Joe the Plumber seems like a bit of a dunce.

Obama made so much more sense than McCain talking to Joe the Plumber.

Apparently he's not registered to vote. Oops!

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/The_Joe_file.html?showall

The Top 50 Swing Voters: #27 - Joe The Plumber

#50 - Hockey Moms - Demographic Power Play
#47 - People with STDs - Burning for Change
#40 - Anonymous Sperm Donors - Swimming Against The Tide
#36 - Master Debaters - Everybody's Doing It
#29 - Nudists - Sticking To The Issues

http://swingvoters.wordpress.com

I'm impressed at how much time Obama took to speak with Joe and discuss his plans, not mere shake his hand like a receiving line at a wedding (or coronation). I've never seen any other candidate talk for that long to one person. Wow.

There's apparently someone in the same region with the same last name who's a big GOP donor. Anyone smell a rat?

Oh and Joe doesn't make close to 250k and isn't going to anytime soon.

The Stranger totally needs to do a fake "New Column!" written by Joe the Plumber.

Maybe Joe would like to have customers that could afford to hire him.

Oh, give the guy a break. He's just another poor sap being cynically used by the GOP.

And I agree that he would be hard pressed to make 250k as a plumber, especially in Ohio. His *business* might make that - if he really hustles, and has some people working for him - but not him personally.

There was a big splash a few years back when one of our line crew chiefs made $224k. That was with considerable overtime of course (the regular salary is around 90k) and private contractors don't pay themselves overtime. The only reason that crew chief got that much OT was because of the shortage of workers, the insane construction boom at the time, and the big windstorm. Given the economy, I don't think poor Joe will be as lucky, at least in the short term.

Anyone catch what that guy in the gray shirt was saying?

I was also really struck at the amount of time and honest explanation. No BS or dancing around it. I also love how Barack points out he's trying to raise his own taxes.

I wish last night he would have looked right into the camera and said that HE is willing to pay more taxes so that the average person gets a break.

Of course, I still wonder if it WILL result in Barack or Buffet or the Clintons actually paying more taxes or if it will all balance out somewhere else. But damn it would have made a good soundbite and probably made more people take notice.

I can't view the video. Does Obama really use the phrase, "spread the wealth"? If so, then I'm sure he didn't mean what McCain implied last night, but still, it was a blunder.

Someone needs to get Joe Plummer on the line, and see how he feels about McCain talking shit about him all night, and never once mentioning any of his bands.

Joe Plummer is one of the finest drummers in the Northwest, currently playing with Modest Mouse, formerly of groups such as Magic Magicians (with John Atkins), A Gun Called Tension, and Black Heart Procession.

interesting to identify by job skills -

Joe was just on Good Morning America, sexy guy - he is registered to vote - says he does not make the 250,00 but wonders why the tax system takes it away so much if you manage to get there - does not like socialism.

Would not tell his vote, but said to America, get informed and vote based on your own conclusions.

Nice guy.

Obama is cooking, more money to spend, better calming composed posture, it is his. The public thinks he will be better at the problems, and here is hoping.

And what a fucking mess he gets to run ...

What's all this I hear about Joe Strummer?

@11: Indeed Obama did say "I'd like to spread the wealth around" which delightfully reveals his Socialist ulterior motives.
Other code words are "economic justice" that he tosses around from time to time.

2 things you need to know to be a plumber (my grandpa was a plumber):
Shit flows downhill
dont eat with your hands

My husband the banker says:

If the business is turning a PROFIT of $250k, it isn't really a "small" business, is it? And, Joe should get himself a new tax advisor, because when you own a small business, you don't want to show a huge profit like that. You want to pay as little taxes as possible. More likely the business GROSSES $250k, which is different, as anyone who took Economics 101 knows.

@15: You're going to be first down the mines after the January revolution.

There are two bigger news items about JTP. One is that he doesn't show up in the Ohio licensing database for plumbers.

See http://elicense1-lookup.com.ohio.gov/SearchCriteria.asp?

The second is that he seems to have an outstanding lien against him from last year for unpaid state income taxes.

"flat tax" is a clue. joe is GOP.

@15 At least he's delightful. But it's nice you finally stopped pretending to be anything other than a paid Republican shill.

Exactly what do you think government does through taxation? The Republicans spread the wealth, too, they just make sure it doesn't spread to you. I want the wealth to stop spreading around CEOs for a change and start spreading around small business, communities and infrastructure.

I guess that makes me a socialist, but at least it also makes me delightful, apparently. Eat your heart out.

@20 I don't know, the latest GOP thing is the sales, er uh... "fair" tax. I'd always considered a flat tax to be better than a sales tax, but it was nice to see that Obama had an answer for it.

A flat tax is often worse for rich people because they can't deduct a damn thing or use any loopholes.

A flat tax is often worse for rich people because they can't deduct a damn thing or use any loopholes.

That's the selling point when rich peopl -- er, I mean Republicans are pitching a flat tax, anyway. In practice I consider the odds of them not leaving themselves some big, fat loophoes to be approximately nil.

People who can afford more should pay more. I don't care if it's called "spreading the wealth" or "socialism" or whatever -- all this red-baiting is so 1955. It's a perfectly reasonable idea and I'm sick to death of hearing rich people bitch about paying their fair share of taxes in exchange for the chance to live in a society that enjoys public benefits like schools, roads and public health. These things are to everyone's benefit, including whiny rich people.

The "Tax Revolution" rhetoric popularized under Reagan has produced a couple generations of entitled, math-challenged infants who want somebody else to pay for all the benefits they enjoy, and who think that running up gigantic debts equals "fiscal responsibility."

In reality most of them are just hoping they die before the bill comes due. Screwing over future generations is not a reasonable basis for a political ideology.

A plumber without a plumbing license is a long way from making 250K
More likely 40K to 60K, which would mean that he would benefit from the lower tax rate that Obama proposes.
By the time a plumber can buy an established business; the place he works at, he will have learned more accounting, and will have figured out that only the amount above the 250K would be taxed at the higher rate. If he has Incorporated, he should be able to find ways to make it look like less than 250K too.
http://www.joetheplumberusa.net

Let me tell you from first hand knowledge of living in a country who has Obamas ideas of tax - every person cheats on their income tax to make sure they get enough expences so they don't go over $250,000 - RESULT - no one wins, the over $250 keep their money and the the poor guy stays poor.

http://fakejoe.blogspot.com/

You know, Obama completely didn't answer my question. Yes or No, that all he needed to say.

I'm just trying to make a living and raise my kid.