Newsflash to Joe: The Real Plumbers are Endorsing Obama

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Meg White

Just when you think it's too late to teach an old dog new tricks, this presidential campaign produces a brand new catch phrase to hammer into the American voters' collective consciousness.

Unless, that is, you're willing to give citizens credit for being able to spot warmed-up leftovers when they see them.

At the last presidential debate, Sen. John McCain referred to "his ol' buddy" Joe the plumber well over a dozen times, closer to twenty. If you happen to be one of the seven Americans who don't know who this guy is, here's a quick synopsis:

During a campaign stop in Ohio, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher esentially set up a frame by asking Obama a question. Basically the McCain friendly frame is "Obama how can you say that you love the American Dream so much, but still raise taxes on people making more than $250,000 a year?" Wurzelbacher said he wanted to buy the plumbing business that he works for and that the would then earn $250,000 or more a year, but he didn't want to move into a bracket where he wouldn't get a tax cut.

It turns out that Joe the plumber is neither a plumber, nor is his name Joe. But the lies don't stop there.

Before we go on, let's talk to a real American plumber.

Gary Hamilton is the director of the plumbing division at the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, which has endorsed Obama. Hamilton has been a licensed plumber for about 40 years, and he was dismayed at Wurzelbacher's attempt to speak for an industry of which he is not part.

"He doesn't speak for me as a plumber," Hamilton said. And of the 350,000 members of the union, he said Wurzelbacher "sure doesn't represent them."

The union endorsed Obama in January, before any other union had done so. Hamilton said the problems facing his union, as well as the entire country, make Obama a clear choice. Specifically, he said the economy has been dragging down the pensions of union members, and that spiraling health care costs are making it even more difficult for workers to scrape by.

"We need to get a handle on those issues," Hamilton said. "We think he's going to be very good for the working people."

On the other hand, "Joe the plumber" is not a licensed plumber. He's not even a licensed journeyman or plumber's apprentice. His name isn't even Joe, it's Samuel. But it isn't "Sam 6-Pack" that Gov. Sarah Palin has been referring to. And everything has to fit nicely into the political package to sell on Election Day.

Wurzelbacher told Obama he'd been working as a plumber for "about 15 years." His lack of licensure aside, Wurzelbacher is only 34 years old, and he's been working for the company he talked about buying for just six years.

Hamilton said the apprenticeship process can take anywhere from three to five years, and is an undertaking in which union members take pride.

"We take it very, very seriously," Hamilton said. "It doesn't seem like this gentleman understands that."

But far from being simply incorrect in details such as licensing and legal names, the basic premise of Wurzelbacher's question was way off-base. As far as income, Wurzelbacher doesn't make enough to get a tax increase under Obama's plan. To use his words: "Not even close." Court documents from a 2006 divorce put his income at $40,000.

Only the barest financial details about Wurzelbacher and the company he works for have been made available. However, according to The New York Times, both men involved in the business, as well as the business itself, would likely fall well below the $250,000 taxable earnings mark. Bottom line? Even if Wurzelbacher did buy the business, which he has not yet done, he would still be getting a tax cut under Obama's plan.

With all the question marks about Wurzelbacher's income, we can't say for sure under whose plan he'll get the greatest tax relief. However, using mathematical averages might get us closer to Mr. Everyman than Wurzelbacher can.

According to Salary.com, the median expected salary for plumbers is $37,514. Based on that figure, the average plumber who is a single father with one dependent child (as Wurzelbacher is, except for that whole plumber part...) would get around 20 percent more under Obama's tax plan than that same person would get under McCain.

And Samual Wurzelbacher retreated to the vaguest of ideas to buy the "plumbing company" from the only other employee, the owner, as soon as the media questioned him about his "purchase." In fact, right now -- after two divorces according to Lucas County court records -- Sam is living with his father and son at his father's house. He is exactly the type of struggling working class person who would fare better in an Obama administration, but Sam told the press that he is opposed to Social Security and wouldn't take it when he is older. He also called Obama's health plan "socialist."

So he's one of those working class joes who votes against his own economic interests.

It's telling that Wurzelbacher opened up the line of questioning that made him so famous -- and made up McCain's third debate talking point -- with a question that evoked "The American Dream." There's an insidious element to conservatives' use of that image. They try to convince working-class people to pony up tax dollars and social services in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy by dangling the carrot of The American Dream, which each year recedes further away from the vast majority of the working class due to Republican tax policies that redistribute income from the middle class to the wealthy.

"Some day, my friend, you might be a millionaire. And you won't want to pay high taxes then, will you?" they say. "But until then, take your 'stimulus check' to the mall as we pick your pocket."

In fact, according to the conservative Wall Street Journal, "With income and profits, Mr. Wurzelbacher would be nowhere close to the threshold of $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples for Sen. Obama's proposed tax increase. To reach that level ... a mom-and-pop plumbing company like Newell would have to clear $5 million in annual sales." The two-person shop isn't anywhere near that league, not by a Texas mile; make that not by ten Texas miles.

Wurzelbacher seems a little confused about his view on taxes. In an interview immediately after the debate, he said one of the things he liked about McCain was his tax cuts. Later, when questioned about his income tax bracket, he allowed that he would receive a tax cut under Obama's plan, but said he didn't want it, "on principle."

Another thing "Joe" is not is an independent. The Lucas County Board of Elections has Wurzelbacher registered as a Republican (while his name is misspelled, the address and age match -- ironically the misspelling would disqualify him from voting under the rules the GOP are trying to impose on new black voter registrants). Though he hasn't voted for several elections, he did vote in the 2008 Republican primary.

As the Caucus Blog puts it, "He became the hero of conservatives and Republicans" when his question to Obama made it up on YouTube. He was a guest on FOX News, and the rest is history. He became a gimmick, and now he has to live with that.

Though that doesn't mean he won't complain about it:

"I'm kind of like Britney Spears having a headache. Everybody wants to know about it," he told The Associated Press. "That bothered me. I wished that they had talked more about issues that are important to Americans."

Don't you know, Sam? Having an everyday American speaking for your campaign means you don't have to talk about important issues! Well, good thing those pesky debates are over, and we can concentrate on the real meaning of Election Season: image. As in, "Imagine you're a plumber named Joe..."

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

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