Joe the Plumber: MSM, Team Obama’s Destroy Joe Mission
Joe Wurzelbacher:
Media Won’t Demand Obama Records
Plenty of Media Investigative Fire Power to Probe Joe the Plumber
“Before men can act,an issue must be polarized. Men will act when they are convinced their cause is 100 percent on the side of the angels, and that the opposition are 100 percent on the side of the devil. [The community organizer] knows that when the time comes for negotiations it is really only a 10 percent difference.â€
–Saul Alinsky, Chicago’s Godfather of Community Organizing
Media Investigates Plumber, Not the Candidate
If anyone was thinking of asking Barack Obama an uncomfortable question, here’s some advice from Big Media:
Better keep it to yourself, if you know what’s good for you.
Joe Wurzelbacher, a man who was thinking of buying a plumbing business asked Obama about his tax plans and what they mean for the Average Joe–whether a plumber or not.
The question focused unwanted attention on the fantastic tax claims of Obama. But then, Obama’s “we’re gonna spread the wealth around” answer shone a light on the socialistic plans of a possible Obama administration.
The Mainstream Media then made an abject lesson of Joe the Plumber.
“Too bad Joe the Plumber has received more scrutiny in 24 hours than Bill Ayers has in the past 24 months.”
–Video: Obama Mocks Joe The Plumber, Crowd Laughs
From Michelle Malkin’s “Operation Destroy Joe the Plumber“:
Obama’s followers couldn’t handle the incontrovertible truth. Left-wing blogs immediately went to work, blaring headlines like “Not A Real $250k Plumber!†Next, they falsely accused Wurzelbacher of not being registered to vote (he’s registered in Lucas County, Ohio, and voted as a Republican in this year’s primary).
Next, they called him a liar for identifying himself as undecided. Only registered Democrats and fake Republican tools used in mainstream media stories and YouTube debates are allowed to use that label, you see.
Next, award-winning liberal blogger Joshua Marshall cast Wurzelbacher as some kind of rabid freak for calling Social Security a “joke†– as if no working-class Americans could believe that the federal government’s entitlement programs were a rip-off unless they were bought and paid for by the McCain campaign.
Then, suddenly, the journalists who wouldn’t lift a finger to investigate Barack Obama’s longtime relationships with Weather Underground terrorist Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright sprang into action rifling through citizen Joe Wurzelbacher’s tax records. Politico.com reported breathlessly: “Samuel J. Wurzelbacher has a lien placed against him to the tune of $1,182.92. The lien is dated from January of ‘07.†Press outlets probed his divorce records. The local plumbers’ union, which has endorsed Obama, claimed he didn’t do their required apprenticeship work and didn’t have a license to work outside his local township.
Hang him!
After Wurzelbacher told Katie Couric that Obama’s rhetorical tap dance was “almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr.,†the inevitable cries of “bigotry†followed. (There are now tens of thousands of hits on the Internet for “Joe the Plumber racist.â€)
Welcome to Joe the Plumber Derangement Syndrome. If you can’t beat him, smear him. It’s the Obama way.
AllahPundit reports Good news: Toledo moves to shut down Joe the Plumber.
“Look on the bright side. The media’s finally starting to vet acquaintances of Barack Obama.”
Dan Riehl hits the Joe the Plumber nail on the head with sledgehammer: The O-Body Count Grows.
The O-body count is growing and the Left and Obama haven’t really even achieved any power of the executive kind so far. Everyone who has gotten in the way of Obama’s path to power has been horribly run down. It’s also obvious that they would happily destroy them if they could.
If you needed one single reason to vigorously oppose Obama and energetically support McCain, this might be it.
Eighteen days before the election and someone who asked Obama a question is pursued by a MSM lust to uncover information.
Eighteen days before the election and Barack Obama has still not released any medical records–nor college or university records. Obama’s membership in the Socialist New Party still hasn’t been revealed to MSM readers/viewers.
No reporters are asking why Obama’s medical records remain hidden from public view.
Probably too busy going through Joe’s divorce records.
Eighteen days and myriad fund-raising questions about the Obama campaign go unreported; but Joe the Plumber’s tax lien of $1100 is big news.
The MSM lesson, whether you are Joe the Plumber or Sarah Palin:
Don’t question Obama or we’ll make trouble for you. You got that, punk?
Maybe that’s why no reporters will ask Obama about his unreleased medical, college and university records.
UPDATE 1235 EDT
Confederate Yankee: Typhoid Barry
At any moment, Barack Obama could suddenly show up in your yard and put you on the spot where you feel compelled to ask him a question. If—God forbid—he offers up an answer that reveals a disturbing aspect of his political agenda, your life is over.
We’ve now seen this take place in the life of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, known to the world as “Joe the Plumber.” Joe has become a cautionary tale of what happens when you allow Barack Obama to reveal himself.
Joe was playing football at home with his son when Barack Obama suddenly appeared, and then ruined Joe’s life by answering a simple question about taxes with an answer about how those who chase the American Dream should be required to “spread the wealth around.”
What he said.
by Mondo Frazier
image: bbc
Senator McCain referred to Joe the Plumber 10 times during the debate. He held him out as a symbol of the person that Sen McCain wants to help. Why is it unreasonable for me, a voter, to be curious about who this guy is? And if he’s a partisan, wouldn’t that be relevant, since he wasn’t held out that way? Moreover, if the guy that Sen. McCain holds out as a poster boy for America’s middle class is a tax cheat – i’m not saying he is, but IF he is – why wouldn’t that be important?
If Sen. McCain wants to talk about hypothetical people, great. If he wants to use real people, then we undecided voters want to know who he’s talking about.
Reply
Undecided,
Then you’ll agree that there should at least be as much vetting of Barack Obama the Candidate as there has been of Joe the Plumber, a guy who decided to stop playing football with his son and ask Obama an uncomfortable question?
I think at least as much curiosity should be shown by the press in regards to Obama’s medical records, college records, university records and other records as is shown to Joe the Plumber.
Yet, I now know more about Joe the Plumber than I do about Barack Obama’s physical and mental health records, a man who may have his finger on the nuclear trigger. There has also been more written at Atlantic by Andrew Sullivan about Trig Palen’s birth certificate than Sullivan has ever written about Barack Obama’s curious response to the issue.
And if he’s a partisan, wouldn’t that be relevant, since he wasn’t held out that way?
Joe asked a question of a presidential candidate. If this is the way the press treats a guy who asks a question, then I have to believe it may deter others from asking other uncomfortable questions. I don’t think that is a good thing.
Fear and intimidation is bad whether it comes from the government, a bully at school, in foreign countries, or from Big Media.
Thanks for stopping by, reading and taking the time to comment.
Reply
Oh my gosh…..this is all so distasteful. and saddest of all is the light in which McCain has come to shine, regardless of how I will vote, i had always admired him as an American…a good American. What I’d rather see and here is the McCain who showed up tot he dinner last night and stood along side Obama and was kind and so very funny. That might not win elections either, but it made me forgive some of this bitterness. WE all want the best for this country, and both of these men are really quite amazing, different and inspiring…..it time to look at the houses and make sure we clean them up too…..because Obama and McCain are only a part of the solution.
Reply
kmp,
I assume you’re talking about the House of Representatives? I couldn’t agree more.
the McCain who showed up tot he dinner last night and stood along side Obama and was kind and so very funny.
Yes, he was funny. I agree also: He should be that effective the remainder of the time.
Thanks again for stopping by and commenting.
Reply
If I were Joe the Plumber, I wouldn’t be very happy with McCain. This was an orchestrated stunt that backfired badly. What about the nuts who yelled at McCain during his town hall, did anyone follow up on them and try to discredit them? Of course now. Joe only became an issue because McCain thought he could make campaign hay with it.
Reply
Why is Joe even an issue? He asked a question. If his question isn’t valid because he voted republican in his past does that mean that none of the press, or anyone who has voted, should be able to ask questions ? I think that would make all interviews with candidates we’ve had this election invalid. Even more important is the climate of intimidation this presents to us, we’ve seen it before with people who dare say something the Obama campaign doesn’t like. If you’ve ever lived under a communist government, for example in Kenya under the leadership of Obama’s cousin, you will recognize the tactics and be very worried about what is happening in this country. Poor Joe, how dare he ask a question unless he is a perfect person.
Reply
truthbetold
lol, so you think its Obama that has turned loose the MSM on Joe? Or that Obama already has the power to control the media….How does that even make sense? The media chases the story they think has the most buzz and will bring the most views, it’s McCain’s incessant mentioning of Joe the Plummer that launched this…it’s about ratings and the public drives that… Obama is totally approachable in these types of settings and that is a huge part of his appeal to the Joe on the street. Regardless, don’t you think it’s time to change the tone to one of a united states, we’re going to have to live with one of these men as President and the other still in Senate. Perhaps it’s time for American’s to set the example we expect from our politicians.
Reply
Its an easy choice for all Americans.
Do you want Barack Obama to “Spread the wealth around”?, or
Do you want John McCain to “Lower your taxes”?
Joe the Plumber is one of the best campaign contrivances in the history of politics, it was organic, and the fact that the Obama team smeared Joe only made it better.
Obama may have handed McCain the win.
Reply
Obama doesn’t have to turn the MSM on anybody… they will do it willingly. To believe they are unbiased and chasing the hot story is naive to some degree. Anybody seeing anything in the MSM about the married Democrat in Florida that took Foley’s place having sex with his staff? As I recall the Foley story was non-stop 24/7 during the election year because he was a Republican. How about the story about Obama trying to sway Iraqi officials to hold off until after the election before withdrawing large amounts of deployed troops? It seems to me something that could be considered treason by a Presidential candidate might be newsworthy. How about the hundreds of slaughtered Kenyans by Odinga and company? How about Ferrekan calling Obama “the Messiah” to his congregation? Jackson’s statements that when Obama got in office the zionists would lose power? All these were news “blips” in the MSM because they deal directly with Obama or may negatively affect Obama’s candidacy. Let’s face reality once and for all. If not for the internet and Fox news we would have a Nationalized media deciding on what we heard and what we shouldn’t hear. Look at socialist governments that currently exist if you need a model.
Reply
Dave B
look take the time to read up on those issues and you’ll see there isn’t much there a sane person, who is worried about paying bills and having good schools and health care is even giving a second thought too.
take a breath and step back…. now do you see how we’re all living in this america region…and regardless of who wins, the other guy is still gonna be hanging around. That is reality.
MSM is chasing a story, chasing readers and viewers…. they too are struggling to hang onto their jobs….. anything that gets hits views eyeballs…..will run til the wheels fall off. That is the business.
Reply
Don’t spread my wealth, Barack, baby!
The homeless where I live get freee dental insurance and health insurance, things I can’t even afford.
I’m tired of the government taking money I worked hard for and giving it to those unwilling to even get a job.
Reply
We have to give Obama a little bit of credit here…
so far it’s been a week and he hasn’t changed his socialist answer to JTP’s question.
Reply
I think the MSM has long ago stopped being a business model. They are liberal mouth pieces with no connection to the reality of sales. The arrogant reporters who report only their opinion and the strange, elite editors are paid enormous sums while the enterprise itself flounders, being propped up by larger corporations and real property sales. Despite continual layoffs and asset depletion, the current MSM tries to become ever more liberal, thinking that economic salvation is one great story away. These people are delusional, and it is obvious every day as the MSM collapses.
Reply