The Strange Media Backlash Against A Plumber

[APlaneTookOff]

If you go to Google News and type "Joe the Plumber" you will find close to 4000 articles about the guy who complained to Obama that his taxes will be raised if he buys the company he is planning on buying. Now granted, we would've never even heard about this guy if Fox News hadn't selected his conversation with Obama and ran the stories they ran. But since they did, the media is now stepping up their games and shifting into "attack the stupid plumber" overdrive.

Let's take a look at some of the headlines:

Why Joe the Plumber is angry
Election star "Joe the Plumber" lacks license
Joe the plumber's story isn't watertight
Reality Checking "Joe The Plumber"
Joe the Plumber is not called Joe and is not a qualified plumber
Joe the Plumber? Not a plumber. And not even called Joe
If `Joe the Plumber' is like my plumber, he can go pound sand (Chicago Tribune - the paper Obama said was "a Republican-leaning newspaper" in the debate)

It doesn't stop there. Check out the purple-monkey-dishwashering going on over the past two days. Somebody dug into the poor guy's past and found out he doesn't have a plumbing license in the state of Ohio. Not that it matters or anything for the work he does, but don't let that stop the media's snowballing. Suddenly he is "unlicensed" then suddenly he is "not qualified" and then suddenly he is "not a plumber" and then finally Joe isn't even his real name.

They are calling him out for lying about his nickname. Who are these morons?

I stopped after reading this amazing article from someone for U.S News and World Report (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/usnews/whispers/main4527926.shtml):


Joe the Plumber so loves media attention, he's drawing pro-Obama bloggers to question his authenticity as an undecided voter:

Joe has been on so many right wing talk shows it appears pretty obvious that this is a coordinated attempt to pull a last second 'tax and spend' haymaker. Family Security Matters, a wingnut security policy thinktank, has the first interview with Joe after this Obama encounter. Hmmm. What's the chance that a group like this gets the first interview with this alleged 'undecided voter'?

Other blogs say Wurzelbacher may be related to Charles Keating of the Keating Five and that his father is a major Republican donor:

Joe the Plumber, the star of tonight's debate, may have a very interesting connection to John McCain. In fact, Joe the Plumber (Joe Wurzelbacher) of Cincinnati, Ohio may be related to one Robert Wurzelbacher of Cincinnati, Ohio, who happens to be Charles Keating's son-in-law. Robert Wurzelbacher was implicated in the Keating 5 scandal, and sentenced to 40 months in prison in 1993. Wurzelbacher is also a huge Republican donor.

Keep watching this story because if it proves true that "Joe the Plumber" is the wealthy, Republican regular the liberal blogs are claiming he is, the McCain campaign could go down as the most corrupt and inept in history.Now the random guy, who was outside when Obama came by, who isn't a plumber and isn't who he says he is and who apparently "loves" this media attention - he might not even be random, and could actually be tied to Charles Keating! He was a Republican plant!

Let this be a lesson of the power of this country's media. And the world's media, for that matter. When it's political season and there isn't some missing blonde girl somewhere, these are the people that decide elections.

[LetsGoMountaineers]

If you go to Google News and type "Joe the Plumber" you will find close to 4000 articles about the guy who complained to Obama that his taxes will be raised if he buys the company he is planning on buying. Now granted, we would've never even heard about this guy if Fox News hadn't selected his conversation with Obama and ran the stories they ran. But since they did, the media is now stepping up their games and shifting into "attack the stupid plumber" overdrive.

Let's take a look at some of the headlines:


It doesn't stop there. Check out the purple-monkey-dishwashering going on over the past two days. Somebody dug into the poor guy's past and found out he doesn't have a plumbing license in the state of Ohio. Not that it matters or anything for the work he does, but don't let that stop the media's snowballing. Suddenly he is "unlicensed" then suddenly he is "not qualified" and then suddenly he is "not a plumber" and then finally Joe isn't even his real name.

They are calling him out for lying about his nickname. Who are these morons?

I stopped after reading this amazing article from someone for U.S News and World Report (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/usnews/whispers/main4527926.shtml):

Now the random guy, who was outside when Obama came by, who isn't a plumber and isn't who he says he is and who apparently "loves" this media attention - he might not even be random, and could actually be tied to Charles Keating! He was a Republican plant!

Let this be a lesson of the power of this country's media. And the world's media, for that matter. When it's political season and there isn't some missing blonde girl somewhere, these are the people that decide elections.

I hate the media.

[Yusuf]

Anyone see SNL last night?

[brenan]

Somebody dug into the poor guy's past and found out he doesn't have a plumbing license in the state of Ohio. Not that it matters or anything for the work he does, but don't let that stop the media's snowballing. Suddenly he is "unlicensed" then suddenly he is "not qualified" and then suddenly he is "not a plumber" and then finally Joe isn't even his real name.

1. It does matter where he lives and works. If you are a plumber, you are required to be licensed.

2. Who has said that he's unqualified? Obviously he's working the job and [possibly] considering buying a plumbing business - he does it. I've done plumbing and it's physically demanding - now i'm a weakling and it took me 8 hours to change a sink and i was soaking in sweat by the end of the first 30 minutes. So ... if he's a plumber, and he does it, he's qualified.

Qualified does not mean licensed.

Much like... Mitch is qualified to be a English Teacher, but he is not licensed. (if i remember that thread correctly)

3. Yeah, it matters that it's a nickname and he didn't say it was his nickname nor was it obvious that it was his nickname.

4. The backtaxes is only relevant in the fact that he was asked (and his answer referred to in the debate) about taxes. yeah, it sucks that he got throw into the spotlight at an inopportune time and he has thousands of dollars in backtaxes, tons of people do.

5. he was portrayed as a "undecided" voter -- and i completely blame the media and both campaigns for using a false undecided voter as a campaign tool.

[lighter_boots]

The media has done its job!:uhoh:

We now know more about "Joe the plumber" than "candidate Obama":idea:

[Mitch]

1. It does matter where he lives and works. If you are a plumber, you are required to be licensed.

2. Who has said that he's unqualified? Obviously he's working the job and [possibly] considering buying a plumbing business - he does it. I've done plumbing and it's physically demanding - now i'm a weakling and it took me 8 hours to change a sink and i was soaking in sweat by the end of the first 30 minutes. So ... if he's a plumber, and he does it, he's qualified.

Qualified does not mean licensed.

Much like... Mitch is qualified to be a English Teacher, but he is not licensed. (if i remember that thread correctly)

3. Yeah, it matters that it's a nickname and he didn't say it was his nickname nor was it obvious that it was his nickname.

4. The backtaxes is only relevant in the fact that he was asked (and his answer referred to in the debate) about taxes. yeah, it sucks that he got throw into the spotlight at an inopportune time and he has thousands of dollars in backtaxes, tons of people do.

5. he was portrayed as a "undecided" voter -- and i completely blame the media and both campaigns for using a false undecided voter as a campaign tool.

no, i am licensed to be an english teacher. and qualified (in my own opinion). not qualified by others' opinions. i'm really, really good at english - large focus on it in high school - but onl took the bare minimum in college to focus on my degree.

and to the point of this thread, i think the big deal is that this joe the plumber character isn't who john mccain wanted him to be.

[APlaneTookOff]

Anyone see SNL last night?:lol: I am watching it right now and laughing my arse off. That crazy lady from the McCain rally. Who the hell is that comedian / actress? She is freaking amazing.


1. It does matter where he lives and works. If you are a plumber, you are required to be licensed.

2. Who has said that he's unqualified? Obviously he's working the job and [possibly] considering buying a plumbing business - he does it. I've done plumbing and it's physically demanding - now i'm a weakling and it took me 8 hours to change a sink and i was soaking in sweat by the end of the first 30 minutes. So ... if he's a plumber, and he does it, he's qualified.

Qualified does not mean licensed.:confused: :confused: People in the world media have said he's unqualified. Google that yo, they are attacking the shit out of him.

[Maybe]

3. Yeah, it matters that it's a nickname and he didn't say it was his nickname nor was it obvious that it was his nickname.

yes, it does. and while we're making a big deal about peoples' REAL names... oh wait that's off limits.

a name is a label. I don't care that Obama's middle name is Hussein, and I don't care if Joe the Plumber's real name is Johnny Appleseed, it's the content that matters. to be quite honest I don't even care if he's a "Republican plant" (which he's not), because the fact that Obama's real plan is to "spread the wealth around" was exposed.

ah, how the media is good at covering up facts with retarded unimportant BS.

[Mitch]

it works both ways, friend.

[sst2]

Lmao, this is absurd. At least he'll get to service all of McCain's houses now.