‘Joe The Plumber’ Comes Clean: ‘I Would Be Receiving Obama’s Tax Cuts’
‘Joe The Plumber’ Comes Clean: ‘I Would Be Receiving Obama’s Tax Cuts’
As ThinkProgress and many others noted yesterday, the premise of Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher’s complaints about Barack Obama’s tax plan was ill-informed. Contrary to Wurzelbacher’s claims, “neither his personal taxes nor those of the business where he works are likely to rise if Mr. Obama’s tax plan were to go into effect.”
As CBS News reported, even “Joe The Plumber” acknowledges this fact now:
So today, Joe, who said he makes much less than $250,000, reluctantly admitted Obama would lower his taxes.
“I would, if you believe him, I would be receiving his tax cuts,” Wurzelbacher said.
Watch it:
Bloomberg reports that “one other problem in making Wurzelbacher a symbol of the overtaxed” is that — even if he did earn an adjusted gross income of $280,000 — “he would pay just $773 more in taxes under Obama’s plan than McCain’s.” That amount would hardly deal a crippling blow to his potential small business.
Last night, Sarah Palin said she didn’t want to talk about Wurzelbacher. “I begged our speechwriters, ‘Don’t make me say Joe the Plumber, please, in any speeches,” she said. After failing to properly vet Wurzelbacher’s situation, the McCain campaign is apparently now throwing him overboard and moving on.
The campaign is holding a conference call today with Russ Duker, an individual the McCain camp is calling “a Missouri ‘Joe the Plumber.’”
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Well, hopefully he’ll find a good use for the money he saves with his tax cut. Like applying for an Ohio plumbing license.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:33 amImagine that….He’s outlived his propaganda usefulness, then gets kicked off the island. Who’d a thunk it?
October 17th, 2008 at 10:35 amJoe The Plumber on November 5th is going to come in handy when the voters’ bowel movement clogs the septic tank with McCain/Palin.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:37 amOnce again McWorse takes steady aim, pulls the trigger and BAM! The shotgun blows up in his face, yet again. The McWorse campaign, circular firing squad action at its finest!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:38 amImpeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
Another hood ornament unvetted by the McNumbNuts campaign.
Unlike Failin’ Palin, however, Joe the Plumber gave numerous press conferenced during his “15 minutes of fame”.
Now that he has been shown up to be a complete fraud, McNumbNuts can throw this hood ornament under the bus quite easily. I am sure that he has been “uninvited” to future Unstable/Unable rallies.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to throw the other hood ornament under the bus because Failin’ Palin is more popular than her running mate . . . and they really need this “pitbull with lipstick” now more than ever.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:39 amWow, they threw him overboard. That’s almost as bad as being thrown under the bus.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:40 amEven if he has the money there is a test involved……most likley the real reason he has no license.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:43 amFred; Joe can put his tax cut to good use- by paying the back taxes he still OWES!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:46 amDeliver me the shock treatment if the republicans are found any facts — just one is fine — on their side. Just one.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:46 amI agree, there are just so many ways this is funny.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:49 amGood luck to the McPalin campaign on getting enough voters to care about a minor tax increase for people earning a quarter mil a year or more to reach 270 in the electoral college. Perhaps they could also consider pulling their symbol from a trade whose union hasn’t endorsed Obama.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:51 amSay it ain’t so, Joe!!!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:53 amThere simply is nothing left that is authentic about the rightwing of this country anymore. The economy isn’t collapsing. This is simply a torrent of reality washing away conservatism in a mudslide of bullshit.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:53 amStephani Miller just reported that Joe Not the Plumber made about $40,000 last year. This moron isn’t buying any businesses. The only business he is getting is from the rich Republican elites who have fooled him into supporting them.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:53 amWOW!!! You can’t right this if you tried!!!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:55 amJoe was a plant. He was recruited to ask his question so Sen. McCranky could spout his ‘Joe the Plumber’ crapola during the debate. (”I’m getting ready to buy a business…” Right, Joe. You’ll be ready any decade now.)
Sometimes the mainstream media is so dumb it makes my teeth hurt.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:55 amNow why in the world doesn’t Sarah want to say Joe the Plumber? According to Rush, Sarah is America and Joe the Plumber is America. Why wouldn’t America want to talk about America? Either she can’t pronounce plumber or the meaning of plumber stands for something completely different in her world. I wonder who her plumber is.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:55 amYou could hardly make this stuff up.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:00 amI think the McCain campaign should rename themselves:
“John the Gimmick for president”
October 17th, 2008 at 11:03 amI know its been a while, but weren’t plumbers were involved in another Republican adminsitration.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:05 amRoket Says:
Either she can’t pronounce plumber or the meaning of plumber stands for something completely different in her world.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:55 am
_______
It does have some alternate meanings. Under the Nixon Administration, it referred to guys like G. Gordon Liddy and David Young and Howard Hunt who tried to discredit
anyone who leaked anything negative to the media.
I wonder if it means the same thing in Palinland.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:07 amAs it turns out, John McCain and his new best friend for life both hate Social Security.
In an interview Thursday, Wurzelbacher offered a broadside against Social Security.
“Social Security is a joke. I have parents. I don’t need another set of parents called the government…Social Security, I never believed in, don’t like it.”
If that sounds a lot like John McCain, it should. After all, back in July McCain said pretty much the same thing.
“Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that’s a disgrace. It’s an absolute disgrace, and it’s got to be fixed.”
For the details, see:
October 17th, 2008 at 11:25 am“McCain and His Plumber Hate Social Security.”
The campaign is holding a conference call today with Russ Deker, an individual the McCain camp is calling “a Missouri ‘Joe the Plumber.’”
Are they just gonna keep digging up plumbers in swing states until one of them works?
October 17th, 2008 at 11:28 amIf Joe is buying a plumbing business for $250,000.00,then Joe cannot be making more than $30,000.00 Net Income from the purchased business.That’s 12% return on his acquired investment.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:37 amIn the plumbing business I think that the price of buying such business around 5 to 6 time the net profit,that depends also on how business goodwill is calculated.
It differs from one location to the other,also price is made based on clientele and history of business.
Since goodwill is an intangible asset,the buyer acquiring the new business will be paying more if the business has tangible assets as big pipe threading machines,vans,and other tangible assets.
If Joe the plumber is buying a business that nets $250,000.00 his cost to buy the business will around one and half million dollars at least,if not more.
The issue here is also Net Profit.
Most companies this size and bigger never show a $250,000.00 net profit on their books, because they expand and spend the money on new assets they acquire.
If a company makes 250,000.00 gross ,they have legally many ways to reduce this figure using appropriated depreciations ,and by acquiring new equipments, even hiring new employees.
If Joe draws a salary of $40,000.00 from the plumbing business he bought, then he will not be paying much taxes.
If he did not draw anything and left the money in his business,he will not be paying tax at all,and he will be filing differently as a business than the ordinary personal income tax filing.
The Joe’s story was nothing but a story that has been sold by the McCain’s camp for political reasons only.
I listened to Joe on television,he does not look like a serious buyer to me.
Now I read that Joe does not have even a valid Ohio plumbing license.
Joe’s story seems to have no legs to stand on.
Heh. Olbermann last night made a joke that the new McCain gimmick would be to introduce a new Joe The Plumber ™ every day between now and the election, someone else to represent American averageness, at the expense of actual average Americans. And what d’ya know?
The campaign is holding a conference call today with Russ Deker, an individual the McCain camp is calling ‘a Missouri ‘Joe the Plumber.’”
October 17th, 2008 at 11:37 amJust another example of Palin distancing herself from the McCain campaign. She has her own designs.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:37 am“Joe The Plumber”
Meet John the Dumber
October 17th, 2008 at 11:38 amJoe the Plumber is more honest, more accessible to journalists and more qualified to be VP than Sarah Palin.
McCain/Joe The Plumber 08!
October 17th, 2008 at 11:38 amMcCain: “Throw him overboard!!”
Palin: “But the bus wont run over him!”
McCain: “Not to worry, I’ll wet start the engine nd flame him!”
October 17th, 2008 at 11:40 amGotta wonder if a big guy like that would break a bus axle?
October 17th, 2008 at 11:47 amCindy Sheehan and nuns can’t protest.
They put a mic in front of this bozo and the “Arab” lady, along with Savage, Liddy, etc.
They’re really persuading me…
October 17th, 2008 at 11:47 amcmac Says:
Joe was a plant. He was recruited to ask his question so Sen. McCranky could spout his ‘Joe the Plumber’ crapola during the debate. (”I’m getting ready to buy a business…” Right, Joe. You’ll be ready any decade now.)
Everybody has their dreams. You can’t really fault Joe for that. And who knows? Maybe he will buy that business one day and good luck to him!
As you’ll have seen, he’s now saying that Obama’s tax plan will help him after all so he’s no plant. He’s just some poor schmo who bought all the BS the McCain campaign and Fox news have been flinging at the wall.
The McCain campaign just tried to capitalize on Joe’s honest exchange with Obama but, like so many other tactics they’ve employed, this one blew up in their faces too. Now all the other “Joes” who identified with Wurzelbacher’s story are going to begin to see just how badly they’ve been getting shucked and jived by the Republicans for all these years.
I’m loving it!
October 17th, 2008 at 11:51 amalcyone,
October 17th, 2008 at 11:55 amAnd I should care what Joe the Plumber believes?
babyert Says:
I know its been a while, but weren’t plumbers were involved in another Republican adminsitration.
And isn’t McNegative palling around with their boss?
October 17th, 2008 at 11:56 amholding a conference call today with Russ Deker
How cynical. The entire principle of economics dictates that someone will benefit and someone will loose under any change. So of course, there is someone, somewhere they can find that will lose in any new plan.
What is next, an interview with Bill Gates on how he will loose under the McCain plan ?
And don’t get me started on how the McCain camp mis-represents the facts on how someone over the threshold doesn’t instantly go to loosing big. Just like the inherritance tax – if the threshold is 600k, someone getting 610k doesn’t pay on the entire amount. Just the 10k over the threshold.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:58 amalcyone Says:
The key works from Joe the Plumber are, IF YOU BELIEVE HIM (Obama).
_____________
The key words are “alcyone says…”
Fortunately we see right thru him (alcyone)…
October 17th, 2008 at 12:07 pmI think Joe the Plumber needs to meet up with Bill the Accountant and Jim the Tax Attorney.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:11 pm‘Don’t make me say Joe the Plumber, please…”
She doesn’t want to p!ss off Joe six-pack.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:13 pm“Joe the Plumber” is a disgrace to the proud and highly skilled plumbing trade. People tend to poke fun at plumbers but have little recognition on their value to society. Understand that nearly every major plague and epidemic throughout history can be traced to poor sanitary conditions. The plumber’s motto is actually “the protectors of health of the nation” and you can add with that “the environment”. The plumbing trade is much more complex than the guy with his butt crack exposed showing up to fix your toilet. Plumbers not only work to provide safe drinking water and sanitary conditions they also do things like pipe in medical gasses and MRI’s in hospitals. There are obvious reasons for licensing.
Poor plumbing installations are a serious health risk and can lead to a plethora of health disorders. Licensing curbs this problem by necessity. I know of no state in which a license is not required to install plumbing. (Although a state registered apprentice may install plumbing under the auspice of a journeyman.) To be a plumbing contractor one must either be a master plumber or have a master under his/her employ in order to obtain permitting. Achieving journeyman plumber status requires 4-5 years training/schooling (pending state) followed by rigid state testing- add another two years with even more rigorous testing to achieve master status. One must admit that is a respectable amount of training and deserving of just that-respect!
This brings up “Joe the Clown Act” claiming he’s gonna be a “plumin contrakter”. What a joke…he probably wouldn’t make a pimple on a plumbers a$$. Truth is he’ll be out a job soon. The local plumbing inspector has surely gotten wind of him and his un-licensed contractor buddy illegally installing plumbing while claiming they don’t need no stinking license because its residential…false! Joe should and will wish he kept his mouth shut.
Nice move McLame. Causing more unemployment.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:27 pmDid TP report on this:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/usnews/whispers/main4527926.shtml
Any truth to the rumor that Joe Whatthefuker is related to Robert W. of Cincinnati who happens to be Keating’s son-in-law? The same son-in-law who was sentenced to 40-months in prison for his role in the Keating savings and loan shenanigans?
Say it’s so, Joe!
October 17th, 2008 at 12:29 pmPLEASE say it’s so!
Kabookee Theatre plot thickens. Will Joe Plumber fall in love with beauty queen govenor who shoots wolfs from helicopters.
Meanwhile, George Bush transfers the 1st Brigade from Iraq to crowd control duties her in the “homeland”.
Bush’s grandfather helped fund the Nazis and his grandson is moving troops into the streets of the US which he has renamed “the homeland”.
Wait . . . . this just in! . . . . we now move to the talent portion of the debates . . . .Sarah will now pick up a silver dollar with her . .
Forgive me, this is madness people.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:29 pmNow that ‘Joe the Plumber’ has been revealed as a GOP stooge with a planted talking point, will the GOP next send in a doofus in KKK Halloween costume to question Obama?
October 17th, 2008 at 12:31 pmVerbalKint Says:
——————————————————————————–
You could hardly make this stuff up
Well, somebody did.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:45 pmUncle Ho Says:
“… will the GOP next send in a doofus in KKK Halloween costume to question Obama?”
__________
I hear Karl Rove is available….
October 17th, 2008 at 12:48 pmJoe-the-idiot-who-is-not-a-plumber, like so many other average american idiots, thinks he’d be rich were it not for “taxes”.
Sure, Joe – sure you would…
October 17th, 2008 at 12:53 pmNow that Joe has demonstrated an ability for innuendo and taking both sides of an issue, he is qualified for leadership in Washington.
And if that doesn’t work, he could become a member of the White House press corps. He does remind me eerily of Jeff Gannon.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:58 pmLast night, Sarah Palin said she didn’t want to talk about Wurzelbacher. “I begged our speechwriters, ‘Don’t make me say Joe the Plumber, please, in any speeches,” she said.
____________________________________________________________
If anything shows Palin to be nothing but a wind-up doll, this does. Apparently Sarah hasn’t grasped that SHE’S the candidate, not her speechwriters. No matter what they write for her, she can say what she wants to say, and she can cross out what she doesn’t want to say.
Speechwriters are wonderful for what they do — they take what the candidate wants to say and they polish it well. They can also be a great timesaver by doing all the time-consuming work from a list of dot-points provided them by the candidate.
But it sounds like the speechwriters are literally putting words in the mouth of Palin, who apparently has no words of her own.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:01 pmYou have a real knack for the obvious al.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:07 pmJoe the Unskilled Laborer makes $40k a year and believes he’s one of the haves or have mores the Republicans pander to. You can’t help those who won’t help themselves.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:19 pmOh and alcyone, the average poster here is a little more astute than your peer group and we really don’t need the subtleties explained to us.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:21 pmal’s got the concern-troll market cornered for the day – good for you al! you’re just a heroic bonnet-bee, arentcha, sweetie (wink)! youbetcha!
al’s just gonna get right in there, and you know, shake things up a little, right hun?
drill, al, drill!
October 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pmHi alcyone:
October 17th, 2008 at 1:46 pmJust wondering. Might you be retired military?
The same John Kerry that comes here says some dumb shit and runs away?
Anyway, I figured you weren’t since your attempts at schooling others are sort of weak. Maybe a teaching certification might help afterall…
October 17th, 2008 at 1:57 pmnamecalling? where? i was congratulating, having been prompted to see the light by your timely and heroic contribution to the discussion. concern trolling is a vital activity, practiced by real heroes and patriots such as yourself, and without it souls like mine would never be saved from the darkhearted menace of “liberalism”.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:14 pmTo be honest I haven’t actually seen your “facts” but my experience suggests that they are probably more opinions and interpretations of data rather than “facts”. The part I find interesting is your overconfidence that yours are somehow more correct than someone else’s.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pmthe facts are actually reminished.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:24 pmyou don’t have to assume anything, al – you choose to.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:03 pmthis guys condesention is offputting. He should take his own advise.
If is not just if in this case. Many people with 401K’s are losing money…..that is thier retirement fund aside from social security.
If they didn’t have social security, a safe retirement supplement plan, they would be up shit creek.
IF you invest all of your funds in anything that might ever be as risky as the stock market and that means any of them, then your are taking a huge risk with money you can’t afford to lose.
If you could understand that most people don’t have the knowledge that you have about the markets or the time to just sit and watch and worry over them then you might have a clearer picture of what life is like for most Americans.
IF.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:22 pmAnd IF the stock market was at 11000 in 2001 and now is in the 8000’s you have lost at a similar rate….it’s risky if you don’t know what you are doing.
Your plan would put most Americans at risk of losing everything as is evident in the market today.
Face it, you have no solutions, just more market is good bullshit…
We need to strenthen America by moving back to producing items rather than trading paper for a living, it will be our downfall.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:28 pmalcyone Says:
I read back through your posts and a remarkable thing is missing….proof. You offer nothing more than opinions.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pmMy concern is not in proving anyone wrong or right. My point was that you seem to be suggesting that somehow your interpretation of data is somehow more right than someone else’s and that you present your view as if it is fact. Might you show me where I criticized your interpretations? What I criticized was the bullshit premise that you were somehow schooling other folks around here. I could care less to go back and revisit that thread but if memory serves you were playing that same false air of intellectual superiority game then as well. See the thing is that humility is far more convincing when one is trying to win over the minds of others.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:12 pmAnd I think the point I made is valid. It is a real time reference. People did in fact lose money on stock trades and 401K’s in that time frame.
In fact if they had invested when the dow was at 14000 where would they be today? Bankrupt most likely.
You miss the point completely. People cannot risk their retirement completely in the stock market, any stock market. That is why social security is and has been safe and reliable and will continue to be so if we can keep the conservatives from robbing from it.
Even mutual funds have fallen from the ranks of safe investments if you ask me…..
Additionally as dbadass has pointed out, you have not made your case that the date presented is not valid. You have expressed that opinion but you have presented no data of your own to back up any such of a thing.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:28 pmWhat don’t you get. The data isn’t the issue I am discussing. It is the pretension.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:31 pmas a student of behavior, I already am.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:22 pmwell you’re mostly correct although rarely are facts “hard” when you are discussing the type of data involved in this situation
October 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm>No, served during Viet Nam
wow…hard to beleieve someone whose experienced the stark reality of war and hopefully come to some understanding of the briefness and fleeting nature of life somehow finds it worthwhile to to spend thier time arguing on the internet
with a group of peopel who dont agree with him..
are you a millionaire too? most of the argumenative vets we get around here also happen to be millionaires too. anyone remember jake the fake?
October 18th, 2008 at 2:55 amI would of thought such a consummate thinker could have atleast spelled mathematics correctly. Give it a break old retired dude with a need to feel important…
October 18th, 2008 at 4:18 pm