Joe had better get used to these...
Posted on 10/16/2008 2:15:22 AM PDT by grundle
Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man looking to buy a plumbing business, came to symbolize the notion of spreading the wealth in Wednesday night's third and final presidential debate between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.
Earlier this week, when Wurzelbacher got a chance to speak with Obama during a campaign appearance in Toledo, he told Obama that his tax plan would keep him from buying the business that currently employs him.
Sensing an opportunity during the debate, McCain cited that exchange when the candidates were asked to explain why their economic plans are better than their opponent's. McCain said Obama's plan would stop entrepreneurs from investing in new small businesses and keep existing ones from growing.
"Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes," McCain challenged Obama.
"You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream," McCain said.
McCain then looked directly into the television camera and said: "Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees. And I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income."
Obama denied that was true.
"Not only do 98 percent of small businesses make less than $250,000, but I also want to give them additional tax breaks, because they are the drivers of the economy," Obama said. "They produce the most jobs."
So what did Wurzelbacher (pronounced whur-zell-BAHK-er) think about becoming the center of the debate?
"It's pretty surreal, man, my name being mentioned in a presidential campaign," he said minutes after hearing McCain utter his name.
Wurzelbacher came up again when the debate turned to a discussion of health care policies. McCain charged that Obama's plan would fine the company Wurzelbacher wanted to buy; Obama said small businesses were exempt.
"Hey Joe, you're rich. Congratulations," McCain said mockingly.
Wurzelbacher said Obama's reaction left him feeling uneasy.
"I didn't think much of it the first time I heard it," Wurzelbacher said, adding that he still thinks Obama's plan would keep him from buying the business.
About McCain: "He's got it right as far as I go."
Even so, Wurzelbacher declined to say which candidate would get his vote on Nov. 4.
"That's for me and a button to know," he said.
Bottom line of Obama’s message to Joe : work for somebody else. We don’t need no stinkin’ competition in the economy I’ve got planned.
Oh ROFLMAO! Thanks for a great early morning hoot! Love your comment! :^)
Of course, I expect the same thing to happen if Obama DOESN'T get in, and a tax raise to follow.
Joe had better get used to these...
Wisconsin’s looking at a 2 billion dollar shortfall this year & we have a law that requires a balanced budget. It’s a biennial budget, but has to be adjusted in the out year if it looks like it’s not balancing. Governor’s been putting our highway funds into the general fund & I don’t think there’s enough in it to be much help this year. He also spent the tobacco lawsuit money last year. I can already feel the tax raise coming.
He promised a tax cut & they bought it *again*. :::rolls eyes:::
I haven’t been to Massachusetts for many years, but I met a lot of good solid folk when I was there. I’ve yet to figure out how they could support the kind of nonsense that I keep hearing about coming outta your state. I mean, I know a lot of it comes from the metro area, like just about everywhere else, but from here it looks like it’s infected the whole state.
The question NPR should be asking is: Who Is Obama?
Even if it is true that 98% of small businesses make less than $250,000, it is completely irrelevant to the fact that successful small businesses make much more than $250,000, and are a major source of job creation and innovation in this country. Of course, Obama understands nothing about job creation and innovation, and wealth creation in general. His entire life except for one short period (in which he saw himself as a “sellout”), has been all about wealth redistribution. Which last is what a community organizer does.
It's been awhile, but the SBA used to consider a business to be a small business when it had less than $5 million in sales and/or less than 50 employees.
Part of his proposal for small business was a reduction in capital gains taxes. I don't think they apply for most small businesses. I haven't seen anything for self proprietors or partnerships, though he says there's an exemption for the health insurance mandate. Closely held corps may benefit from the cap gains proposal, but I'm not sure.
Let me put it this way: We're the only state LOSING population, and it's the folks like me who are moving out.
And I've been giving it serious thought.
The Small Business Administration disagrees. They say that around 70% of small businesses make more than $250,000.
I think I’ll beleive the SBA before I believe The Commie.
you mean we are bitter clinging onto our plungers. I wish I had my automatic plunger but Diane Feinstein made it illegal for me to have it.
Rush interviewed him yesterday. He certainly doesn't sound like he'd vote for Obama judging from his words to Rush.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/The_Joe_file.html
These nutbags are saying Joe the Plumber is somehow related to Charles Keating, amazing, they are trying to smear Joe the Plumber, don’t they realize that it does not matter if Joe is registered to vote, he asked a simple question and Obama revealed his world view, funny how it took a citizen to ask Obama a tough question, this has been what I have been advocating for, regular citizens to take cell phone video cameras to events and ask tough questions.
sorry you lose....michigan leads the nation in outbound moving vans...
Obama’s plan is an indirect tax on Joe Consumer. If you raise business taxes, the sales price of the goods and services they provide will increase at an equal rate.
Obama’s is cooking the books on this deal. He will get you in the pocket book!
I’m stuck in MA also, held only by family circumstances. When those circumstances change, I’m out of here.
Interestingly, in my part of the state (north Worcester county), there are 4x as many McCain lawn signs as Obama.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Joe the Plumber looks like Vic Mackey from “The Shield” TV series?
Me too, buddy. Born and raised in MA, I watched it go down the tubes starting in the 1960s. Now I can’t wait for the wife to retire so we can get out of here. If the state goes bust, maybe sooner...
P
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