Every presidential election has distinct images and words that come to people's minds when they reminisce. In 1960, it was the New Frontier. In 1980, it was Morning Again in America. In 2008, it was Joe the Plumber.
On a warm October afternoon, Joe asked Sen. Obama if his tax plan would cost him more and whether it would conflict with the American dream. Obama responded, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." Joe quickly became a hero among conservatives for his courage and his honesty. In the third presidential debate, Joe the Plumber was mentioned 26 times, while the economy was mentioned 16 times and Iraq just 6 times. For the remainder of the campaign, Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin represented themselves as the party of average people like Joe the Plumber. I shared a very nice phone conversation with Joe, during which he elaborated on his opinions.
Question: There has been some confusion amongst the media with regards to your name and occupation. Could you provide some clarification?
Answer: All right. Well, my name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. I go by [my] middle name Joseph and shorten it to Joe and have gone by that since I was born and have always been called Joe. With regards to my occupation, I was a plumber in the military for the United States Air Force. I used to teach plumbing in the military. A lot of times the licenses that are obtained in the military world do not transfer over into the civilian world.
There is also a little bit more to the story. I have a son who is 13 and have made sure that he was my number-one priority. Wherever my ex-wife traveled, I moved in order to be closer to my son. On my last move, I moved with my ex-wife from the state of Arizona to Ohio so my son and I could be together. I attended [plumbing] school for three-and-a-half years when the school went out of business. I had enough on-the-job training as far as time and service to master as a plumber … So I am a plumber. Am I licensed in the state of Ohio as a plumber? Absolutely not. I have tried to clear that up on a lot of radio and television stations.
Q: Could you please explain and elaborate on your encounter with Sen. Obama?
A: My son and I were playing football in the streets. All of a sudden, a crowd rushed by on the street. This was weird because usually you do not see that in the neighborhood. My son and his friend went to see what was going on and exclaimed that Barack Obama was here. I thought to myself that that was kind of cool. I had my mind made up for the most part [on] who I was voting for, but I still thought it was pretty amazing that Sen. Obama would come door to door talking to people.
As he started getting closer and closer to our house, I went over to my neighbor's house to hear him. I heard some of the questions being asked. I am thinking that the questions being asked were quite silly. I thought what me and my friends had talked about actually asking a politician, and making him answer straightly; usually they have a problem with doing so. A week prior to this happening, my boss and I talked about me taking over the business, and what it would require for me to make that happen. Essentially, that is why that question was at the forefront of my mind. I went up to him and yelled, "Barack." He looked and acknowledged me, and the crowd quickly parted for me. Immediately, I questioned him.
Q: Why do you and so many other Americans find the words "spread the wealth around" so troubling?
A: Well, I am fairly well read and have read Karl Marx's work, and spread the wealth around is something that he mentions quite often. If you look up the word [socialism] in [Webster's] Dictionary, the definition may not mention "spread the wealth," but community work and sharing of goods all plays into it. Obama's health-care plan is a very socialist experiment. [Obama's plans] all revolve around socialism, and that's what scares me about it.
Q: How did you feel when you became such an important factor in the final presidential debate and the campaign as a whole?
A: Initially, I thought it was completely absurd. I was glad that I could be used as a focal point to possibly bandy around some ideas, and maybe people would open their eyes to Obama's socialist ideology. However, there were so many important issues to be discussed other than the "Joe the Plumber, Joe the Plumber." [The debate] was absolutely ridiculous. After a while, I actually got tired of it. Not so much the "Joe the Plumber" I am tired of, but there are other issues that need to be discussed.
Q: To many Americans, you have become a symbol. What is it that you think that you represent?
A: Until I started receiving letters and phone calls, I did not try to represent anything. I am a lower-middle-class average guy who happens to have some common sense and wants a straight answer once in a while instead of a dissertation for an answer that when you're done listening to it you're wondering what the first word was. People identify with the fact that I give straight answers and ask for straight answers.
Q: You had the opportunity to campaign with Sen. John McCain in different areas of Ohio. What is your opinion with regards to Mr. McCain?
A: This is a tough question. [The McCain campaign] is trying to throw Sarah Palin under the bus. They are trying to allude to the fact that she is the reason that John McCain might have lost this election. That does not sit well with me. John McCain has not come out and said that Sarah Palin is an honorable woman and has not protected her. In terms of my opinion, he has my respect for being a war hero, and I told him that personally, but you got to get along to go along or go along to get along. Washington has been ingrained with that mentality.
Q: As a Republican, do you feel that Gov. Sarah Palin was the right vice-presidential selection?
A: Honestly, I think she shines too much. I think vice president no, president definitely. She has moral values. She has a record of change that ... John McCain had supposedly … Sarah was actually too big of a personality, too big of a person to be vice president.
Q: You have stated that a vote for Obama is a vote for "the death of Israel." Could you please elaborate on what you meant by that claim?
A: I will elaborate and tell you how it came about. It was incredible ... We were at a pub, and out of nowhere a gentleman of Jewish descent appeared. He asked a very good question, and you could see the emotion on his face.
I was told that I did not have to answer his question because that would create quite the stir in the media's eyes. If I am going to tout that I am going to be for the [average person], I absolutely had to answer the question. Being a Christian, I had to answer that. Obama has declared openly that he would meet with the president of Iran. The president of Iran has made many statements [about] turning Israel into a parking lot, which is the most disgusting thing that I have ever heard. The hate [from Iran] is there, and that's factual and not rhetoric. They teach their children over there nursery rhymes about killing Jews. For a president to sit there and say that "I will meet with no terms and actually have terms dictated back to us" scares me.
Obama has been closely linked to many terrorists. Again this is not rhetoric; [these are] facts that the media did not want to bring out. Rasheed Kahalidi being amongst one of them, and there are nine or 10 others … These close ties scare me. As far as Obama getting into office with his ties and with the fact that he is willing to be dictated to by a known terrorist — [that] scares me for Israel. There are many more reasons, but those are the big ones.
Q: Considering the fact that your income is less than $250,000, will you not benefit more from an Obama administration than you would have under a McCain administration?
A: This is going to be a two part answer. The main thing I stand on is principle … For example, you have Michael and Donna. Michael is a good student and works hard to get a 4.0. Donna likes to party and go out and is pulling a 2.0. In Obama's plan so to speak, you should just go to the dean and ask him to take away one point of Michael's GPA and give it to Donna to make it "fair." So now they both have 3.0. Isn't that nice?
Once you start down the slope and set a precedent and say $250,000 is rich, eventually [the government is] going to decide $150,000 is rich. It's all relative — if you live in New York or Los Angeles, $250,000 is not going to buy you a lot. Essentially, my reason is principle. If my buddy Jon is working harder than I am and he is making more money than I am, but I get the same amount as him, that's just not right. That would not be fair. [Fair] is a big word the Democrats throw around, but they do not seem to understand what it means. Essentially, it comes back to stealing. I will not take someone else's money that I did not work for.
Q: The Republican Party was dealt another devastating blow [on Nov. 4]. In your opinion, what do you feel the party needs to do in order to successfully regain control of the government? Also, what should disappointed conservatives like yourself do following the election?
A: The party should remember that they are conservative Republicans — that has been forgotten. They no longer hold to their ideals. They blow with the wind on just about every public opinion poll. So they are not right-wing; they are trying to show that they're middle or even left-of-middle sometimes. You have to remember two years ago, the Democrats loved John McCain. That is not what this is about. If you're a party, you have to stick to your ideals. The frontrunners in the Republican Party have definitely seem to forgotten that. Governor [Bobby] Jindal of Louisiana seems to have the right idea. We have got to get back to the grassroots of the Republican Party and not apologize for being conservative …
Q: There has been a tremendous amount of speculation about your political future. Web sites such as joewurzelbacher2010.com and others envision you challenging Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-Ohio] for her seat in the House. Is there any truth to these rumors?
A: No. Marcy Kaptur is so entrenched in this area, I do not believe [anyone] could actually win against her. People around here for whatever reason love her to death. No one actually has ever come close in how many years to take her seat. Also, if I were to run for Congress, it [would be] a very big sacrifice. I would not take it lightly or as a sense of entitlement as some congressmen do. I would actually represent the people. I would be out there day to day, talking to people and finding out what is going on. I would really work hard.
The problem with that is I would not go along to get along in Congress. I would be loud, but I would be one voice among 435 people. I can do far more with this watchdog group that I am creating … the watchdog group is going to be essentially for the American people, Democrats or Republicans; I do not care. The Web site will remind the people in Washington that they are there to serve us …
Q: Various reports have also leaked the idea of you becoming a country musician. Is there any substance to this speculation?
A: No. I will dispel all the rumors I have heard. First, I will not be the new bachelor on ABC's show. Second, I will not be a country music star. Most people pay me to stop singing — and not to sing. I will not be on a reality show; reality is what happens every day and not what happens when someone sticks a camera in your face.
--
Michael Bendetson is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
