In my meandering course through the whizzing ones and zeros we call the Internet, I was reminded of a certain plumbing story that begs to be dredged up from our hilarious history:
Joe the Plumber was just like any other guy, until he ran into – completely by coincidence – Senator Obama. He criticized the future President’s tax proposal then and there, catching him unaware and off-balance.
His rise to fame was swift, and sure. His criticisms were taken to heart by the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, who set up Mr. Plumber as an avatar of the average American.
Senator John McCain was extremely happy with this strategy, and its outcome, citing Samuel J. Wurzelbacher – Joe’s real name – as “the winner” of October 15’s presidential debate. Clearly, an important standpoint had been championed by a paragon of plumbing virtue.
And all of this was fine until the media had a couple of days to explore the seedy underbelly of Mr. Wurzelbacher’s real life. Not only was it revealed that his chance-meeting with the president elect was intentional, when he admitted as much on a conservative web site: familysecuritymatters.org, but it also bubbled up from a routine backcheck that Joe the Plumber was not actually registered to lawfully plumb in Ohio. Mr. Wurzelbacher, the champion of the average American, was not even a plumber, after all.
But, as the San Francisco Chronicle was apt to point out, Joe the Plumber took more interviews in the brief period of his fame, than did Sarah Palin. He certainly took the spotlight well. But where did it leave him?
Corrupt practices such as this may be standard in places like Ohio, but certainly not at George Salet Plumbing. No one is disgruntled, here, and you can tell by the way they approach their job – with pride and commitment. Proper registration, licensing, etc. all go without saying.
Joe the Plumber was just like any other guy, until he ran into – completely by coincidence – Senator Obama. He criticized the future President’s tax proposal then and there, catching him unaware and off-balance.
His rise to fame was swift, and sure. His criticisms were taken to heart by the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, who set up Mr. Plumber as an avatar of the average American.
Senator John McCain was extremely happy with this strategy, and its outcome, citing Samuel J. Wurzelbacher – Joe’s real name – as “the winner” of October 15’s presidential debate. Clearly, an important standpoint had been championed by a paragon of plumbing virtue.
And all of this was fine until the media had a couple of days to explore the seedy underbelly of Mr. Wurzelbacher’s real life. Not only was it revealed that his chance-meeting with the president elect was intentional, when he admitted as much on a conservative web site: familysecuritymatters.org, but it also bubbled up from a routine backcheck that Joe the Plumber was not actually registered to lawfully plumb in Ohio. Mr. Wurzelbacher, the champion of the average American, was not even a plumber, after all.
But, as the San Francisco Chronicle was apt to point out, Joe the Plumber took more interviews in the brief period of his fame, than did Sarah Palin. He certainly took the spotlight well. But where did it leave him?
Corrupt practices such as this may be standard in places like Ohio, but certainly not at George Salet Plumbing. No one is disgruntled, here, and you can tell by the way they approach their job – with pride and commitment. Proper registration, licensing, etc. all go without saying.
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