"Joe the Plumber" pursued by news crews.
John McCain owes more than today's apology to Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the Ohio plumber who is suffering needlessly because McCain heedlessly used him as a political prop in the third debate.
For those unaware by now, at a campaign stop in Toledo last week, Mr. Wurzelbacher asked Barack Obama a skeptical question about the candidate's tax plans for small businesses. The man mentioning that he hoped to buy the plumbing business where he'd been working for more than a decade. Obama explained his program and closed with a quip about spreading the wealth.
McCain picked up on the line about sharing wealth and made that a major theme of his attacks on Obama in the final presidential debate Wednesday night.
In McCain's view, government should help individuals earn wealth rather than act to redistribute wealth, which is way too progressive for him, apparently.
(This view ignores the legislative history behind the federal income tax, by the way. The 16th Amendement was meant to shift or redistribute the burden for supporting government from those with scant wealth to those with more wealth. The income tax also was meant to provide revenue for government, which directly and indrectly shares the wealth through services to all citizens.)
To add emphasis, McCain repeatdly turned to face the camera to speak directly to "Joe the Plumber" like he was the great American middle-class Everyman.
The problem is that apparently John McCain never asked Mr. Wurzelbacher for advance permission to make him an instant celebrity. McCain assumed that his political ambition gave him the right to violate the privacy of this working man.
As a consequence of his overexposure during the debate, "Joe the Plumber" became the overnight object of investigation for the naturally curious press. A basic background check readily revealed that the plumber is unlicensed in the Toledo area, which has caused the local government to put him out of business. This only adds to his financial woes, including a tax lien.
Consequently, a private citizen in Ohio who asked an innocent question has been publically humilated before the entire nation by a self-serving candidate hoping to pick up a few points in the polls. Republicans are blaming Obama for the plumber's rash of legal and financial problems since the debate. Actually, McCain holds sole reponsibility for shining a national spotlight on the man.
I would not be making a big deal about this incident if it did not suggest a larger problem with John McCain's principles. If McCain is callous about infringing on the natural rights of a citizen for political expedience, if he becomes president, would he likewise trample on the rights of U.S. citizens whenever it suits him?
McCain has never repudiated the numerous violations of the Bill of Rights by the Bush administration, please bear in mind. He's actually defended many of these unconstitutional actions, such as the "sneak and peak" provisions of the Patriot Act as well as warrantless wiretapping.
My concern is that the harm Sen. McCain has done to Joe the Plumber is merely a foretaste of what he might do to all Americans if the Arizona senator becomes our next president.
To make things right with "Joe the Plumber," and to reassure those of us who care about civil liberties, I now invite John McCain to use his next media event to go beyond today's public apology to Mr. Wurzelbacher. I invite Sen. McCain to promise he will be more respectful of everyone's privacy rights from now on.
Further, I believe Sen. McCain owes a personal amend to Mr. Wurzelbacher, if only to get back into integrity with the man who's reputation he has damaged.
I propose, therefore, that John McCain dip into his personal fortune and pay to Lucas County, Ohio, the full amount of Mr. Wurzelbacher's tax lien, $1,182.98, a paltry sum for a wealthy presidential candidate who cannot remember how many houses he owns. Sen. McCain also should offer to pay for all of the professional licensees fees that the plumber could not afford, so the man can get back to work and earn a living.
Helping Mr. Wurzelbacher recover financially from this suddenly misfortune would be the morally proper thing for Sen. McCain to do, but I doubt if John McCain will chose to do the right thing in this case. Why not? Isn't it obvious?
That would be sharing the wealth.
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Comments
McCain ONLY needs to apologize the Joe because of the way the leftist press and bloggers have treated this poor guy for the crime of......daring to ask the Messiah a question that the Messiah slipped in giving the REAL answer because he did not see the camera and microphone.
McCain DID indeed apologize today to him by the way.
You've got to be joking, Grumpy Indep.
Obama answered "Joe" honestly, and he clearly saw the nearby news cameras and microphones pointing at them.
Please join us in the real world instead the fractured image of the world seen after light filters through your ideological lens.
joe plumber doesn't represent the typical american or non working several jobs to make ends meet. for him as a politicalized example should have been X'ed out from the presidential debate. it's about extensive job creation, the economy, and how the irag war has brought us down into a trillion dollar debt and somebody is going to have cut expenses in the White House and across the board.
... Great article... <><>
I hate when people try to divide this great nation.. So what if some people have liberal views and other conservative. 50 years ago we were divided by race, today we complain about the viewpoints of others common america, what next, ignorant people vs stupid people....
"Happy inde" I'm talking about U...
Joe the Plumber being discussed by GOP'er on FOX news, Conservative talking head Malzberg insisted ".... that even though the actual Joe Wurzelbacher would do far better under Obama's tax plans, the real point is that raising taxes on the wealthy to give relief to the middle class removes any incentive for people to get rich...."
Isn't that precious!!! . . . making rich people pay taxes would remove incentive to the red, white and blue Plebes to GET rich . . . roflmao.
So what are the incentives for tax payers to bail them out of jail sentences for fraud in the banking industry and Wall Street OR . . fund their hostile military takeovers of oil fields . . .is it archived in the file folder with those yellow cake documents and mushroom cloud mime troupe scripts?
Well an entire van full voting adults just chimed in "McCain just lost our votes". GOP's birds of a feather and all that!
Wait a second!!
Since Mr Wurzelbacher is NOT named JOE, nor financially prepared to actually purchase the company he works for, it's obvious he was asking more of a rhetorical question! Any intelligent person considers the pros and cons of choices in life, long before they have acheived the status to execute them.
During the debates, the candidates repeatedly made disclaimers about the variety of details/circumstances "Joe the Plumber" might have. Joe the Plumber was clearly an EXAMPLE of the various situations Americans face - and how the candidates' plans could affect us all.
McCain's use of "Joe the Plumber" was illustrative; an example. The media decided that Mr. Wurzelbacher was the ONLY "Joe the Plumber". Then they sought to devour him, rather than find multiple Americans with similar situations and concerns.
Since Obama's strategies resound with you, don't you think that all the media participants should be made to contribute 10% of an amount paid to Mr. Wurzelbacher?
Oh my God. You libs have really gotten pathetic. McCain should apoligize because the bias, left wing media attacked Joe? I like how Judah claimed it as the media's "natural curiousity." I understand that Joe's question gave McCain a big advantage, and revealed a big hole in Obama's tax plan, (which by the way is very socialist) but all in all, the very fact that you blame McCain for the media disliking Joe is truly a cry of desperation.
IT IS NOT ABOUT JOE.
It IS about Obama the SOCIALIST/MARXIST!!!!!
What a crock of dog poo!!!
This Joe is on the campaign trail with McCain!!!!
That doesn't look like such a "ruin" to me !!! Joe may even run for congress (reportedly).
Joe's life was opened to the public by the media who, possibly illegally, obtained the tax lien information and other personal information..NOT McCain!!
PLUS, how do you know that McCain did NOT ask Joe if he could mention him in the debates? Cite you source for your statement.
Such a poor artical!!!
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