We are missing the real lesson of Joe the Plumber, the citizen who asked a question of Obama at a rally. He wanted to know how an Obama tax increase to taxpayers making over $250,000 would affect him when he buys the plumbing company he is working for. A simple question that has become a new game called “Kill the Questioner.” The Google engine heated to fiery red immediately after the report aired. We soon learned Joe had no plumbing license, made only $40,000 (How could he afford to buy a company, we were asked.) and owed personal taxes to the state. Keith Olberman even did a six-degrees-of-separation search that placed “someone with Joe’s last name” as a cousin of Charles Keating of S&L fame.
Courtesy The Inquisitor
So what is the real lesson? This is it. If you attend a rally, town meeting or ask a question at a debate, be very, very sure all your parking tickets are paid, your alimony is up to date, you scrubbed your computer of X-rated sites you visited last week, watch only PBS, listen to classical music and don’t pick your nose at the traffic light. I jest — but in truth. The REAL lesson is DON’T QUESTION AUTHORITY. Got it?
A N H I N G A 
The real lesson is McCain should vet his examples (and VP choice) before he uses them.
Joe is a registered republican who voted in the primaries, so he is not an undecided like he claimed.
I do think that he is getting too much flak though. I agree with you that people should lay off of him a bit. I am afraid that he may end up being audited by the IRS.
I think that McCain owes him an apology for bringing him up.
I am a registered republican who voted in the primaries and I am undecided. I have a very liberal friend who is a registered republican so he can have a say in the other party’s primaries. I do not think that Joe’s voting background negates his being undecided in any way.
I hadn’t thought about the IRS. AWKKKK
There would be a lot of apologies if McCain had to start here. I am sick of the single-mother Jane Doe’s working for tips, Steve Nojob who lost his employment when the plant closed, ad infinitum. This is politician’s MO to humanize themselves. It’s not working for me, and I’ll bet I’m not alone.
This Joe thing has gotten sooo ugly, apparently last night on Letterman, it showed McCain apologizing to Joe the Plumber for mentioning his name again and admitted he was the one who contacted Joe after seeing him talk to Obama. Today McCain is turning the tables and after mentioning Joe’s name 21 times during the debate and many times today at his rallies. Old, senile John blamed Obama on poor Joe’s lack of privacy issues… say what…? I’m telling you between McCain’s dementia, and Palin’s empty suit, and saying he doesn’t care about “washed up old terrorists”, while using the ‘washed up old terrorist’ act to garner him votes through “robo calls” to shore up the base, if one can’t see he has flown the coop, then what else do we need to prove it??? The GOP party of no values is once again staying the course with this election… We need a thrid and fourth party… As for Joe the plumber, he’s getting the best publicity of his whole life and he seems to love it as he is talking to the press day and night!