Palin's $150,000 Makeover - Socialist Charge Is Racist

My commentary on the RNC's expenditure of $150,000 for Governor Palin and her family, and my assertion that the McCain / Palin Campaign's charge that Senator Obama is socialist is a racist claim that has it's basis in American civil rights history.

On iReport

"Joe The Plumber" Lived In Alaska and Worked For Roto-Rooter

I happened by the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska, looking for "Troopergate" updates when I saw this story that , well, was front and center above the fold about how Joe Wurzelbacher AKA "Joe The Plumber" lived in Alaska, and I thought "It figures" because of his seemingly almost anti-tax "leave me alone" views that fit with some of the more extremist Alaskans we've come to know of since the rise of Sarah Palin.


Here's one series of paragraphs:

Alaska records show Wurzelbacher listed a North Pole address in 1992 and 1993, and Eielson Air Force Base address in '94 and '95. He applied for hunting permits, owned an old Ford and a new Dodge, and paid a $76 fine in Fairbanks court for speeding.

It was unclear Thursday afternoon whether Wurzelbacher registered to vote while living in Alaska, and if so with which party, Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai wrote in an e-mail.

Wurzelbacher's son was born in the Fairbanks area in 1995, Morrison said.

"Jennifer had called up to Joe to tell him that she was in labor and Joe made it down the stairs just in time, his baby was delivered on the wooden floor in their home," Morrison said.

"That was a huge thing for us ... We joked with them and said, 'OK, you did it the Alaskan way,' " said Morrison, who was living Outside at the time. She later married an Alaskan and moved here herself.

"I met (Joe) when he was working for Roto-Rooter," said her husband, John.

Morrison said Wurzelbacher served in the Air Force and that as far as she knows, he and her sister never met Gov. Sarah Palin, who is now Sen. John McCain's running mate.

But what also caught me was what he did while he lived in Alaska...

"I met (Joe) when he was working for Roto-Rooter," said her husband, John.

Joe The Plumber Refers To Obama As "Sammy Davis"; Another Racist For McCain?

Ok, so it seems like this "Joe The Plumber" Guy that John McCain's hitched his star to is turning out to be a conservative and now a racist.  According to TalkLeft and Politico ...

"McCain was solid in his performance," he says. "I still don't know where he stands," he says of Obama. "I'm middle class. I can't have my taxes raised any more."

He also says he actually isn't in the bracket where Obama would raise his taxes -- but he's worried that Obama will shift the bracket down.

He also said that, in his encounter with Obama, the Illinois Senator [has] "a tap dance...almost as good as Sammy Davis, Jr."

Okay! So Senator McCain's dug up another racist! What else is new!  

"Joe The Plumber" Makes Less Than $250,000 - Didn't Tell Obama

According to this Yahoo article, "Joe The Plumber" or Joe Wurzelbacher, the man featured by Senator John McCain, doesn't even make $250,000 according to his own statements.  Joe comes off as a kind of suburban Ohio hick with a past, and this level of attention may not be what he wants.  But he's got it and really in fairness he didn't ask for it.

This all could blow up in McCain's face if he gets too close to Joe.  McCain, desperate for a better performance than he's shown thus far, may very well be inclined to hitch his star to Joe as  he did Sarah Palin: without proper vetting.

Plus, there are other "Joe The Plumbers" who are also benefiting from this publicity and are not as conservative as Joe Wurzelbacher, just consider this Texas man who has a website called "Joe The Plumber".  

Moreover, Wurzelbacher may -- and I stress may -- be a close relative of, drum-roll please, Charles Keating, according to the blog "The LitterBox", which has an extensive post devoted to Mr. Wurzelbacher.  Here's what was written:

And then there are some other questions.

Is Joe the Plumber’s real name Joseph Wurzelbacher or Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher?

According to some sources, including the Politicoblog, which claim to have already checked voting records, Joe the Plumber is NOT registered to vote in Ohio.

Joe the Plumber appears to have multiple addresses, including the one at which he gave the media a short interview this morning.  He is not registered to vote from that particular address.  It is not clear if he is the owner of that address (curious given his claim to an income of over $250,000).  Of the other given addresses for Joe the Plumber, his parents are registered to vote on one, but none are listed for him.  Which means he is either more than just an undecided voter.  Or less, since non-registration means he’s not eligible to vote!

He has an open unpaid income tax tax lien case against him in Lucas County, Ohio.

Twice married, with the public records of those cases available at:
http://apps.co.lucas.oh.us/onlinedockets/Default.aspx
Just type his name into the search box to bring up both divorce cases.

There are some suggestions that he does not own his own business but may be related to another Joseph Wurzelbacher who does run a septic tank company.  Ironic that Joe the Plumber may be full of shit, eh?

Wow.  Well, perhaps this exposure's good for Joe in some strange way, but if I were McCain, I'd be real careful in how I associate myself with Joe The Plumber.  He has a tax lien but claims to make money -- not good.  I could understand it if he was poor -- different story.  Let's see what McCain does with this.

Obama Talks To "Joe The Plumber" But Joe Mistates His Position

This video shows the now famous converation between Senator Barack Obama and Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio plumber looking to purchase a business.  Joe's under the impression that Obama's plan will cause him to not be able to purchase a plumbing business, but at the end of the conversation, Obama does explain his intent to eliminate the Capital Gains Tax for a small business like his, something not reported by the mainstream media.

Also, Joe didn't make the distinction between his income and the income of his current business operations.  If his personal income is less than $250,000, then his personal taxes will be lower.

But the main thing is Barack didn't throw BS at Joe.  He stood there and talked to him.  You gotta like that.