Joe the Plumber

[varwoche]

Obama was outside "Joe's" house, so the guy stepped up and asked him a question. How would you like your entire life examined for any irregularities just because you asked a Dem Presidential candidate a question

I hate to break it to you Cicero, but what placed him in the spotlight is the fact that McCain made Joe the centerpiece of the debate. And once placed in the spotlight, surely the media is not going to overlook that McCain (and Joe) made a bunch of stuff up.

 

[Cicero]

McCain brought the guy up again and again so the media are going to be somewhat interested. He's granted enough interviews to keep them interested.



Share is zero sum spread isn't.

Somewhat interested? I would hate to see your idea of obsession.

It sure is easier to spread this incredible, not zero, amount of peanut butter capital.

 

[Pookster]

Obama was outside "Joe's" house, so the guy stepped up and asked him a question. How would you like your entire life examined for any irregularities just because you asked a Dem Presidential candidate a question ...

I know better than to claim to be something I'm not while in front of cameras asking him a question that is bound to get everybody's attention. If you don't want to be scrutinized, then don't put yourself in a position to be scrutinized. It's that simple.

 

[Cicero]

I And once placed in the spotlight, surely the media is not going to overlook that McCain (and Joe) made a bunch of stuff up.

Looks like this curious media managed to overlooked Obam's answer to "Joe."

What did Joe make up?

He is a registered voter.
He never said he was a "licensed" plumber.
He works for a plumbing contractor.
He might want to buy the business some day.

What did McCain make up?

He didn't hire "Joe."
He didn't know what Obama would say to "Joe's" question.
He quoted Obama's answer.

 

[Cicero]

I know better than to claim to be something I'm not while in front of cameras asking him a question that is bound to get everybody's attention. If you don't want to be scrutinized, then don't put yourself in a position to be scrutinized. It's that simple.

Come on. He said he was a plumber. He is. He did not say he was a "licensed" plumber. Do you really think that the msm would not dig into your past, if you were not a liberal, no matter if everything you said to them was 100% accurate. What cloud are you living on?

 

[Pookster]

You got that right. Why don't we hear about Ol' Charlie Rangel tax problems and his vacation homes in the Dominican Republic? Joe the Plumber is so much more important than Rangel.

I dunno. Maybe you can ask McCain why he didn't bring up Rangel in the debate instead of Joe. *shrugs*

 

[Pookster]

Come on. He said he was a plumber. He is. He did not say he was a "licensed" plumber. Do you really think that the msm would not dig into your past, ...

I'd expect them to dig into my past. Joe is McCain's new buddy. Why shouldn't they? Heck, according to McCain, Joe won the debate.

If you can't stand the heat ... stay out of the kitchen.

 

[Cicero]

I dunno. Maybe you can ask McCain why he didn't bring up Rangel in the debate instead of Joe. *shrugs*

I guess that's the only way to get the msm's attention. Bring up an individuals name in a debate. One would hope that even the msm's natural curiosity would be peaked without being prodded by a debate when the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives, has a tax problem.

 

[Cicero]

I'd expect them to dig into my past. Joe is McCain's new buddy. Why shouldn't they? Heck, according to McCain, Joe won the debate.

If you can't stand the heat ... stay out of the kitchen.

You would expect the media to dig into your past for asking a presidential candidate a question when that candidate appears in front of your home? I doubt they would investigate you for fawning over Obama.

"Joe" did not enter the kitchen. Maybe McCain drew him into the kitchen, but "Joe" just asked a question.

 

[geni]

Somewhat interested? I would hate to see your idea of obsession.

Princess diana's death. But hey I'm kinda british. Understatement is forms part of the lexicon around here.

It sure is easier to spread this incredible, not zero, amount of peanut butter capital.

It has been arguged and generaly quite widely for rarther a long time that it is posible to have economies that are not zero sum games (It is posible to have a zero sum economy of sorts but only over short periods in very controled conditions). Now is it posible to construct a growing economy that favors the appearence of small businesses and supports their intial growth? It's quite hard to see why that shouldn't be posible.

There are arguments as to why it isn't posible but they are the same arguments that support communism (indeed the idea that wealth is a zero sum game is deeply communist although communists tend to be a bit more posertive than that),

 

[dirtywick]

Why did he rmisrepresent himself?

Are you privvy to the discussions he's had with his employer?
How do we know they have'nt talked about a business transaction?

Why is it his question isnt considered legitimate?

It should be legitimate, and honestly I don't even think whether or not it was true or not should even matter.

Even if Joe the Plumber is a lying sack, there are people in the US who are in a similar situation. When McCain, and Obama, reference Joe the Plumber, they're not talking about that guy specifically but he's more of an analogy for people in that situation, correct?

Focusing on Joe specifically is just dodging the whole issue IMO.

 

[varwoche]

Damn that liberal mainstream media for putting the spotlight on poor Joe...!

A McCain source said Thursday that the campaign read about Wurzelbacher on the Drudge Report

link


And as to McCain's careful vetting process:

while another campaign aide confirmed that he was not vetted.

 

[Pookster]

I guess that's the only way to get the msm's attention. Bring up an individuals name in a debate.

Don't be silly. There are plenty of other ways to get the MSM's attention.

Joe's a big boy. I think he can handle it. He doesn't need your shoulder to cry on.

 

[Pookster]

You would expect the media to dig into your past for asking a presidential candidate a question when that candidate appears in front of your home? I doubt they would investigate you for fawning over Obama.

"Joe" did not enter the kitchen. Maybe McCain drew him into the kitchen, but "Joe" just asked a question.

If the opposing candidate makes me his new buddy, I do.

 

[geni]

It should be legitimate, and honestly I don't even think whether or not it was true or not should even matter.

Even if Joe the Plumber is a lying sack, there are people in the US who are in a similar situation.

Not that high a number though. Whatever tax system you adopt there will be few edge cases it causes problems for. Joe and people like Joe are not any of those people. The reason that no one brings up the people who it might impact is that that no one really has anything to gain by doing so. Joe management consultant isn't a useful campain tactic for McCain.

 

[Dymanic]

You would expect the media to dig into your past for asking a presidential candidate a question when that candidate appears in front of your home?

What I wouldn't expect is that the candidate's opponent would mention me by name several times during a nationally televised debate. Who would? If that did happen, and if I did come under a media spotlight as a result, and if that involved some checking of facts I'd rather had gone checked, I might not be happy about it, but I wouldn't be all that surprised. They're reporters; it's what they do.

What I really wouldn't expect is for the candidate who drug me into the spotlight to blame his opponent for the results -- that is, unless that candidate happened to be John McCain. The guy simply has no shame.

 

[Cicero]

If the opposing candidate makes me his new buddy, I do.

Except it is most likely to happen if the opposing candidate is a Republican. Maybe McCain should copy Chuch Schumer and create a mythical suburban Long Island middle-class family known as "the Baileys." Then there would be nobody for the msm to descend upon.

 

[Cicero]

They're reporters; it's what they do.

Investigate the questioner, but not question Obama's answer? That sure sounds like what passes for msm reporters these days.

 

[geni]

Except it is most likely to happen if the opposing candidate is a Republican. Maybe McCain should copy Chuch Schumer and create a mythical suburban Long Island middle-class family known as "the Baileys." Then there would be nobody for the msm to descend upon.

Again joe management consultant doesn't work. McCain needed a blue collar worker who would be worse off. Problem is there are not many ways a blue collar worker can rack up $250K. Any such standin would leave McCain open to attacks. Joe plumber was a convient shield.

 

[geni]

Investigate the questioner, but not question Obama's answer? That sure sounds like what passes for msm reporters these days.

What is there to investigate about obamas answer? In any case I don't think any particularly high level economics appeared during the debate.