What Did Obama Say to Joe the Plumber?
At the third presidential debate, Barack Obama and John McCain came face to face with a man who is known as “Joe the Plumber”. Joe was an Ohio workingman who, during the campaign, confronted the candidate about his tax-cutting policies. The two men were speaking in a working-class neighborhood in Toledo. The plumber didn’t ask for fame, political attack, or anything like that. Plumbing company winchester
In 2008, Joe the Plumber became an iconic figure, but McCain’s campaign seized on the character in order to attack Obama’s tax-cutting plans. After the joke, the McCain campaign thought they hit political paydirt by talking about the plumber on dozens of occasions. In fact, McCain believed that the American people would agree that Obama harbored hostility toward private wealth.
But Wurzelbacher, a self-described “American everyman,” had a different view. He wasn’t a plumber in Ohio and had no plumbing license, but he was honorably discharged as a plumber in the U.S. Air Force. He attended rallies for McCain, where he seemed enraged by Obama’s economic policies. He also slammed McCain’s opposition to Trump.
Wurzelbacher’s words became a national symbol for angry taxpayers, a key issue in the 2008 presidential election. John McCain was quick to capitalize on the moment, claiming that Obama’s remark had stoked up anger and frightened voters. In fact, the plumber’s words were quoted more times than the President of the United States, making him a celebrity.
The Republicans’ rallying cry takes phrases from Obama’s July 13th speech out of context, while the President has said the phrase is misleading. He said that he meant that the United States has “roads and bridges” and not “businesses.” Despite his statement, Obama has since clarified his statement. In the ad, he clarified the comment.
In Toledo, Ohio, Wurzelbacher met with Senator Obama. He posed his question about Obama’s tax plan because he plans to buy his boss’s plumbing business. The plumber makes a minimum of $250,000 a year and hopes to one day be able to take over his business. He is worried that his future income will be pushed into the upper tax bracket if Obama passes his economic proposals.
