keating 5 scandal, and this genius connects the dots.
Just when you didn't think things could get worse for John McCain -- they go in the toilet.
Literally.
So, you remember Joe the Plumber, who John McCain kept relentlessly bringing up. And up. The apparently undecided plumber who had complained to Barack Obama that he couldn't buy his own plumbing company because he'd have to pay 3% more in taxes. The plumber who John McCain lauded as an Everyman while oddly proclaiming "Congratulations! You're rich!" in the midst of a disastrous recession. The fellow who said that Barack Obama "tap dances better than Sammy Davis Jr."
That guy.
Well, it turns out he's the one gliding around the dance floor so much, you should expect to see him soon on "Dancing with the Stars."
You see, Joe Wurzelbacher is apparently related to Robert Wurzelbacher. Who is the son-in-law of (are you ready...?) Charles Keating!
Yes, that Charles Keating. The Charles Keating of the Keating 5 Scandal. For which John McCain was reprimanded by the United States Senate, for his involvement in attempting to illegally influence government regulators. The Charles Keating who John McCain has been trying to avoid have mentioned. So, he basically mentioned it 24 times.
(By the way, lost in all the attention paid to John McCain not getting the same career-ending censure by the Senate, as did the other four defendants - the reason for that is because he'd been in the House of Representatives at the time of his transgression. The Senate decided that they didn't have jurisdiction over him to give the same penalty. So, his career was saved.)
Anyway, back to Robert Wurzelbacher, Joe the Plumber's father. You see, Robert Wurzelbacher was an executive of American Continental Corporation, the parent company of Charles Keating's Lincoln Savings. That's the bank which caused citizens to lose their life savings and cost U.S. taxpayers $3.4 billion. As part of that scandal, Robert Wurzelbacher pleaded guilty to three counts of misapplying $14 million and served 40 months in prison.
And now, Lincoln Savings, Robert Wurzelbacher and Joe the Plumber are back with John McCain.
Naturally, Robert J. Elisberg provides no evidence or links that the two are related.
This isn't guilt by association, it's guilt by virtue of having the same last name as someone. Sweet. Love this new standard.
So this must be the new--are your ready?--October surprise!Just one problem, as some commenters try to talk Elisberg off the ledge.
Mr. Wurzelbacher was playing football in his front yard with his son, Joey, on Sunday afternoon when Mr. Obama made an unscheduled stop to go door to door greeting voters and asking for their support.
But that will not prevent people from claiming that this is some kind of McCain operation. Insane Andrew Sullivan is already on the case.
Indeed, the man obsessed with Trig Palin apparently was on the case, but has retracted his latest insanity, using the scrupulously meticulous Daily Kos as a source.
Robert M. Wurzelbacher, son-in-law of Keating, was 37 years old in 1991 when federal charges were filed against Keating. It appears that he has addresses in Phoenix and Coronado, CA.
The Robert M. Wurzelbacher of Milford, OH, a heavy donor to GOP candidates, is 83 years old and retired. They're not the same person.
Digging to see if this guy is a plant or a hypocrite is a good idea. But I think it's equally important to know the link before idle speculation.
On Wednesday there was a wild rumor making the rounds on several conservative blogs citing a dubious source that claimed Michelle Obama went on a racist rant and they were widely dismissed contemptuously.
Today we have Andrew Sullivan, Daily Kos and Huffington Post, three of the leading blogs on the left, printing wild accusations, all meant to destroy a guy who happened to be approached by Barack Obama for a photo op.
Having now forfeited all credibility, will they be the subject of widespread ridicule? And why should anyone trust what these blogospheric kingpins ever have to say?
I guess they're answering to a higher calling than salvaging self-respect and credibility.
Thank God we live in a free country, where you can speak your mind on public issues, without fear that those who disagree will respond by exposing anything you've ever done that you regret or that could embarrass your family.
Oh, wait, never mind. We have to know, according to some, about Joe the Plumber's tax lien, and how he doesn't have a license - which, if the smear artists bothered to check the law, he only needs for commercial work, not residential work.
This is the way our opponents operate now. Destroy anyone who stands in your way. Humiliate them. Make sure that anyone else who ever wants to skeptically question Barack Obama knows that every last bit of their dirty laundry will be aired for all the world to see. Bristol Palin, Trig Palin, — hey, it's all fair game. They've got to make an example of them. Show them that this sort of dangerous speech won't be allowed in the New America.
Sadly, we've come to the point where more people agree with redistributing wealth. The Democrats for years have played the envy card to great effect.
You won't find it in his campaign ads, but Barack Obama let slip his plans to become a modern-day Robin Hood in the White House, confiscating money from the rich to give to the poor.
Conservatives yesterday ripped Obama after he was caught on video telling an Ohio plumber that he intends to take the profits of small-business owners and "spread the wealth around" to those with lesser incomes.
The fracas over Obama's tax plan broke out Sunday outside Toledo when Joe Wurzelbacher approached the candidate.
Wurzelbacher said he planned to become the owner of a small plumbing business that will take in more than the $250,000 amount at which Obama plans to begin raising tax rates.
"Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" the blue-collar worker asked.
After Obama responded that it would, Wurzelbacher continued: "I've worked hard . . . I work 10 to 12 hours a day and I'm buying this company and I'm going to continue working that way. I'm getting taxed more and more while fulfilling the American Dream."
"It's not that I want to punish your success," Obama told him. "I want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success, too.
Then, Obama explained his trickle-up theory of economics.
"My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
Maybe if everyone behind Mr. Wurzelbacher worked as hard as he does they wouldn't have to sit around waiting for the government to spread the socialism around.
I've tried warning people they're going to take a huge hit on taxes when they vote for Obama and they refuse to listen. The mantra of change, whatever that means, now trumps all reason. They'll learn later, of course, but by then it'll be too late.
