So… like many others around the Right-O-Sphere and elsewhere I’m simply appalled at the way the Left-O-Sphere and the MSM have slimed Joe Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber.” Jeez… the sheer temerity of this guy, questioning The One, and worse yet… disagreeing with him. You can’t DO that… this is a Brave NEW
Regarding that “elsewhere” link, above. This is an excerpt from that link (Jules Crittenden, writing on his blog):
Now they’re investigating the “I am Joe” crowd. CBS:
The Republican National Committee is sending around this Associated Press photo of overall-clad McCain supporters standing outside an Obama rally, clutching plungers and a sign proclaiming “I Am Joe The Plumber”:
The only problem? At least two of the members aren’t quite as similar to the newly famous Joe Wurzelbacher as they might like you to think. As CBS News’ Maria Gavrilovic, who is traveling with the Obama campaign, reports, the man on the right does say he’s an actual plumber – though he is from
And the man on the left, plunger thrust high in the air, is Charlie Smith – the National Chairman of the College Republicans.
Yeah, well maybe it isn’t that they actually are Joe, but that they’re expressing an affinity with Joeness, you morons. Hard to grasp, I know, after all the energy that’s been put into explaining how sitting on boards with people, kicking off campaigns in their living rooms, sitting in their pews for 20 years, doesn’t make you an America-hating, ex-terrorist-palsing bigot or give you any affinity for them.
There’s much more, and here’s the link again. You should go read, if you haven’t already.
Further: Here’s David Burge (aka Iowahawk) on the subject, deviating from his usual and inimitable satirical take on things political:
First, a pre-emptive apology for the intentional non-humor to follow. I promise that all future non-humor will be strictly unintentional.
We've all witnessed a lot of insanity in American politics over the last few years. Up until the last few days, none of it has seriously bothered me; hey, just more grist for the satire mill. But after witnessing the media's blitzkreig on Joe 'the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, I can only muster anger, and no small amount of fear.
Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. -- obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty shit, but it's right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed. The viciousness and glee with which they set about the task ought to concern anyone who still cares about citizen participation, and freedom of speech, and all that old crap they taught in Civics class before politics turned into Narrative Deathrace 3000, and Web 2.0 turned into Berlin 1932.0.
Godwin's Law! you say? if the jackboot fits, wear it.
If it's meta-memes and meta-meta-narratives these media headlice want, so be it. I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy, Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.
Are you a Joe? Say it proud. Leave it on every goddamn newspaper comment section and online forum. Let these pressroom and online thugs know you won't stay silent when they try to destroy the life of a private citizen for speaking his mind -- because for every one of them, there are a million Joe Wurzelbachers. And for that we should all be thankful.
Dang. What he SAID! Mr. Burge also included a link to the graphic displayed at the top of this post… suitable for insertion in your sidebar, if you have a blog. I’m just gonna include it here… coz my sidebar leaves NO doubt as to who I support and what I think of The One… and his policies. With any luck this whole “Joe” flap might be the event that allows Senator McCain to turn the corner. One can always hope…
And now… it’s Saturday, so it’s All Football, All The Time. For the rest of the day and well into the night.
Whoohoo!!!! Well said. We ARE all Joes!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your football today. We are volleyballing this afternoon, then wedding-ing tonight in Big(ger) town.
I put out a call for exactly this kind of message on 10/16. Then I rode my bike from Folsom to downtown Sac. Fifteen miles into it, I heard via Rush Limbaugh that Joe doesn't make 250k a year...he hopes to, someday.
ReplyDeleteFantastic. That makes his message even for relevant. It makes it much more encouraging to see it resonating so well. And it makes Joe that much more AMERICAN. That is what we do. Americans want to do a pound tomorrow of what they're doing an ounce of today -- that is the definition of a good American, right there.
Oh, and I know I'm not going to get credit for getting this thing started and I don't deserve credit for it, it's just a coincidence that I thought something was a good idea and a bunch of other folks did too (which doesn't happen much). I don't care. If the rest of the world is only gonna do what I say it should do ONE TIME...let this be the one time. Good on Joe. Even if The One wins the election, Joe's still changed things for the better. M-u-c-h better.
Jenny: Sounds like a great Saturday to me!
ReplyDeleteMorgan: I think the "I am Joe" phenomenon is a direct result of all the slime-ing that's gone down these last few days and the DISGUSTING nature of the effort by both the Leftie blogs and, more importantly, the Obama ass-kssing MSM. You were just ahead of your time... and that's not all THAT unusual.
I've already mentioned this on another blog, but I think Joe is hot.
ReplyDeleteI love Joe ... and I knew as soon as he was mentioned in the debate last week that he was going to be trashed by the Obama people who just cannot let the word get out that The Messiah plans to re-distribute the wealth. Kill the messenger ... poor Joe .. he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But maybe not ... he single-handedly exposed Obama nationally for the socialist he is and for that he is our hero. And I agree with Lou -- Joe's hot.
ReplyDeleteI have been gone for ten days gallivanting around the country visiting my kids in Texas and Missouri ... and I tried ... I really really tried to focus on family and friends instead of the political news ... but it's nearly impossible these days. What I saw out there in my travels was a whole lot more Obama signs than McCain ones. Is that because Obama is running away with this thing, or that Republicans don't put up as many yard signs and plaster on as many bumper stickers? I don't know, but I feel sick every time I even dare to think what an Obama administration would be like. Sick and disheartened.
There I go, talking politics and getting a great big old stomach ache on this fine sunny October day. Darn it all.
Lou sez: I've already mentioned this on another blog, but I think Joe is hot.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, that! ;-)
Sharon: I guess I really AM divorced from reality, but I was shocked at the way the media went after this guy... especially since they've ignored much more substantial stories about people on the OTHER side. Silly me.
Interesting fact about the yard signs. I fear Obama's gonna win in a landslide... and only because of his persona, not because of his principles, his track record, or any of the myriad other things we would NORMALLY judge a candidate on. And THAT is sad, sad, sad...
I AM JOE!! I love the idea... I'll be spreading the word. Ask me if I'd agree to speak to a candidate after seeing what has happened to Joe! Shameful.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone be surprised at how the Obamachine went after Joe the Plumber? Joe questioned The One - on that alone he deserves to be hounded into the ground, right?
ReplyDeleteAlison: Cool! The more, the merrier!
ReplyDeleteKris: Well, I was surprised. Color me naïve... ;-)