If you watched last night’s debate, you heard Sen. John McCain mention the most famous plumber in America.
This video shows the brief exchange between the man the media has dubbed “Joe The Plumber” and Sen. Barack Obama. Their paths crossed while the senator campaigned door to door in Ohio this past Sunday.
The plumber’s real name is Joe Wurzelbacher, and he’s one of the 5% of upper middle class Americans earning over $250,000 per year who worry that Obama — if elected president — will raise their taxes to “spread the wealth around” to the poor and disenfranchised.
Joe Plumber: “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more. Isn’t it?”
Obama: “It’s not that I want to punish your success, I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success too. I think that when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
Their brief exhange is resonating with the upper middle class, especially small business owners who will be hit hardest if Obama raises their taxes.
Critics charge Obama is a Marxist whose goal is to redistribute the wealth evenly between the rich and the poor like a modern day Robin Hood.
OBAMA 08! Thats whats needs to happens! McCains plan is FAR worse! $5000 for a health plan! Do they know how much Heart medication cost for our ederly! and as of right now! My mother got a letter that says she has to work until she is 75!! in order to collect Social Security! And if the Banks are Broke What are they REALLY NOT tell Us!
Hell yeah we gonna tax your plumbin’ ass! Lets be real, I know a nigga be like I make a lotta money but the gov’t takes half of it…. BUT DAYUM u got it to give! I BET anybody who was broke, or day to day living that won the lotto, or somehow came up aint mad about gettin taxed… Cuz they understand.
But rich and well-to-do mutha______ that wanna cry about that… NIGGA GO MAKE SUM MORE MONEY! It aint hard when you working with a quarter mill in the bank…
At the end of the day, everyday ppl who don’t have the LUXURY of getting taxed almost 50% understand that Obama’s plan is a good look. Did u not notice them AIG cats and their $400K vacation? They aint worried about no taxes! C’mon man
BTW, now that I looked at it… What did the vid even show us? What were we supposed to get out of it? Like it wuz a big deal
I have already voted for Senator Obama and even though I watched the debate, my mind was already made up. This is the first time a REAL man is for helping up the ladder instead of the top of the ladder crap.
John Mc Cain and his moose eating pit bull barracuda are a disgrace to our country. They, like the Clinton’s have tried to start a War between races when they found out that they are losing.
The reason that White people that are for Mc Cain and Stuck on Stupid Palin, is because for years they have been use to breaking every law in the book and getting away with it and in many cases by merely using words. A lot of black people are in prison now, not because they are guilty, but because they don’t know the law and in most cases, white people made them up out of the blue. We usually believe everything we hear, and they have used that against us.
Case in point, when Michael Vicks got arrested, a lot of you on this same site talked about him like a dog and agreed with everything the White Court Rule County said, yet I haven’t seen none of you open your mouth to talk about the racist pig running for Vice President of the United States, that KILL wolfs and animals for fun!
And what really makes my blood boil is that Sarah Palin has tried to start a race War, with John Mc Shame and his drug addict wife, Cindy, who is a thief,and has transported drugs, dare to open her trap and talk about Senator Obama. She should have asked her stupid husband, why are we fighting a War in a country that had nothing to do with 911?
Sarah Palin has put Senator Obama and his family in danger, stirring up all of this hate. You know she doesn’t give a darn about her own children, because she drag them all over the country , mainly because she can’t leave them along because they might tell all of the family dirty secrets.
I listen to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”, the other day, because some of our race are still stuck on stupid. We got a man that has Character and Dignity and Morals, and will make a great President. It has not been a easy road for him and his family, because he has been the Man in the Middle. Some of our Race have been just as hateful{Jesse Jackson, Rev. Manning,Robert Johnson} just to name a few, as well{Hannity,Oreliely,Hillary,Bill, and many more, but he has stood tall and stayed on point.
” WHEN YOU STAND FOR NOTHING, YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING “!
” OBAMA – BIDEN 2008″
I am one of the poor..get ’em Obama..
I am all for Obama and sometimes it pains me to see us black folks acting like crabs in a barrel. I am not for Obama only because he is black OR DEMOCRAT but simply because he is the best man for the job IMO. History has always proven that we(being us blacks) bring ourselves and our own people down. It’s never the white man doing it but its us doing it to our own. When will we stop being so negative????????????
OBAMA ’08
I would not care if Senator Obama was green, all I know is I can’t take another 4-8 years of a Regan/Bush clone in office. **IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE***
OBAMA ’08
This post is full of inconsistencies and non-truths, I’m not even going to bother with posting a response, I’m just going to boo it, so Boo Sandra!
Morning Fam – I missed the debate…….so I will say Obama ’08
WHO EVER THIS JOE DUDE IS … HE’S NOT EVEN REGISTERED TO VOTE .. NOR DOES HE MAKE THE 250K HE WAS QUESTIONING SEN. OBAMA ABOUT …
So in the words of my Grandmomma .. JOE SITCHOAZZ DOWN SUMWHEA !!
He was planted. Of all the people Barack meets and talks to across the country…….why this onee makes press…..
@ kymystry
Correct. I saw him on GMA this morning and he doesn’t even make 250,000 now. In order for him to get to the point of owning his own business he is going to need help to get their. Obama is only raising the taxes from 36% to 39% 3% difference. If he scared about that then he will still pay out more than that in healthcare with McCains plane so really it even out. They asked him was he register to vote and he said yes and didn’t tell who he was going to vote for. Joe the Plumber will continue to be just Joe the Regular Plumber in his old Ohio town making less than 250,000:)
Joe the plumber is an actor. yall dont really believe this CIVILIAN could get all up in Obama’s face like this, do you? and of course–HE’S WHITE.
unfortunately for americans, we’re guinea pigs or used as pawn. the banking system, gas crisis in atlanta, etc. Washington already knows who the next President will be. They get behind these closed doors and chop it up with EACH OTHER.
If Barack “wins,” there is an agenda that he MUST follow. If McCain wins, there is an agenda he must follow. I can appreciate all the enthusiasm but come on; do you really think WE get to choose the President. Please stop playing and get real. People act as if the 2000 election didn’t tak place. Remember all that happened right before our eyes??? They wanted Bush, they got Bush.
every channel I’m turning to is talking about joe the plumber. joe the phuckin plumber. it shouldn’t take more than 24 hours to find joe’s business information then, right??? you probably can’t find sshyt on him.
the media sucks. every channel i turn to (news) is talking about joe the plumber. now that want all of america to consume themselves with this nonesense…
now “they” want…. sorry
It does not matter who is elected president; taxes will surely go up. Does anyone remember that famous former president Bush (Daddy Bush) saying… read my lips, no new taxes!!! Needless to say it was a LIE!!!
OH .. AND GOOD MORNING !
The republicans have been robbing the poor for years so how come we cant get any of that wealth rain down on us
uptopgrl Says:
I would not care if Senator Obama was green, all I know is I can’t take another 4-8 years of a Regan/Bush clone in office. **IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE***
****************************************
I can tell some of you have never lived through a recession so you don’t even see what’s coming. I lived through a recession as a teenager. It’s no fun to hear the words “blacks are the last hired and the first fired.” That’s why I decided to become a RN so I would always have a job. It’s a sad thing to hear your friends say they can’t find a job.
It will be even harder now, because, in case you haven’t noticed — at least here in Atlanta — the Mexicans are getting all the jobs. Have you been to a McDonalds lately? Obama is a slick talking oil salesman. None of his proposals makes any sense. He can’t raise taxes on 5% of the country and expect that 5% to save the economy. He still hasn’t explained how that’s going to work because he knows it won’t work. He’s counting on you sheep not to do the math. Instead, he will raise taxes on everyone — me and you.
The rich can fend for themselves, but Obama will tell us we have to tighten our belts. Even as we’re losing our jobs he will blame it on the Bush administration. But as you stand in the unemployment line, just remember that while Bush was in office, at least you had a job.
Let’s get this straight…
95% of the people in this country will get a financial break with Obama as President…
Now…under the Republican Presidents…the rich got hella richer off the middle class and the poor…
If being a Marxist means that EVERYBODY wins…
Than call me a Goshdamn Marxist then…
Everybody wants to put negative lables on things that are morally and ethically RIGHT!!!
It is not right that I made more money under Clinton damn near 10 years ago then I am making right now..
It is not RIGHT that I am paying so much more in taxes under the current Republican government that any overtime raise I get is GONE BEFORE I GET IT…because of the tax consequences…
It is not RIGHT that my heathcare is almost $300 a month…JUST FOR ME!!! but I have to go through sheer HELL to get procedures done…and even if I stay in the network…I STILL HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET BIG TIME!!! Premium price for non-existent services…
It is not RIGHT for CEOs to make 25%-30% in yearly salary of a public company’s profit…
It is not RIGHT to let banks and financial markets have free rein and not be regulated so that they can pratice the most heinious evil out there…the evil of greed…
All of the above have happened under the current Republican President and have been supported by the current Republican Presidential candidate…
I don’t want to make this a “them against us” stance…but if it comes down to it…I will say this to anybody that has a problem with paying more taxes if you make over $250K a year…
“You will finally walk in the shoes of 95% of the individuals in this country…at least your shoes will be Gucci instead of Payless”
When the Regan administration took office .. my financial aide was cut from 95% to 3% .. immediately .. it was in the Regan Adminstration where the last “recession” was looming and glooming over the horizion .. when Pappa Bush was in office .. it got WORSE student loans were NEEDED just to get a basic education .. when CLINTON was in office .. did we have a Budget SURPLUS .. Gas wasn’t high as Hell ..ILLEGAL immigrations wasn’t the norm .. and the Housing market was stable … the Subprime Loans were coming into fruition under Baby Bush .. He bailed out the saving’s and Loan debacle .. by the way his brother owned a few of the banks he bailed out .. SSN wasn’t threatened until Baby Bush took office…
Please …
whooooooo saaaaa … whoooooo .. saaaaa .. take a sip of your decafe tea Kym …
Joe Plumber is NOT making 250K a year. He would like to buy his business and because he does the books for the business he knows that his business makes more than 250K. He is afraid to buy the business now because Obama is going to raise the business tax rate from 35% to 39%. Republicans and people are trying to act like a 4% tax increase is going to kill them. Please, if bush and his republican croonies didn’t waste our surplus on a non-approved war, we wouldn’t be in this deficit and Obama wouldn’t have to talk about raising taxes on the rich to fund our social programs.
When we in an economic crisis, duh we have to raise taxes!Why????That’s just how it goes folks.Sad that the Republicans are paying these folks..LOL.
pointhimout Says:
Joe the plumber is an actor. yall dont really believe this CIVILIAN could get all up in Obama’s face like this, do you? and of course–HE’S WHITE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obama does let ppl get up close and personal. Joe “the plumber” does not earn $250,000 per yr. He wanted to know if he bought the company he worked for that makes over $250,000 per yr what amount of tax would he have to pay. Obama was in my city from Sunday- a few hours before the debate. He went door to door and the Boys and Girls Club and each day went to a different zip code to work out at a local “Y”. It does not matter economically who we have as president, but it does matter to me if I can approach him without prejudice.
*It does not matter economically who we have as president,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I only said that because neither have a plan right now, but to take our money.
I ran across this on another website in regard to “Joe Plumber.” Just another McCain ploy and of Sandra jumped right on the bandwagon as usual.
Couple of key point…
1) Joe “the plumber was on GMA this morning and he lives in a trailer park…HE DOES NOT MAKE 250K, this was a hypothetical conversion and he was PLANTED at a rally by the republican party. HE ADMITTED THAT HE WAS DIRECTLY CONTACTED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY..
AGAIN, Joe’s taxes will not go up because he lives in a trailer park and makes less than $30K a year as most plumbers do (at least this is what he reported to the IRS, someone should have told Joe that his taxes would be reveiwed more closely…tsk…tsk)
2)Joe the Plumber is not a REGISTERED VOTER IN OHIO. NOT AT ALL….now he is saying that his name is not even Joe but it is Sam….SAM “THE PLUMBER” IS NOT A REGISTERED VOTER IN OHIO….Republicans…again did not do their homework…
3)Joe the plumber will now be paid by the Republican party to make appearances with MsSame….this part of the game is called the “come up” for Joe the Plumber.
are you really a small business owner if you’re making $250,000 a year or more? no. those people are being taxed more because they can afford it.
I am really going to try to not comment on anymore “Obama is the Anti-Christ” type postings on Sandra’s blog. It’s going to continue until election day and nothing’s going to change, ya’ll.
Im with MsK .. it’s not worth it
For the record, I’m a nurse. My mom’s favorite line was go in to healthcare and you will never have to worry about a job because there will always be sick people. Well that only work if the sick people can afford to pay their bills. Not only did our local hospital just close it’s pediatric and special care long term geriatric care depts, it cut 76 nursing positions including mine. I was fortunate that I had something to fall back as nursing was not my first choice as a profession, but many of my comrades have had to pull up stakes and move or drive 70-80 miles one way to work. I have kids in school, and a husband who (by the grace of God) is still employed, but for these things I too could have been totally shut down by today’s economy. I thought we would be set for life in our occupations, but there are no guarantees. If patients can’t afford to pay, there will be no need for nurses either.
Joe the Plummer stated last night on CNN that he doesn’t make enough money to be effected by Barack’s tax hikes. I don’t care if you are a small business owner, if you make more than 250k a year then you can afford to pay higher taxes.
McCain is trying to run a campaign off of a gimmick. He will not win. You can’t run the country off of a gimmick. Joe the Plumber is a gimmick. McCain sounded stupid last night trying to use Joe as a ploy against Obama. Fool, Joe ain’t sh!t!
Compared to McCain, Obama is young, handsome with fresh, new ideas for America. And what’s wrong with the redistribution of wealth in America.
BLACK AMERICANS, IT IS FINALLY OUR TIME TO RISE ABOVE THE IGNORANCE AND JEALOUSLY THAT HAS PLAGUED OUR COMMUNITIES SEEMINGLY FOREVER. OBAMA WILL BECOME THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THEN, WATCH OUT!!!!!
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED. PEACE.
I already placed my vote for Obama as well…Y’all be sure to take advantage of early voting if it’s available in your state…..whoever you vote for…..
I didn’t want to be bothered with them folks one block down from the polling place (y’all know who I’m talkin about…LOL), who give the list of who to vote for…
I’m sorry, but if you got a business worth over $250K, you are not middle class….
That’s Lower-Upper class…
LOL, I’m just saying…that dude is finna buy a business. I don’t think most middle class people don’t got it like that….
stefany Says:
I ran across this on another website in regard to “Joe Plumber.” Just another McCain ploy and of Sandra jumped right on the bandwagon as usual.
Couple of key point…
1) Joe “the plumber was on GMA this morning and he lives in a trailer park…HE DOES NOT MAKE 250K, this was a hypothetical conversion and he was PLANTED at a rally by the republican party. HE ADMITTED THAT HE WAS DIRECTLY CONTACTED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY..
____________________________________________________________
GET OUT STEFANY! FOR REAL???????
I’mma have to check that out….it just reassures I made the right choice….last night’s debate it too….
Ooh I’m just full of typos today…LOL
I don’t think most middle class people don’t got it like that…
..what i meant to say was “I don’t think most middle class people got it like that”
….it just reassures I made the right choice….last night’s debate it too….
It just reassures me that I made the right choice in voting, last night’s debate did too.
I ain’t had my iced coffee in ages! LOL
If he is a modern day robin hood so be it. Bout time we got a break. The rich have been getting breaks for years. If McCain gives Exxon and etc. tax cuts, all they gon do is increase the price of gas. More money for them….smh.
@Kym:
I dont even need to comment. My thoughts exactly.
He didn’t say that raising the taxes on 5% of America would fix our problems. He said that there are all kinds of programs out there that don’t work. That $$ need to be redistrubted to other places.
He’s saying that he just don’t want to kick struggling people while their down by raising thier taxes.