Joe the Plumber nailed the feelings of many conservatives in his interview on the Glenn Beck program:
GLENN: Well, okay. Let’s take them one by one. Tell me about John McCain, something that I don’t know.
JOE THE PLUMBER: Well, something you don’t know, actually it’s probably stuff that you’ve already guessed and has already been painted in the different media spotlights. Just, well, you know, the bailouts. When I was on the bus with him, I asked him a lot of questions about the bailout because most Americans did not want that to happen, yet he voted for it. At the same time he’s talking about how he’s going to make somebody famous if they even think about putting pork in the bill? We all know how much pork was in the $700 billion bailout package. And why did he vote for it? And I asked him pretty direct questions and some of the answers you guys are going to receive, you know, they appalled me, absolutely. You know, I was angry. In fact, I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him.
GLENN: Really?
JOE THE PLUMBER: Oh, yeah.
GLENN: Why didn’t you get off the bus?
JOE THE PLUMBER: Honestly because the thought of Barack Obama becoming President scares me even more…
I mean, you know, hopefully I wasn’t too big a proponent of that, this — what do you call it — tripping post, if you will. There isn’t somebody. Neither campaign put out a — no, I’m not going to speak for the Democrats but I mean, the Republicans didn’t put out a candidate for us to really vote for. It’s the lesser of two evils.:
I have to say that the bailout vote did it for a lot of Republicans. I’d resigned myself to expecting just three things from McCain: fiscal conservatism, judges, and energy. Making a big deal out of earmarks and then supporting a bill that had 40 years worth of earmarks in it was way too much for me to have much confidence he’d be any type of a fiscal conservative. I didn’t make calls for McCain for a couple weeks after that, and I think it was probably the moment that McCain’s ultimate fate was sealed.
(Hat Tip: Hot Air.)
December 10th, 2008 at 1:01 am
I was tempted to write up a post bashing this moron, but I refrained from it.
Just hearing this guy’s name makes me want to shoot myself in the face. My blood pressure literally rises when I hear the phrase Joe the Plumber.
He needs. To go. Away.
Another one of these posts and I might just let ‘er rip.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:11 am
I’m with Alex.
Joe the Plumber became a joke. Quickly. An SNL punchline. He wanted a country deal. We’re not seriously taking political advice from this guy, are we?
I know I’m in a significant minority on here, but John McCain did inspire me. It bothers me that people were able to look at him, his record, and his history of service and think he’d be anything but a tireless servant for America. His strength- where he stood out as a “real” conservative- was on foreign issues. We needed a President with gravitas on foreign issues, and a President who was pragmatic enough to work with an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress.
But let’s make sure we listen to Joe the Plumber.
December 10th, 2008 at 1:36 am
I think Joe the Plumber is an ass sucker,
read from his name, “plumber” reminds me of toilet paper,
I suggest Joe the plumber to go to India, since US is in the crisis, maybe in India, Joe the plumber will receive pretty much order and make him a fortune to be Joe the rubber ass sucker.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:02 am
joe the plumber was a joke and a media creation. unfortunately the know nothing, shoot from the hip redneck is what the GOP is viewed as . those people now support sarah palin. bad times. Adam, i listened to your podcast, and it was exactly how i pictured it.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Joe the Plumber was a creation of Mr. Obama, not the media. If you guys don’t like him you have only Mr. Obama to blame. Perhaps Mr. Obama should have set Mr. Stickland to spy on him before he visited him.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:34 am
So what if it came from Joe the Plumber or Rosie Riveter or whoever. It encapsulates my sentiments exactly. It took a very hard, long look for me to finally put my weight behind a McCain nomination.
Even after he elevated Palin to his running mate, I still had some lingering doubts. But like Joe Plumber, I stuck it out because the other option seemed much worse. But I never felt I could trust McCain to fully represent all of my conservative views.
There are 2 things to help Republicans regain control of the house and Whitehouse in the next few years:
Democrats need to mess up and lose the trust of the people and Republicans need to stick to their conservative principles and regain the people’s trust.
The Democrats have already started on their end with Gov Blago. Now Republicans need to fulfill their part.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Why do so many folks on this blog seem to have the same contempt for ordinary Americans as the Democrats do?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:22 am
No matter how supercilious the wags and pundits treated Plumber Joe and Governor Sarah, both represented something more down-to-earth than the long-serving Senator from AZ. Even though I admire McCain for his service and accomplishments, I’m entirely on the same page with Joe.
For me, it all started with McCain’s summer campaign “on the issues” when he singled out Cap ‘n’ Trade as a worthwhile goal, including joining international negotiations on carbon dioxide emissions. If McCain couldn’t see this as a massive bid for government expansion and lobby-group empowerment, I was at a loss to comprehend just how out of touch — how much of a DC insider — the guy had become.
I could vote for Palin, though, and overlook the ticket topper.
You go, Joe!
December 10th, 2008 at 9:26 am
John McCain was a terrible candidate no matter what service he did. McCain was unqualified to deal with the economy or healthcare or any other issue but national security.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I have no big problems with Joe. Like everyone else, I’m not perfectly in sync with him, but I like his positions more than I like those of many on here. I would have no problems with him running for office. I do think it would be nice to get people from a variety of backgrounds in our legislatures and U.S. Congress. In my very humble opinion we have way too many lawyers making our laws.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Or the contempt shown by the MSM. The way Joe was treated for asking a simple question of Candidate Obama in the MSM was derisory. The way his personal life was ransacked was more extreme than how the media treat corrupt politicians, especially those with a “D” after their names.
Some here appear to be more nauseated by the blanket, negative coverage of Joe, ignoring the fact that a private citizen was made into a figure of fun for our inside-the-Beltway betters.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Amen.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Regardless what you think about Joe, he is right about the issue.
All of us are probably jealous of him, he did what the rest of us only dream about doing. I long to confront a liberal and have his/her knickers exposed to the world.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Adam Graham,
I wonder about that too. The class of consciousness of many Republicans is appalling. Alot of these folks- God, most of them- would probably treat both sets of my grandparents (one of whom never graduated high school, while the others never graduated college) like pariah’s. They DESPISE anyone outside of their little club. Did anyone bother to listen to “Joe the Plumber’s” interviews? They were filled with decent, informed, common-sense principles. I’d wager any amount of money that, even before he became famous. Joe the Plumber was more politically informed then 90% of Americans. But, he’s still too declasse for Alex and co. Can you imagine what they think of the other 90%?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Joe the Plumber is a fake ordinary American! He’s a publicity hound. A fraud. Voters saw right through this guy immediately, I can’t believe that a front-page poster at this site cannot do the same!
I am all for down-to-earth Americans taking to public office and rising through the ranks. What I am not for is celebrating mediocrity as some badge of honor. And I certainly cannot tolerate the celebration of a fake ordinary American. Joe the Plumber is an insult to ordinary Americans.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am
For the record, I have no beef with Joe The Plumber. He has every right in the world to ask Obama questions. The liberals have no problem infiltrating Republican rallies and causing a stink. Joe The Plumber can ask any question he wants and say his peace. My issue only arises when people suggest that someone like a Joe The Plumber is better suited to the presidency and even deserves the presidency more than others because of his blue-collar roots. That doesn’t wash with me.
December 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am
14-Matthew,
You are missing the point. Neither of my parents set foot on a college campus much less my grandparents. But they could still tell the difference between a clown like Joe the Plumber who speaks of someday achieving something but by all accounts is an unemployed clown looking for a publicity angle and an actual accomplished person.
We cannot continue to anoint mediocrity and hope to get it to fly on the theory that “most people are mediocre, so they’ll relate to our mediocrity”. That is no way to politic.
It is possible to be intelligent, accomplished, and able to relate to average Americans. Isn’t that preferable than simply being able to relate to average Americans? Is it to the point that the “who would you rather share a beer with” test is the ONLY test we even bother with anymore?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:58 am
I don’t have a problem with Joe the plumber, I just think McCain and Palin overplayed him. The problem was that both McCain and Palin were simply clueless on the economy and the bailout. I mean, when Palin was first asked about it she said it was about healthcare reform and a bunch of other nonsense.
The campaign was a train wreck, what with a new Palin mess-up almost every day, and John wandering aimlessly in search of a campaign strategy.
McCain started nose-diving the day after the Couric interview, and the meltdown happened 4 days later. There was just no way they were going to be able to recover.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:02 am
The results of the election, and of the whole political process, make it clear that Joe the Plumber is not in any way representative of the American people.
The majority of Americans are Obama supporters. The percentage who despise both Obama and McCain, and favor only Palin amongst the four candidates, is very small.
Joe, as anything more than one idiosyncratic voice, is a total creation of the extreme conservative movement and their allies in the media.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Eric,
Joe the Plumber was not “unemployed”. He may be unemployed now, thanks to our friendly Obama-thugs, but he was getting by, just minding his business until Obama graced his doorstep. The rest of your post is simply nonsense. Joe the Plumber isn’t a politician. Joe the Plumber has only expressed mild interest in becoming a politician. If you’re hoping to become a politician, then perhaps political credentials are important. But, as a mere semi-public figure, expressing opinions on politics, Joe the Plumber has no obligation to be “accomplished” or “intelligent”, by which you clearly mean “politically accomplished” and “politically intelligent”. He seems perfectly intelligent to me, far more intelligent then most Americans, and he shouldn’t be maligned simply because he doesn’t have politesse mastered. It’s vile. When he runs for office, you can critique him, as others have, somewhat fairly, critiqued Palin. You’re even free to disdain him, though frankly I don’t recommend disdain for blue-collar folks, as a winning Republican strategy. But, right now he’s an ordinary guy, who didn’t ask for any of this, but is making the most of it. If you disagree with something he says, by all means voice that disagreement. But, disdain is inappropriate and unbecoming.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Well put Matthew.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Martha M:
The problem with constantly repeating the question, “What did our side do wrong?” is that each respondent cherry picks his or her biggest annoyance from the losing campaign as the “real reason.” This is nothing but confirmation bias at its best.
If Palin annoyed you, Palin was the reason. If you thought McCain was too old or too liberal, those were the determining factors. Dislike Plumber Joe? He’s the culprit! Etcetera.
The bare fact is that the election was Obama’s and the Dems’ to lose from the beginning. Their side avoided screwing up in any major way, and they used their advantage of favorable media coverage to be rather squirrelly when it came down to giving any consistent policy specifics.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I partially agree with you MarkG, however, we’ll never know for sure whether or not we could have won. What we do know is that we ran two weak candidates, unable to articulate an economic message at a time when one was very much needed. We were running against one of the weakest possible candidates. He had no experience and had a multitude of past alliances and associations that would have sunk anyone else. Though I can’t prove it, I still believe we would have won this election with Mitt Romney at the head.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Matthew
You can’t possibly believe that Joe the Plumber was minding his own business when one day Obama came in and ruined it for him. He had a purpose in asking Obama the question, although he certainly wasn’t 100% honest about his situation in asking his question.
Either way, my problem isn’t with Joe the Plumber. I disagree with the strategy of using Joe as a spokesman. It is well within his right to try becoming a public figure based on a sound bite. My problem is with the folks in the party who think that anointing him as a spokesman in any way resembles a good idea.
When a guy like Mitt Romney can be so articulate about economics (and yes, in a way that even “ordinary Americans” can understand), why do we let somebody with zero real world proof-of-expertise become a spokesman? All it can serve to do is discredit the message when a media created 15 minutes of fame “celebrity” becomes the messenger.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Joe Plumber or not, the sentiment is what matters. The bailout was the stupidest, gridlock, what’s wrong with Washington, gimmick to ever come around. And McCain had a succinct opportunity to show just where the need for the bailout came from, to nail Obama on it, and he didn’t. That McCain went for the suspended campaign, bailout farce shows exactly who he really was, and I couldn’t bring myself to vote for him for that episode and several others. And no, I didn’t vote for Obama, voted my conscience instead. Wasted vote, I don’t think so. The Republican party is in for a hard cure and it takes a slap in the face to get them to wake up.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am
For all of you who have reviled Joe the Plumber, what’s your beef with him? You attack him for being held up by Sen McCain’s campaign to win votes (this includes speeches he gave that were set by the campaign). Your issue is with the campaign, not him. You attack him for the ridiculous amount of coverage he received (overwhelmingly negative and overwhelmingly irrelevant). Your issue is with the media, not him.
Has/is he trying to cash in on this? Maybe, maybe not. Were most of you in that situation (don’t think about how superior you are to him for a minute), you’d be looking for a way to make it worth your while. If you did, God bless America and good luck to you on making something out of it. I’m not saying that anything he has to say is of value (I happen to think conversations he had with Sen McCain are worth hearing about), but he isn’t a symbol of anything other than an object lesson for what we have to look forward to if we don’t stand up for our beliefs.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:58 am
[...] reminded of why I lean towards Tim Pawlenty, after reading the Joe the Plumber thread. Because there are two groups in the Republican Party today, fundamentally at odds with each other. [...]
December 10th, 2008 at 11:32 am
If you have problems with “Joe the Plumber”, don’t blame him. It isn’t his fault. “Joe the Plumber” is a fabrication of a failing McCain campaign trying desperately to come up with a solid economic message to give the nation at a time of crisis. John McCain and company were clueless about the economy, and it was killing them. They had to grasp desparately at any straw that floated within reach, and Joe was it.
If McCain and company had had an effective economic message, “Joe the Plumber” would have been unnecessary. At most he would have been a prop supporting the primary message. They didn’t. Therefore they had to turn Joe into “Joe the Plumber”.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:50 am
19
“The majority of Americans are Obama supporters.”
Perhaps we’re just biding our time.
Perhaps one day we’ll just hold up our hands, get you attention. Then quietly say- “Are you watching closely?”
Perhaps say a magic word or two… then we’ll be back.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
#19
“The majority of Americans are Obama supporters.”
I find that difficult to believe (though not impossible). He certainly had a majority of voters support him (or oppose Reps in general, but a vote for is a vote for), but we didn’t have everyone vote, did we?
Honestly, the vast majority of Americans should support Pres Obama when he does the right thing, and oppose him when he does the wrong thing. Our country’s situation demands a grownup approach such as that. We don’t need to be a country of dueling gang letters (D & R).
December 10th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I would say that the majority of Americans ARE Obama supporters. We want him to succeed. Now whether or not we support all of his agenda is a different story.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I’m an Obama supporter.
I love this country and we need serious help… NOW!
December 10th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
“…he was getting by, just minding his business until Obama graced his doorstep.”
Thats not quite right. Obama did not approach him or his doorstep. Joe went out, down the block, to confront Obama. And Obama and his campaign had NOTHING whatsoever to do with what subsequently happened to Joe.
It was Republicans who made a big youtube sensation about Obama’s answer to Joe’s question. And it was McCain who thrust Joe into the midst of the campaign. And it was the media (actually, just doing their job) checking out the bonafides of someone being put forth as prominent endorser and an active campaigner for one of the candidates.
” as a mere semi-public figure, expressing opinions on politics, Joe the Plumber has no obligation to be “accomplished” or “intelligent”, ”
Huh? As a prominent part of a presidential campaign, and now as self-promoting celebrity, he is rightly the subject of criticism when he says stupid things. If you want him to not be criticized, tell him to go back to plumbing. (and get a lisence).
December 10th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I bet anything Tano is a leftist college professor or some other sort of cloistered academic.
It’s easy to believe in far-left college town that a solid majority of Americans are followers of Obama.
48% of voters voted against Obama. That’s excluding the several million Republicans who voted in 2004 and stay home this year.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
egs,
Here is a little math hint to help you with your studies.
53% is a majority. You get 53%, you get to claim majority support.
You get 46%, you don’t.
Its actually quite simple.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Joe the Plumber is great. The biggest phonies here are the ones that were singing McCain’s praises before he lost, and now are posting saying, “Well, I had these reservations all along.” What’s lacking in this country first and foremost is honesty and integrity, at all levels.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Actually, to the title of the thread, Joe the Plumber speaks for me in this matter, as well. John McCain appalled me, too. I will not open old wounds by listing all the reasons, but I would have been happy to support Mitt, Fred, or Rudy (not necessarily in that order) as our nominee. John McCain was one of the candidates that I did NOT want.
I did my best during the general to overlook his problems, but his lack of coherent economic message was disasterous. You do not prattle on about “Wall Street greed” and Earmarks in a time of financal meltdown, but that is precisely what McCain and company did. That was all they had until Joe showed up.
I kept cringing and longed for Mitt to be up there articulating sound economic principles. Rudy was another one with economic cred. He helped turn around NYC, for crying out loud.
December 10th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Well, lizzy, good luck in finding very many posts of mine “singing McCain’s praises” before Novemember.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
#36: If by “singing McCain’s praises” you mean saying he’s the most electable, I’m guilty. Beyond that, very few actually said Sen McCain was in their top 2 or 3 this time.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Richard M.#39: ” If by “singing McCain’s praises” you mean saying he’s the most electable, I’m guilty.”
The Democrats chose John Kerry in 2004 because he was “the most electable”. He lost too.
Funny how that works.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
The Party would be wise to listen to Joe the Plumber. Joe had it right – had McCain lead the opposition to the bailout, he would likely be President elect today. Joe the Plumber is the conscience of the GOP and the Party ignores him and the voices like his at its peril.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
JA.#41,
Ummmm, where was I when we appointed Joe, “the conscience of the GOP”? I must of missed that.
He certainly speaks for many in the Party, no disagreement there. However, don’t you think “the conscience of the GOP” is a little thick?
December 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
#35, I guess you didn’t comprehend what I wrote. Either that or you pretended not to.
Actually we only know that 24% of Americans support Obama over a month ago. I guess those who didn’t vote aren’t part of America to far-left academics.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
#3. “I suggest Joe the plumber to go to India, since US is in the crisis, maybe in India, Joe the plumber will receive pretty much order and make him a fortune to be Joe the rubber ass sucker.”
I suggest you learn how to communicate in English.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
#24. “You can’t possibly believe that Joe the Plumber was minding his own business when one day Obama came in and ruined it for him. He had a purpose in asking Obama the question”
Yeah, good point. Joe the Plumber saw Obama and the MSM hoard roll up to this neighborhood in Ohio, quicly bought a house on the block a few doors ahead of where Obama was, then came out and pretended to be an ordinary guy in order to ask as pre-cooked question. That makes perfect sense.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
“The Democrats chose John Kerry in 2004 because he was “the most electable”. He lost too.”
Pet annoying peeve here.
Losing an election does not in any way invalidate the notion that you may have been the most electable candidate in your party.
December 10th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
#43
Given that no one in the history of the country has ever received the votes of 50% of the voting age population, I guess we have a situation where either you accept that Obama has majority support, or you accept that no one ever has. Certainly no Republican.
Aside from the election results, Obama also has approval ratings of 70-80%. I dont pretent that that means very much, but it does indicate that, for now, he has support from a majority – of all adults in this case.
I do find it rather hilarious how some of you find it so hard to accept that y’all have lost the election.
What does that make – 4 out of the last 5 popular votes for the Presidency and 2 straight for both houses of Congress? But somehow y’all are obsessed with find a way to convince yourselves that Republicans, or conservatives, are the “real Americans” or somehow more represenative of “real Americans”. Why am I surprised that y’all seem impervious to empirical evidence?
December 11th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Tano.#46:
No, but neither does McCain’s debacle disprove the truism that selecting a candidate mainly because “he is the most electable” is a sure-fire way to lose.
Morale of the story: If you are going to lose anyway, then put up your best candidate for the job. If the only reason to support a candidate is because supposedly he is the most electable, then you will lose.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I like Joe, and can certainly identify with someone feeling the burden of taxes on my family, but the fact that there was a “Joe the Plumber” is evidence enough of how bad a candidate we had in John McCain. I still can not figure out how a republican candidate for president can loose the tax debate to any democratic, and especially BO.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
McCAin ran the most incompetent Republican campaign ever. Theu guy acted like a Socialist during the economic message. He had no message and was the most boring man to watch and listen to.
The way some of the snobs here treat the an ordinary American like Joe, it makes you wonder if they eve care about ordinary Americans and the vast majority of Americana that makes up the base and conservatism.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Not for me. I never, ever, EVER want to here this guy’s name again. What credentials does he have to say ANYTHING? I will not forgive John McCain for putting this guy on the national scene.