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"Joe the Plumber" Compares Obama to Sammy Davis, Jr.

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:24:29 PM EST
Tags: Joe the Plumber, John McCain, Barack Obama (all tags)
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Via Politico: In Katie Couric's post debate interview with Joe the Plumber, aka Joe Wurzelbacher, Joe said Obama has a "tap dance...almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr."

"McCain was solid in his performance," he says. "I still don't know where he stands," he says of Obama. "I'm middle class. I can't have my
taxes raised any more."

He also says he actually isn't in the bracket where Obama would raise his taxes -- but he's worried that Obama will shift the bracket down.

He also said that, in his encounter with Obama, the Illinois Senator [has] "a tap dance...almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr."

Bye, Joe. I think your 15 minutes are up.

< Joe the Plumber Speaks ... to the Radical Right | Obama-McCain Post-Debate Thread >

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    "Joe the Plumber" Compares Obama to Sammy Davis, Jr. | 36 comments (36 topical)

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    Yeah (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by TheRealFrank on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:30:09 PM EST
    The guy seems to be a plant.

    He's definitely not an uncommitted voter, and seems to have the talking points down a little too well.

    Which he can do all he wants, of course, but to present him as some average voter seems fishy.

    He only hurt McCain with this spiel, (5.00 / 0) (#2)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:30:59 PM EST
    How many times did McCain mention Joe?

    Parent
    His handlers told McCain (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by CoralGables on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:37:42 PM EST
    to stop saying "my friends" so every time he wanted to say "my friends" he blurted out "Joe the plumber"

    Parent
    Remember (5.00 / 0) (#9)
    by cal1942 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:39:08 PM EST
    that McCain and his BFF Joe are out to appeal to the reptilian.

    Joe the Plumber is another cheap Republican stunt.

    Parent

    I don't think so. (none / 0) (#34)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 04:41:05 PM EST
    Mr. Wurzelbacher was playing football in his front yard with his son, Joey, on Sunday afternoon when Mr. Obama made an unscheduled stop to go door to door greeting voters and asking for their support.

    In his conversation with Mr. Wurzelbacher, Mr. Obama tried to justify his plan tax breaks to 95 percent of Americans and raise taxes on incomes above $250,000.



    Parent
    I agree (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by cal1942 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:36:41 PM EST
    I think Joe the Plumber is a plant.  It was so convenient that there was a photo of him talking to Obama and to McCain.

    McCain leads with Joe the Plumber and now Joe the Plumber makes a tap dance remark. That remark fits right in with McCain's constant refrain about Obama's eloquence.

    If the networks have any sense (gawd what a thin hope) they'll realize they've been had and drop this guy like a hot potato.

    Parent

    Actually (5.00 / 8) (#4)
    by CoralGables on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:35:13 PM EST
    if anyone watched the entire video that you posted of Obama and Joe in the live blog, i would say it was closer to Barack sounding like Bill Clinton. Obama gave the guy 5 minutes of his time answering each question that was asked and was on top of his game on each detail.

    As for Joe, should he ever top a quarter of a million a year in income, I will have no sympathy if he has to pay an additional 3 dollars in tax for every hundred dollars over $250,000 that he takes home.

    Bravo (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by cal1942 on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:43:10 PM EST
    CoralGables.  First class comment. If Joe does get over a quarter mill he SHOULD pay higher taxes.

    I wonder how much the GOP paid him.

    Parent

    McCain's Perfect Storm (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by shoephone on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:36:42 PM EST
    He comes into the debate with the electorate thinking he is a nasty old man. During the debate Obama raises the issue of McCain supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" when Obama's name is mentioned at McCain rallies, and that Palin equates him with being a terrorist. McCain denies his campaign has anything to do with the smears (even though Palin is one of the people using the smears). Joe the Plumber -- now clearly a McCain plant -- uses overtly racist language about Obama in a post-debate interview.

    McCain's political life is over. He can retire to Arizona and remind his former constituents that he tried to block the MLK Jr. birthday from becoming a national holiday.

    Oh, brother. (5.00 / 0) (#8)
    by lucky leftie on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:37:58 PM EST
    Next time, they should get Joe Sixpack.  He's more articulate.  

    Joe the Plumber (5.00 / 3) (#11)
    by Radiowalla on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:44:30 PM EST
    needs to be flushed right down the drain.

    I almost fell out of my chair (none / 0) (#16)
    by heineken1717 on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 12:15:44 AM EST
    laughing at this one Radiowalla.

    Parent
    So tiresome (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by Steve M on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 12:10:34 AM EST
    John McCain says, why raise taxes on ANYONE?  Oh, and I'll balance the budget within four years, never mind the recession.

    I actually thought Obama did a great job defending his tax plan to this clown on the video.  For people who think the most critical issue is to never raise taxes, ever, we're probably going to lose those votes.  It's not worth being like John Kerry in 2004 and pretending like no one will pay taxes ever.

    Steve M (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by cal1942 on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 01:42:08 AM EST
    glad you said that.

    McCain from the debate:

    "McCain attacked Obama's stance on taxes, accusing Obama of seeking tax increases that would "spread the wealth around."

    Spreading the wealth around sounds good to me.  It's what modern societies must do to survive.

    Parent

    Via the Politico (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by andgarden on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 12:14:39 AM EST
    it turns out he isn't even registered to vote.

    Andgarden (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by cal1942 on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 01:08:44 AM EST
    That's priceless.

    in an earlier comment on some thread I said that he probably doesn't know jack about government and probably couldn't pass Civics 101.

    Someone from Ohio would know better but it would seem that he's past the time to register for this election.  

    Imagine that, the GOP uses someone ineligible to vote to shill for them.  

    Does the McCain campaign vett anyone?

    Parent

    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by CoralGables on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 01:10:57 AM EST
    The deadline to register to vote in Ohio (should he live there) has passed

    Parent
    Poor John. He even fails at subterfuge. When he (none / 0) (#22)
    by DeborahNC on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 01:42:29 AM EST
    tried to pass this off as authentic, it was clear to me that is wasn't geniune. By the time this campaign is over, he will have lost what positive reputation he claims to have had in the past.

    Parent
    Was (none / 0) (#23)
    by Amiss on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 03:18:58 AM EST
    jst about to post this myself. He is making  much ado over nothing I feel. Since he can not even vote.

    Parent
    That doesn't seem to be true: (none / 0) (#33)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 04:39:17 PM EST
    Linda Howe, executive director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said a Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher, whose address and age match Joe the Plumber's, registered in Lucas County on Sept. 10, 1992. He voted in his first primary on March 4 of this year, registering as a Republican.

    Ms. Howe said that the name may be misspelled in the database.



    Parent
    true, (5.00 / 3) (#17)
    by cpinva on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 12:32:40 AM EST
    He also says he actually isn't in the bracket where Obama would raise his taxes -- but he's worried that Obama will shift the bracket down.

    the sky could fall; a tsunami could wipe out california; a mile-wide asteroid could hit earth, destroying life as we know it. probably not, but these things could all happen.

    do they get these people from the casting offices of "stupid central"?

    It may or may not be stupid (none / 0) (#25)
    by ruffian on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 06:03:38 AM EST
    But according to a good article by George Packer in the latest New Yorker on the elusive white middle class voter, that is the prevailing doubt about Obama. That even though he says he will not raise taxes on the middle class, he eventually will.  It is an interesting article that talks about a recent study on the 'What's the Matter With Kansas?" phenomena, where people were presumed to be voting for social issues and against their own economic interests. The study found that actually middle class people had lost faith that Democrats were any better for them economically than Republicans.  Dems have adopted many Republican economic policies over the last 20 years, to where they are no longer seen as standing up for the little guy.  That is what Dems must do - reclaim that Democratic advantage.  

    Parent
    Ridiculous (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by mutatio on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 12:46:17 AM EST
    Plumber: It looks like Obama will raise my taxes if I own a business.

    Obama: If you or your business make less than $250k you won't get a tax increase.

    Plumber: Okay, my business is under that $250k mark. What's my penalty if I can't/don't provide my employees health insurance?

    Obama: Zero. As a small business owner you'll be exempt from any penalty.

    Plumber: Clearly, Obama is tap-dancing around this issue! Run away!

    Lame.

    well (5.00 / 2) (#26)
    by connecticut yankee on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 07:39:36 AM EST
    I'd like to hear from Bob the Builder on this.

    priceless (none / 0) (#29)
    by Jlvngstn on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 10:15:36 AM EST
    thanks :)

    Parent
    Joe forgets (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by Carolyn in Baltimore on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 08:08:17 AM EST
    If he wants to buy his business he'll need a loan. There is no credit out there because of banking deregulation and the fat cats taking it all. So in our new economy Joe is likely to be lucky to keep working and get insurance from his employer.

    Actually (2.00 / 0) (#28)
    by daut on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 09:26:49 AM EST
    he looks kind of like an Obama plant. He just stands there and nods stupidly while Obama gets a chance to explain in detail his tax plan, which probably sounds pretty good to most people.

    Jeralyn what are you insinuating? (1.00 / 1) (#31)
    by DaveCal on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 02:12:39 PM EST
    Jeralyn,

    This is the second thread about which I've had to ask you what you are insinuating.  What are you trying to say with your headline?  

    Troll alert. (none / 0) (#32)
    by shoephone on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 04:23:48 PM EST


    Parent
    /Buries face in hands. (none / 0) (#3)
    by Faust on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:34:39 PM EST


    It woud have been amusing if (none / 0) (#13)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 11:59:09 PM EST
    the guy said that Obama tap dances like Fred Astaire. THAT would have the pundits scratching their heads.

    That was the image Karl Rove was going for (none / 0) (#24)
    by steviez314 on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 05:37:00 AM EST
    when he described Obama as the country club guy, drink in hand, chatting with the blonde.

    Also another reason why FL has turned blue faster than OH.

    Joe Plumber's family connections (none / 0) (#30)
    by Amiss on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 01:09:43 PM EST
    Wonder why McCain was so eager to use Joe? Seems he has connections to Charles Keating

    LINK

    What the fock has happened to 'Talk Left'? (none / 0) (#35)
    by dugan49 on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 05:23:40 PM EST
    The last time I looked at this site, during the primaries, it appeared some people here were fair minded and on the ball.

    'Joe The Plumber' compares Obama to Sammy Davis Jr.?

    So fricking what? This makes him a racist? This is 'code' for something? You people are nuts.

    I guess for the fanatics, blind party loyalty does trump all.

    Joe Has Problems (none / 0) (#36)
    by MTSINAIMAMA on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 06:21:15 PM EST
    He's not registered or licensed as a plumber, he's got a lien for unpaid taxes, twice divorced, abuse allegations...

    Call it free association... (none / 0) (#37)
    by dutchfox on Thu Oct 16, 2008 at 07:25:37 PM EST
    but when I first read about Joe's reference to Sammy Davis, Jr., I thought of the 1972 Republican convention in Miami, where Davis endorsed Nixon and gave him a hug! (An awkward moment for Nixon, indeed, but it caused a lot of trouble for Davis, too: death threats.)

    "Joe the Plumber" Compares Obama to Sammy Davis, Jr. | 36 comments (36 topical)

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