Tag: McCain

Wurzelbacher a plant? Not possible, says reporter on the scene

On October 12, Barack Obama held a campaign appearance in Toledo, Ohio. On his way to a planned speech, Obama stopped to do a little door-to-door politicking in the suburban Toledo neighborhood where Joe Wurzelbacher lives. Investigating the suspicion by some that Joe Wurzelbacher was a McCain campaign plant, I called reporter Tom Troy of the Toledo Blade. Tom was covering Obama’s visit to Toledo and was on the scene for the meeting between Obama and Wurzelbacher.
According to Troy, the stop location was known only to the Obama campaign and the Secret Service. Troy said, “Nobody in that neighborhood knew Barack Obama was going to be there.” The press was aware that some kind of unscheduled stop was possible but they did not know where or when it would happen. Said Troy, “It’s not possible for him to be a plant. It was totally unplanned.”
Mr. Troy told me that the motorcade stopped so that Obama could talk to voters in an informal manner. According to Troy, the conversation between Obama and Joe occured “right in front of his [Wurzelbacher’s] house.” Troy said that Joe gave credit to Obama for being willing to stop and talk to people.
I hope that clears things up.
Read Tom Troy’s October 12th article.

Breaking: Joe Wurzelbacher is really Joe Wurzelbacher

Now the U.S. News and World Report has become unhinged.
Bonnie Erbe gives credence to the conspiracy theories about Joe Wurzelbacher – aka, Joe the Plumber. The media is tearing into this guy with a vengence, even questioning his name, because he uses his middle name, something by the way that I do.

Joe the Plumber so loves media attention, he’s drawing pro-Obama bloggers to question his authenticity as an undecided voter:
Joe has been on so many right wing talk shows it appears pretty obvious that this is a coordinated attempt to pull a last second ‘tax and spend’ haymaker. Family Security Matters, a wingnut security policy thinktank, has the first interview with Joe after this Obama encounter. Hmmm. What’s the chance that a group like this gets the first interview with this alleged ‘undecided voter’?
Other blogs say Wurzelbacher may be related to Charles Keating of the Keating Five and that his father is a major Republican donor:
Joe the Plumber, the star of tonight’s debate, may have a very interesting connection to John McCain. In fact, Joe the Plumber (Joe Wurzelbacher) of Cincinnati, Ohio may be related to one Robert Wurzelbacher of Cincinnati, Ohio, who happens to be Charles Keating’s son-in-law. Robert Wurzelbacher was implicated in the Keating 5 scandal, and sentenced to 40 months in prison in 1993. Wurzelbacher is also a huge Republican donor.
Keep watching this story because if it proves true that “Joe the Plumber” is the wealthy, Republican regular the liberal blogs are claiming he is, the McCain campaign could go down as the most corrupt and inept in history.

Read this story from the Toledo Blade which is from the day of when Obama and Joe met. There are many people around and Obama is on the street meeting people. How the McCain forces could set this up is beyond me.

Mr. Obama’s longest conversation was with a man who said afterward that he likes Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president.
Joe Wurzelbacher, 34, a plumber, debated with Senator Obama about his tax plan.
‘I’m being taxed more and more for fulfilling the American dream,’ Mr. Wurzelbacher said.
Mr. Obama tried to convince him that his plans to give a tax cut to 95 percent of Americans and to raise taxes on those earning more than $250,000 would be good for the plumbing business by helping get the economy righted.
‘Pretty good practice’
As Mr. Obama left, he said, ‘I’ve got to go prepare for this debate, but that was pretty good practice.’

This apparently amended article sets the context for Obama’s visit to Springfield Township. He dropped in the neighborhood.

Mr. Obama arrived in Toledo yesterday for the start of three days of intensive preparation for Wednesday’s final presidential debate, but he first made an unscheduled stop in a Springfield Township neighborhood to canvass for votes.
The candidate surprised residents of the working-class Lincoln Green neighborhood off McCord Road when his motorcade made the unannounced stop on the way in from Toledo Express Airport.
Wearing a white shirt, suit trousers, and no tie, Mr. Obama chatted, joked, hugged, posed, and debated for 45 minutes with the folks of Shrewsbury Street who came out of their homes to meet him.
Rachel Jesko, 28, a teacher, was dropping off her friend when she saw the motorcade in the neighborhood.

Another Joe the plumber doubts Obama

I wonder how many plumbers are named Joe. The fellow we always call is named Tom, but I digress.
Here is another plumber named Joe who is backing McCain.

Shanks, an independent voter, said he’s supporting Republican Sen. John McCain, citing the official’s career experience in office as the deciding factor for him.
“I’d just feel more comfortable, confident and safe with McCain,” the plumber said. “McCain’s been there. Obama’s just not that experienced.”
Shanks likened the decision to a homeowner in need of a plumber – would you hire the guy who just got his trade license, he asked, or a seasoned professional?

What a concept.

Debate reactions: Open Forum

I think Joe Wurzelbacher (the Ohio plumber) and Bob Schieffer did well.
The questions were more helpful to voters in making decisions. I think the candidates made the differences a bit clearer. If you want a more centralized federal government and social liberal, vote for Obama. If you want spending discipline and social conservatism, vote for McCain.
Bring it…
NOTE TO READERS: For some reason I cannot figure out, your comments are not being posted. I cannot get to the spam queue either to look for them there. Makes it tough to have an open forum, eh? Try again in a bit, hopefully I can get it worked out…
Let me remind readers about this post about Mr. Wurzelbacher’s interview today with Family Security Matters.