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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2008 / Is Anything For Real?

Is Anything For Real?

by John Cole|  October 29, 200810:24 am| 113 Comments

This post is in: Election 2008, Did You Know John McCain Was A POW?

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For chrissakes, now “Joe the Plumber” is on the campaign trail stumping for McCain:

“I’m honestly scared for America,” Wurzelbacher said.

He later said Obama would end the democracy that the U.S. military had defended during wars.

“I love America. I hope it remains a democracy, not a socialist society. … If you look at spreading the wealth, that’s honestly right out of Karl Marx’s mouth,” Wurzelbacher said.

“No one can debate that. That’s not my opinion. That’s fact.”

Joe the Plumber is named Sam, isn’t actually a plumber, doesn’t have any plan to buy any business, makes nowhere near 250k a year, and would actually get a tax cut under Obama.

Yet they have him out there anyway, giving us his deep thoughts on socialism. You simply can not make this shit up. The McCain campaign is now a surrealist farce. Or maybe I meant surrealist force.

*** Update ***

Sam the non-plumber is also not a veteran or an Alaskan, not that it matters to Sarah Palin.

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Reader Interactions

113Comments

  1. 1.

    liberal

    October 29, 2008 at 10:27 am

    Repeat after me: "Socialism is government ownership or control of the means of production. Socialism is…"

    It manifestly is not a matter of tax policy.

  2. 2.

    r€nato

    October 29, 2008 at 10:28 am

    “No one can debate that. That’s not my opinion. That’s fact.”

    Yeah. You know what, Joe Sam the Unlicensed Plumber?

    I’ll fucking debate that if I want to, because it is your opinion and not a fact. It’s a pretty fucking retarded mentally challenged opinion, at that.

  3. 3.

    Zifnab

    October 29, 2008 at 10:30 am

    Funny you use that tag – I haven’t heard McCain mention his historic POW status as a campaign tool in weeks. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention.

    But yeah, Joe "Sam" the (not a) Plumber is one of the few not-entirely-crappy cards in McCain’s deck. Frankly, he’s the card McCain should have been playing from the very start by leveraging his media clout to get a bunch of nobody surrogates in front of TV cameras telling America how important it is to stay conservative in these trying times.

    But after the Swift Boat Veterans, is Joe really a surprise? It’s the same old tactic trussed up in a new outfit.

  4. 4.

    Brian J

    October 29, 2008 at 10:30 am

    In completely unrelated but entirely awesome news, we have this from First Read:

    NEVADA: Today’s update from Jon Ralston’s must-read flash report: "The numbers in Washoe County continue to amaze: It’s 51-33, Democrats, in early voting – 48-36 when mail ballots are added. A 12-percentage point lead in Washoe County? Add the Washoe and Clark numbers together and here’s what you have: D – 52 percent, R-32 percent, Others-16 percent. Unless "Others" is having a love affair with John McCain, kiss Nevada goodbye, GOP."

    There’s also lots of other stuff in that link that will please any us. Instead of campaigning in Michigan and Wisconsin, we’re campaigning in North Carolina and Indiana. There are also reports that Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina and Mitch Daniels, who will probably will re-election by twenty or so points, want nothing to do with John McCain and Sarah Palin. Hell, Daniels will be campaigning outside some hall in Jeffersonville, Indiana, with Palin inside, and he won’t get on stage with her. That’s incredible.

  5. 5.

    r€nato

    October 29, 2008 at 10:30 am

    This guy is a know-nothing bullethead who is voting against his own interests and with delusions of grandeur whose non-realization he blames on commie Democrat islamosocialists.

    He’s the perfect mascot for McCain’s campaign.

  6. 6.

    Breezeblock

    October 29, 2008 at 10:31 am

    I got it figured out. Grampa McCain is still angry at 2000, how the Republicans and Rove slimed him to get Bush in the White House.

    By deliberately tanking his campaign, he gets revenge on Rove (will Schmidt ever work again and "who’s your daddy Permanent Republican Majority"), Bush and the Republican Party that went along with the sliming in 2000.

    My work here is done.

  7. 7.

    4tehlulz

    October 29, 2008 at 10:32 am

    I wonder how he would respond to "If Barack Obama is elected, what do you think should happen?"

  8. 8.

    fuddmain

    October 29, 2008 at 10:34 am

    I wish someone would make an ad showing this douchebag talk about how he hates Social Security and thinks it should be abolished. Run that non-stop in Florida.

  9. 9.

    Shinobi

    October 29, 2008 at 10:39 am

    My new policy:
    Every time a pundit/friend/family member/random person tells me how "scared" they are of XYZ, or how terrified they are then they are going to be immediately ignored.

    Appealing to people’s sense of self preservation as an arguing tactic is just lame. You can be concerned, you can be unhappy, but if you are out and out frightened, then you need to work on toning down your clearly overactive fear response.

    (I do too, Dead Space is repeatedly scaring the crap out of me, and that’s just sad.)

    I’m frightened that all of these sheeple are so frightened.

  10. 10.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 29, 2008 at 10:39 am

    @liberal:

    Repeat after me: "Socialism is government ownership or control of the means of production. Socialism is…"

    Actually, I would consider that to be communism. But what Obama is proposing is a long, long way from socialism. 95% of those who parrot this line have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s laughable: you could argue that Obama is to the right of Richard Nixon.

  11. 11.

    garyb50

    October 29, 2008 at 10:40 am

    I have a ‘friend’ who JoeSamTheNotPlumber reminds me so much of with the exception that he has hair & is a born again Armageddon believing bible spouting lunatic.

    But he’s very good at his job.

  12. 12.

    Juan del Llano

    October 29, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Is Anything For Real?

    Well, no, actually. It’s all one ball of light. Hi, me!

  13. 13.

    TheFountainHead

    October 29, 2008 at 10:41 am

    I don’t know what’s more idiotic: The McCain campaign using this guy as a campaign prop or said prop’s ignorance of what Socialism is in both the practical and historical contexts?

  14. 14.

    plus C

    October 29, 2008 at 10:41 am

    I’m worried about being taxed more under Obama, because I was planning on winning the lottery in the next couple years.

  15. 15.

    Sherrell

    October 29, 2008 at 10:41 am

    I see their joe the plumber and raise them this from the state of georgia!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxlwYP0HNdc

  16. 16.

    Ash Can

    October 29, 2008 at 10:42 am

    The McCain campaign should just ditch "Country First" and adopt the phrase "You Can’t Make This Shit Up" as its official motto.

  17. 17.

    dww44

    October 29, 2008 at 10:42 am

    Yeah, but unfortunately Joe the Plumber types work down here in red red land. Folks actually believe it. Democrats had a small rally on the sidewalk in front of our city hall early this morning. We were visited by a touring bus featuring Democratic candidate for the Senate, Jim Martin, running against Saxby! There were also other down ticket candidates. It was quite chilly around 9 and we were fortunate to be blessed with our own heckler, a Sarah Palin type. Truly. She kept chanting "Socialist, Communist, and Murderers".

    Sadly, they all believe this crap down here. I kid you not. And then I read that the Republican party is meeting secretly 2 weeks after the election in Washington to plot a grassroots campaign, even if McCain wins, " because he will be too liberal. Only Palin is the true conservative." Unbelievable.

    McCain has prostituted himself to his party’s base and they will still disown him if he wins.

    John, no wonder you left this party. They need to marginalize themselves out of existence. and be reconstituted as something else.

  18. 18.

    jenniebee

    October 29, 2008 at 10:44 am

    If raising the marginal tax rate on the richest Americans by 3% at a time when we’re engaged in two wars and have racked up tens of trillions of dollars in debt to wage them is Socialism, then this country could use a little Socialism.

    And now that we’re a socialist country anyway, could we get universal health care, protection for trade unions, a minimum wage that’s also a living wage, government subsidies for the fine arts to make them affordable for non-elites, an end to homelessness and consumer and environmental protections that actually have a little teeth in them? kthxbai

  19. 19.

    cynic

    October 29, 2008 at 10:46 am

    In summation:
    Obama: democracy-ender.
    Marx: wealth-spreader.
    Wurzelbacher: scared, America-loving, factual, un-debateable.

  20. 20.

    gbear

    October 29, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Even FOX news went after Joe the Plumber for being full of it. Well worth the visit to C&L to see the video.

    Sheppard Smith blasts Joe the Plumber for saying a vote for Obama means death to Israel

  21. 21.

    Martin

    October 29, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Meh.

    McCain has been throwing one hail-mary after another since he picked Palin. He’s getting his ass kicked, he knows he’s getting his ass kicked, and he’s just swinging blind hoping he hits Obama by dumb luck. Unfortunately for the GOP, he’s making his gang look like a bunch of complete asshole wankers by forcing them to defend all this shit. Had he picked a respectable VP and run a sane campaign at least the rest of the party wouldn’t all look like a bunch of deranged ‘socialism’ chanting zombies on the path to total electoral annihilation. None of his flailing has helped him in the end, and it’s done a shitload of damage to the party, mostly because so few Republicans had the good sense to cut the guy loose at the outset, nominee or not.

  22. 22.

    Ed in NJ

    October 29, 2008 at 10:49 am

    Uh, oh. McCain is losing the NASCAR vote, too:

    NASCAR Legend Junior Johnson endorses Obama

    I’m not a NASCAR guy, but supposedly this is a big deal in NC.

  23. 23.

    r€nato

    October 29, 2008 at 10:49 am

    even that other Senator from Arizona thinks McCain is SOL:

    "Who knows whether or not an Arizonan will run, but unfortunately, I think John McCain might be added to that long list of Arizonans who ran for president but never were elected." — Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), quoted by the Arizona Daily Star, on McCain’s probable loss. Kyl later claimed his remarks were taken out of context, but the audio of the interview proves otherwise.

    …once again, audio recordings prove their liberal bias.

  24. 24.

    J.

    October 29, 2008 at 10:52 am

    Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all… Could someone please stick "Joe’s" head in a toilet and give him a swirly?

    @Ed in NJ: One NASCAR vote does not a victory make, but it is encouraging.

  25. 25.

    Comrade Nixon Hailfire Palin

    October 29, 2008 at 10:52 am

    Joe the Plumber’s quest for privacy is not going well.

  26. 26.

    mightygodking

    October 29, 2008 at 10:52 am

    Here’s what I don’t get about Joe’s comments (apart from all the other things): he equates the introduction of socialism with the end of democracy.

    Socialism and democracy aren’t incompatible in the slightest. One is an economic model and the other a political model. There are heaps of socialist democracies all over the world.

    Which is just another reason Joe is stupid.

  27. 27.

    Brian J

    October 29, 2008 at 10:53 am

    Yeah. You know what, Joe Sam the Unlicensed Plumber?

    I’ll fucking debate that if I want to, because it is your opinion and not a fact. It’s a pretty fucking retarded mentally challenged opinion, at that.

    Well, you know, he has his facts, and you have yours. So, my friends, it would be a draw.

  28. 28.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 29, 2008 at 10:54 am

    Odd, innit, that those anti-socialist, Real American, Red States all get more dollars back from the government than they pay in taxes. Wonder what would happen if Obama promised to end that socialist redistribution of wealth.

  29. 29.

    Martin

    October 29, 2008 at 10:57 am

    And my post referencing the ‘s’ word got moderated. John, does the spam filter do regex? Can you allow \w(cialis)\w?

    (And this will have go hit the spam bucket too, apparently…)

  30. 30.

    Catpain Haddock

    October 29, 2008 at 10:58 am

    Really, who better to talk to the idiots who vote Republican than an idiot who votes Republican?

    Nothing sells that "no new taxes" concept like a guy who hasn’t even been paying his "old" taxes.

  31. 31.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 29, 2008 at 10:59 am

    I thought this post from Sadly No!, showing the history of the top marginal tax rate, was brilliant.

  32. 32.

    Brian J

    October 29, 2008 at 10:59 am

    Sadly, they all believe this crap down here. I kid you not.

    I live in what you could classify as the suburbs of New York City. My part of the state has about 2,800,000 people. In other words, it’s not some backwoods town in a dim part of some vast but empty part of the country. And I’ve heard plenty of people say the same sort of nonsense.

    If it makes you feel any better, your state appears to be changing quickly, at least overall.

  33. 33.

    Tom

    October 29, 2008 at 11:00 am

    The wingnuts have truly taken over the McCain campaign.

    John has long said the campaign seems like it’s being run by right-wing bloggers. Now they’ve essentially taken your average wingnut poster who spreads rumors of Michelle Obama tapes and fake birth certificates and put him out on the stump to campaign for them.

    The inmate is running the asylum.

  34. 34.

    cleek

    October 29, 2008 at 11:01 am

    SamJoe used to be a member of the Natural Law party (before it went belly-up, i suppose). go read some of their positions. then try to imagine the mental break this SamJoe guy had to have in order to flip from the NLP to the McGOP.

    from their section of Foreign Policy:

    America’s meddlesome and invasive foreign policy has sown the seeds of enmity throughout the world. Most of our foreign aid is military aid. We are the world’s leading arms peddler, providing weapons to both sides of most international conflicts. Our troops are often forced to confront our own weapons on the battlefield. America’s foreign policy has fostered ill will throughout the world and has us the principal target of terrorism on Earth.

    …

    Above all, we must ensure that our precious national resources are applied effectively and not wasted through inefficiency, mishandling, or inappropriate allocation. Foreign aid decisions must be made in consultation with the people of recipient countries, from both the government and nongovernmental citizens’ groups.
    In a peaceful and harmonious world family, we can conceive of reducing our own military expenditures and realizing a significant “peace dividend,” directing some of our enormous defense expenditures towards our own social programs, including investment and development as an economic superpower.

    that’s like a 180 from McCainism.

  35. 35.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 29, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Obama needs to summon The Necks.

    Joe wouldn’t stand a chance.

  36. 36.

    Tom Ames

    October 29, 2008 at 11:04 am

    Yesterthread Some Fuckhead noted that, for the repubs, "getting close in the polls" means "getting close enough to get away with stealing the election".

    Well, the fix is in progress. Checkout this video of a WV elections supervisor demonstrating that the touch-screen is legit, as it repeatedly switches Dem votes to R.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/west-virginia-vote-flippi_n_138729.html

    Jail terms are in order, I think.

  37. 37.

    plus C

    October 29, 2008 at 11:05 am

    Well, you know, he has his facts, and you have yours. So, my friends, it would be a draw.

    They might be better described as faxz, since his faxz are to facts what cheez is to cheese.

  38. 38.

    bootlegger

    October 29, 2008 at 11:07 am

    that’s honestly right out of Karl Marx’s mouth

    Really? Is that in Capital? Or The Communist Manifesto? I’ve perused both and don’t remember that part about sharing the wealth. Now if he had said "proletariat seize the means of production from the bourgeoisie", then the Little Plumber Boy might be on to something.

  39. 39.

    The Moar You Know

    October 29, 2008 at 11:10 am

    Joe the Plumber is named Sam, isn’t actually a plumber, doesn’t have any plan to buy any business, makes nowhere near 250k a year, and would actually get a tax cut under Obama.

    And yet no one, in spite of all these realizations, has figured out that he is a McCain employee.

    "Accidental encounter" with Obama, my ass. This was set up a long time ago.

    But I’ll give McCain’s campaign this; someone has a real sense of humor and history to tag Sam as being a "plumber".

  40. 40.

    Balconesfault

    October 29, 2008 at 11:10 am

    fuddmain – I wish someone would make an ad showing this douchebag talk about how he hates Social Security and thinks it should be abolished. Run that non-stop in Florida.

    Hell with Social Security.

    Until someone has the cojones to come out in favor of abolishing Medicare, it’s time to stfu about anyone else being a "Socialist".

    And Mightygodking is spot on … talking about Socialism representing the end of Democracy is like saying that cell phones represent the end of the print media.

  41. 41.

    boonagain

    October 29, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Yeah, I believe Nixon utilized such ‘Plumbers’ back in 72.

  42. 42.

    Cris v.3.1

    October 29, 2008 at 11:18 am

    That’s not my opinion. That’s fact.

    That line, my friends, is lifted straight from Rush Limbaugh. Back when my car had only an AM radio, I used to hear the Fat Loudmouthed One use that phrase all the time.

  43. 43.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 29, 2008 at 11:21 am

    @bootlegger: McPOW taped a few of his talks back when they were both kids.

  44. 44.

    MikeL

    October 29, 2008 at 11:22 am

    I remember when John first admonished us not to get on Joe’s case cause he was just an average guy. I thought he was wrong, but I respected his wishes, on the assumption that it was only a matter of time before he clued in on "Joe" the way he eventually clued in on Bush.

    Looks like I was right.

    What I find funny is that there are various definitions of socialism out there. If you work with the "The workers must control the means of production" definition, well – Joe is a socialist if he owns his own equipment and gets his own work, because he controls the means of his production.

  45. 45.

    Evinfuilt

    October 29, 2008 at 11:22 am

    @mightygodking:

    Thank you, thank you.

    Democracy is not Capitalism
    Socialism is not Marxism

    Was nice to see the Socialist on Colbert last night, Obama IS right of Nixon, and still won’t bring Tax levels up to what it was under most of Reagens rule.

    and funny enough. Christianism is closer to Socialism with an Authoritarian Government, and that’s what most of them actually want.

  46. 46.

    Original Lee

    October 29, 2008 at 11:25 am

    On the other hand, Martha Stewart FTW!

    There is some discussion on other boards about whether or not she can vote because she was convicted of a felony. Even if she can’t vote, she is using her rep for being practical and sensible for a good cause.

  47. 47.

    satby

    October 29, 2008 at 11:26 am

    Joe the Plumber is named Sam, isn’t actually a plumber, doesn’t have any plan to buy any business, makes nowhere near 250k a year, and would actually get a tax cut under Obama

    But he still gets primo media time, instead of being ignored. Which makes it appropriate, I guess, for him to be a spokesperson for a campaign that continually lies and is barely called on it in the media.

    Back in the day Uncle Walter would have just ignored the guy. I miss Cronkite.

  48. 48.

    apocalipstick

    October 29, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Someone should point out to these idiots that democracy and socialism can exist hand-in-glove. Done properly, they can even compliment and reinforce one another.

  49. 49.

    Napoleon

    October 29, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Obama says:

    "By the end of the week, [McCain will] be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in Kindergarten"

    LMAO

  50. 50.

    Punchy

    October 29, 2008 at 11:28 am

    How in hell do you pimp Joe the Dumber and not tag it "Clown shoes"?

    GIMMIE MY GODDAMN "CLOWN SHOES" TAG!

  51. 51.

    JustSomeChick

    October 29, 2008 at 11:28 am

    Joe, aka Sam, is a living example of why we need civics back in schools (along with gym and art). Democracy (electoral/governing process) is not the opposite of Socialism (fiscal policy)–that would be Capitalism. There are plenty of socialist nations that are also democracies while still enjoying the benefits of capitalism. Unfortunately for Joe (and Repubs) that requires Knowledge which we know is both elitist and un-American.

  52. 52.

    libarbarian

    October 29, 2008 at 11:28 am

    @Renato,

    Are you denying that Karl Marx advocated "spreading the wealth around"? I think its fair to say that he did.

    I think Joes error is in failing to see that LOTS of people have advocated at least some "spreading of the wealth around". It is not unique to Karl Marx and while it is a necessary element of socialism it is not sufficient. There are plenty of non-socialist philosphies of spreading the wealth around.

  53. 53.

    libarbarian

    October 29, 2008 at 11:29 am

    "Awaiting Moderation"?

    What is tripping that damn spam filter off?

  54. 54.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 29, 2008 at 11:30 am

    The McCain campaign has a fictional character out stumping for him and his simulated Vice President. At this rate, the upcoming battle for the future of the Republican party will be over which of Ronald Reagan’s movies will run for president in ’12.

  55. 55.

    Comrade Stuck

    October 29, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Is Anything For Real?

    It’s the McPalin Magical Mystery Tour

  56. 56.

    kommrade jakevich

    October 29, 2008 at 11:35 am

    @apocalipstick: Or, someone could point out that "Waaah! Obama wants to destroy America an’ make us into commies!" is a big steaming pile of shit the GOP dumped out next to "Waaah! Obama wants to destroy America and hand us over to th’ terrists!"

    Much easier. And that’s not my opinion, that’s fact.

  57. 57.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 29, 2008 at 11:36 am

    At this rate, the upcoming battle for the future of the Republican party will be over which of Ronald Reagan’s movies will run for president in ‘12.

    Win.

  58. 58.

    Wayne

    October 29, 2008 at 11:37 am

    Thanks for Dali.
    His images grace my computer backgrounds.

  59. 59.

    Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon)

    October 29, 2008 at 11:38 am

    @kommrade jakevich:

    Or, someone could point out that "Waaah! Obama wants to destroy America an’ make us into commies!" is a big steaming pile of shit the GOP dumped out next to "Waaah! Obama wants to destroy America and hand us over to th’ terrists!"

    Convincing lower middle class white yahoos to vote Republican is the most impressive con job of the last 50 years.

  60. 60.

    HeartlandLiberal

    October 29, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Things I have given up to avoid becoming a socialist:

    1. Medicare
    2. Medicaid
    3. Social Security in my old age
    4. Paved roads
    5. Bridges that don’t collapse
    6. Fire departments
    7. Ambulances to fetch me if I have a heart attack
    8. A military to defend the nation (and me)

    Well, the list goes on, but you should get the drift.

    Where of where is John Galt when you need him?

  61. 61.

    sfbevster

    October 29, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Does he get the $150k clothing allowance?

  62. 62.

    ppcli

    October 29, 2008 at 11:45 am

    "That’s straight out of Karl Marx’s mouth"

    As people have noted, that isn’t out of Karl Marx’s mouth.
    .
    But even if it was – are we really supposed to reject something just because Marx said it? One of the planks of the Communist Manifesto is that we should prohibit child labor and establish free elementary schools. Should we send kids back down coal mines and eliminate state elementary education because Marx favored the system currently in place?
    .
    (I hope the Republican hard core isn’t reading this. It might give them ideas.)

  63. 63.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 29, 2008 at 11:45 am

    Thanks for Dali.
    His images grace my computer backgrounds.

    Hello Dali,
    Well hello, Dali…

    /Ducks, runs out of room.

  64. 64.

    liberal

    October 29, 2008 at 11:46 am

    @Montysano (All Hail Marx & Lennon):

    Actually, I would consider that to be communism.

    Nope. It’s the dictionary definition of socialism.

  65. 65.

    DFS

    October 29, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Uh, oh. McCain is losing the NASCAR vote, too

    The big question now is who will bag the Ric Flair endorsement.

  66. 66.

    Michael

    October 29, 2008 at 11:49 am

    Everyone is missing the point when it comes to the socialism issue. The GOP is throwing Ronald Reagan under the bus using this attack. The complain that 40% of the families do not pay taxes anyways and giving them money is wrong. Well there they go again- under Reagan came the Earned Income Credit which "spreads the wealth", "redistributes the wealth", and gives money to working families that essentially pay no taxes. Wow- Ronald Reagan is a supporter of socialism!
    Plus- anyone who watched Joe the next day after the debate knows that his views are crazy. He stated that he was upset to find out at the age of 18 that he was a Yankee and not born in the south. Nice vetting!

  67. 67.

    liberal

    October 29, 2008 at 11:50 am

    @mightygodking:

    Socialism and democracy aren’t incompatible in the slightest. One is an economic model and the other a political model. There are heaps of socialist democracies all over the world.

    There’s the argument of Hayek (which I don’t believe myself, at least in the general case) that socialism will lead to increasingly authoritarian government.

    Then there’s the implicit "slippery slope" aspect. A. O. Hirschman(n) discussed that in his excellent small book, The Rhetoric of Reaction.

  68. 68.

    Punchy

    October 29, 2008 at 11:50 am

    SamJoe used to be a member of the Natural Law party

    That’s odd, b/c I’ve always envisioned him as a member of the Natural Lite party.

  69. 69.

    Screamin' Demon

    October 29, 2008 at 11:52 am

    NASCAR Legend Junior Johnson endorses Obama

    Well, goddamnit, Junior, I’m proud of ya.

    You ought to check out the comments at the link, particularly those by a "Miss Priss." Pure, unadulterated stupid.

  70. 70.

    cleek

    October 29, 2008 at 11:54 am

    Where oh where is John Galt when you need him?

    last i heard, he was downtown, trying to sell insurance to people who want to make sure their bank deposits are safe in case of bank insolvency.

  71. 71.

    steve

    October 29, 2008 at 11:58 am

    i agree, is anything for real?…joe the plummer is equally as fake as barack obama…..

  72. 72.

    Face

    October 29, 2008 at 11:58 am

    Does this mean we’re looking at a Palin/Plumber 2012 ticket? Cool.

  73. 73.

    ppcli

    October 29, 2008 at 12:03 pm

    Steve:
    "joe the plummer"
    .
    .
    I think you mean "Christopher the Plummer". Joe has pretended to be many things he isn’t, but he’s never pretended to be an Austrian patriot.

  74. 74.

    prolix

    October 29, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Jack Cafferty on Joe the Plumber – Tuesday

    "Yeah, if I couldn’t make up my mind, that’s the guy I’d go to for advice."

  75. 75.

    Wayne

    October 29, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Hello Dali,
    Well hello, Dali…

    /Ducks, runs out of room.

    It’s so nice to have you back where you belong.
    You’re looking swell, Dolly,
    we can tell, Dolly,
    you’re still glowin’, you’re still crowin’,
    you’re still goin’ strong.
    We feel the room swayin
    for the band’s playin
    one of your old fav-rite songs from way back when.
    So, take her wrap, fellas,
    find her an empty lap, fellas.
    Dolly’ll never go away again.

  76. 76.

    Rick Taylor

    October 29, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    I remember thinking that McCain was probably the strongest candidate the Republicans had to run against us. True, he had a habit of occasionally saying things that were scarily detached from reality (such as Iraq was so hunky dory, he could go visit a market place and Patraeus patrolled in an unarmored humvee). But the pressed loved him, and he had a reputation as a moderate. Romney might have been more competent, but the press hated him and he had a reputation as a complete fake, while Huckabee seemed to much of a part of the social conservative wing, and Giulianni was just scary. So I thought of the sorry lot, McCain was their best bet, and I nodded my head when liberals would worry about him being picked.

    Boy was I ever wrong. Looking at what’s happened, I wonder if any of the other candidates could have possibly done worse? For the life of me, I can’t understand why he’s conducted his campaign the way he has. Why on earth did he turn on his best buddies in the press corps? That was a priceless asset. All he had to do was play the father figure, the concerned party elder who, while he appreciated Obama’s talent, was asking in a time of crises is this really the time for someone so new. The press would have overlooked his gaffes and backed up his reputation as an experienced politician who knew what he was doing, no matter how unjustified. I really don’t get it. Maybe Obama really does have a talent for driving his enemies completely stark raving nuts.

  77. 77.

    Dennis - SGMM

    October 29, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    I think you mean "Christopher the Plummer".

    Maybe he means that guy who sells plums at the Farmers’ Market.

  78. 78.

    steve

    October 29, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    yep…like chris barack pretends to be many things he isnt…..

  79. 79.

    steve

    October 29, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    yep…like chris barack pretends to be many things he isnt…..

  80. 80.

    GSD

    October 29, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    John McCain has placed the final days of his campaign and his dwindling political fortunes in the hands of a dishonest, angry political novice who spends most of his day breaking up floaters with a plunger and inhaling PVC glue.

    John McCain, judgement when it counts.

    -GSD

  81. 81.

    cleek

    October 29, 2008 at 12:11 pm

    Joe Plummer is Modest Mouse’s drummer

    You’re the icing on the cake on the table at my wake
    You’re the extra ton of cash on my sinking life raft
    You’re the loud sound of fun when I’m trying to sleep
    You’re the flowers on my table when my allergies come out
    You’re the good things…

  82. 82.

    Rick Taylor

    October 29, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    Via digby, have people seen Obama’s latest ad? It made me smile.

  83. 83.

    Jeff

    October 29, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    Joe the Plumber is named Sam, isn’t actually a plumber, doesn’t have any plan to buy any business, makes nowhere near 250k a year, and would actually get a tax cut under Obama.

    My new signature through November 4th.

  84. 84.

    CIRCVS MAXIMVS MMVIII

    October 29, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    @Breezeblock:

    I beg to differ.

    While he may still be pissed, one doesn’t blow off the opportunity to be president because of petty differences which happened years ago.

  85. 85.

    ppcli

    October 29, 2008 at 12:17 pm

    "yep…like chris barack pretends to be many things he isnt….."
    .
    .
    True enough. For example, there was the time in one of the debates that Obama was asked about Sarah Palin, and he pretended he wasn’t resisting the urge to roll around on the floor laughing and erupting in hoots of derision. I thought that showed iron self-control.

  86. 86.

    cleek

    October 29, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    PA voting : McCain is crushing Obama. Barr is crushing McCain. and Nader is right on Obama’s heels.

    snicker.

    (be sure to read that bright red text)

  87. 87.

    bootlegger

    October 29, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Are you denying that Karl Marx advocated "spreading the wealth around"? I think its fair to say that he did.

    I think it’s clear that he didn’t. Marx’s ideas in the Manifesto is that the workers of the world would unite, throw off their chains of bondage, and seize the means of production. Neither he nor Engels ever said that the wealth would then be redistributed equally to everyone. In fact, there would be no ownership whatsoever which precludes distribution of anything to anyone. The communal ownership (hence "communism") would dole out the resources as needed to provide for the communal interest. There is no statement that this distribution had to be equal and anything given to someone is by definition owned by everyone.

  88. 88.

    Rick Taylor

    October 29, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    I remember when John first admonished us not to get on Joe’s case cause he was just an average guy. I thought he was wrong, but I respected his wishes, on the assumption that it was only a matter of time before he clued in on "Joe" the way he eventually clued in on Bush.

    I think John was absolutely right, right up until the point the McCain campaign started having him publicly stump for him, and he started spewing all sorts of nonsense with their endorsement. The remarkable thing isn’t that there are people in America with all sorts of crazy views like Joe, it’s that McCain would use someone like that to stump for them. I usually roll my eyes when a politician tries to bring up every-man, the typical American, to make their case; it’s usually corny as hell, but as far as I know this is the first time they’ve gone beyond apocryphal stories for the stump and treated them like a campaign surrogate.

  89. 89.

    DBrown

    October 29, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    "Karl Marx advocated "spreading the wealth around"? I think its fair to say that he did."

    Really? I believe someone in the Bible first said it. One of these socialist went by the name of Jesus. That one appeared to want to spread all the all the wealth around to the poor.

  90. 90.

    John S.

    October 29, 2008 at 12:35 pm

    barack pretends to be many things he isnt

    KWAWK!

    Steve want a cracker?

    Oh, and real wingnuts refer to him as Barry.

  91. 91.

    Svensker

    October 29, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    "yep…like chris barack pretends to be many things he isnt….."

    Who is Chris Barack?

  92. 92.

    John S.

    October 29, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    Are you denying that Karl Marx advocated "spreading the wealth around"? I think its fair to say that he did.

    Actually, bootlegger nailed it. I never really thought about it until I read his post, but the whole ‘Obama is a communist’ trope is incredibly stupid for the reasons he outlined.

    To make an analogy, in the future world of Star Trek where they have a functional form of ‘communism’ and they are not on a currency based economy, there is no such thing as wealth re-distribution BECAUSE THERE IS NO WEALTH.

  93. 93.

    Zuzu's Petals

    October 29, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    @dww44:

    I hope you chanted back, "USA! USA! USA!"

  94. 94.

    Josh Hueco

    October 29, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    After the election maybe Joe the Plumber can star in the sequel to Naylin’ Paylin’

  95. 95.

    demimondian

    October 29, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    @mightygodking:

    There are heaps of socialist democracies all over the world.

    Hmm.

    Not really. "Democratic socialism" is not true socialism; it’s actually a form of the modern liberal state. (Liberal in the British sense of maximum freedom consistent with minimal social norms.) Even Sweden, the alleged European paragon of left-wing fantasies (whether of socialism or beach volleyball teams), is hardly socialist, merely provided with a strong social safety net and a powerful regulatory system in which unions play a strong, but not preeminent, role.

  96. 96.

    4tehlulz

    October 29, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    @John S.: ZOMG the Federation was communist!?!

    pantload>

  97. 97.

    dobrojutro

    October 29, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    thread win =

    Joe the Plumber’s quest for privacy is not going well.

    btw, I am now stumping for Obama as Yosemite Sam.

  98. 98.

    steve

    October 29, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    chris barack is the same as chris the plummer is the same as barack the christian is the same as joe the plummer is the same as barack the muslim is the same as (inset your own imposter who will say anything to get elected here)…and when you speak about what you really feel and think you get hidden from the public…see "hidin biden" below

    http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1854640,00.html

  99. 99.

    liberal

    October 29, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    @Rick Taylor:

    For the life of me, I can’t understand why he’s conducted his campaign the way he has. Why on earth did he turn on his best buddies in the press corps?

    I totally agree about the press corps thing.

    Otherwise, though, a lot of it can be explained by the command that he appeal to the base, which (despite his pro-forced-birth voting record) has never liked him.

  100. 100.

    bootlegger

    October 29, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    @John S.:
    Thank you sir. I knew slogging through that ridiculously dense tome in graduate school would come in handy some day.

  101. 101.

    kouji

    October 29, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    this is so strange. i wonder if he truly believes what he is saying.

    obama planning to end democracy? he believes this because obama plans to make things a little easier for middle and lower income americans, by raising the taxes of the wealthy somewhat? i’m rather certain that american democracy will continue, notwithstanding these tax modifications.

    no one can debate that? that’s fact? how can he say this?

    obama as a socialist… i think that’s debatable. america transforming into a socialist society due to one particular candidate… i think that’s debatable.

    i have nothing against this person, but i’m surprised that he’s being given such a prominent role, speaking about matters where i just don’t get the feeling that he can provide adequate bases for his statements.

  102. 102.

    Blue Raven

    October 29, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    @steve

    O Gods of teh Intarwebz, when we beseeched You for a better class of troll, did we somehow cause offense? Was our sacrifice inadequate? Should we have offered two cases of Bawlz? Please, communicate to us the form of our offense and how we may make amends. What You have sent us is worse than a badly written Turing test.

  103. 103.

    steve

    October 29, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    huh?

  104. 104.

    Cris v.3.1

    October 29, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    @HeartlandLiberal:
    Where of where is John Galt when you need him?

    As of just a couple days ago, he was posting mini-manifestos under the name "I am Joe".

  105. 105.

    liberal

    October 29, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    @steve:

    huh?

    LOL!!

  106. 106.

    Z2221344

    October 29, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    I’m sure this has been mentioned already, but, how exactly are socialism and democracy mutually exclusive? This guy knows as much about politics as the pipes he doesn’t actually work on, or the toilets he doesn’t actually unclog.

  107. 107.

    Vic Arpeggio

    October 29, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    "Joe The Plumber" lives about 5 minutes from where I went to high school. If it’s any consolation, Springfield Township is sort of the Wal-Mart embarrassment of Northwest Ohio.

  108. 108.

    DonnaInMichigan

    October 29, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    According to Daily Kos, Sam-Joe T Plumber is trying to get himself a country music record contract.

    Can you say:

    Unfuckinbelievable??

    And you know what the saddest part of this is, he probably WILL get one.

  109. 109.

    DRstve

    October 29, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    As A small business owner myself I found myself wondering out loud during the third debate things like"Plumbers dont make 250K", "even if they did no business owner of a firm that size makes employment/investment decisions based on say 1000 bucks tax increase" and "McCain really has no idea what small business folks deal with at all and has no concept of tax implications on regular people" Then I watched Obama politely and intelligently discuss with Joe his question and how impressed I was how he had his head wrapped around this issue. All in all I would be better off in my business with Obama’s plan than McCains .

  110. 110.

    Zuzu's Petals

    October 29, 2008 at 5:59 pm

    Well to be fair, it looks like the guy actually did serve in the military and did live in Alaska:

    Anchorage Daily News

  111. 111.

    chuckieboy

    October 30, 2008 at 12:27 am

    So what the fuck is wrong with socialism. The highest standard of living in the world is in socialist countries, like all of Western Europe (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Holland, Belgium, England, etc.). The only socialism in this country is for the rich, and capitalism for the poor,

Comments are closed.

Trackbacks

  1. transparentgrid.com » Which one is the heavyweight? says:
    October 30, 2008 at 1:12 am

    […] of slavery,  is to be anti-American.  Of course, these are the same folks who are now relying on an unlicensed plumber to comfortably give off of the cuff remarks about tax policy and such because their Vice […]

  2. Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Missing The Point says:
    October 30, 2008 at 9:46 am

    […] on to the present, where we learn that we should not vote for Obama because some plumber (but not really) is worried about socialism and because Obama knows a guy named Khalidi who does not agree with […]

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