Thursday, October 16, 2008

Joe The Plumber Unmasked

The media has gone gaga over Joe the Plumber. Katie Couric interviewed him. He’s appeared on CNN, ABC-TV, Fox News and every major news outlet. The Washington Post has written about him. So has the New York Times. Everybody is discussing the mysterious and iconic Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher aka Joe the Plumber. The problem is that not everybody has done the basic research. Folks, this isn’t difficult – it’s Google 101.

According to Martin Eisenstadt, a conservative strategist, consultant and analyst with ties to the McCain campaign, Joe the Plumber is not just some disinterested Joe Sixpack undecided about who he will vote for. Nor is he some ordinary guy just saving his money to buy a business.

Wurzelbacher, in fact, is a close relative of the son-in-law of Charles Keating. Here from Eisenstadt’s blog.
John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots - he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!” They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who’s spurned Barack Obama’s tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher’s background.

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who’s Robert Wurzelbacher?Only Charles Keating’s son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.
It looks like reporters aren't the only ones who lack basic research skills. Here's a helpful suggestion: Clicking on Google. It's all the in wrist action.

3 comments:

Isophorone said...

How is Joe's question any less valid? You are just demonstrating that in a potential Obama administration, anyone who questions The One will be attacked. You had better watch out, since you will be suspected of disloyalty for linking to me!

Karen Duncan said...

Oh, I think I can take it and keep linking to you :)

In fact, I'll link to more right wingers if they do that.

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with anybody asking a question. But the media was portraying the guy as a disinterested and uncommitted voter. Not true. My criticism was aimed more at the lazy media.

BTW, they did exactly that in Detroit, getting together a bunch of supposedly uncommitted voters who after the second debate said they were going to vote for Obama.

I think it was JR at BD who blew the cover, linking to some other site that had researched it. I didn't object then when the so-called uncommitted panel's cover was blown. This is the same thing - only worse because Joe the Plumber is actually a relative of Charles Keating's son-in-law.

And it was a conservative, not me, who first revealed it. But truly, it's the press that needs to do a better job here and examine claims from both sides.

Isophorone said...

Charles Keating was more involved with Democrats than Republicans, by the way.

Remember, Obama came up to Plumber Joe, not the other way around. The reaction that you all are having is still rather telling. Methinks the lady doth protest too much! ;)