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.
Once again Obama has deeply offended me.
Whether he is or isn’t personally registered, big deal. He symbolizes millions of us who are- much like Sarah.
They sure started the personal destruction program right away on this guy.
So much for Dems being the party of the working man.
Working man? To these control freaks, you don’t qualify if you aren’t in a union. Joe probably isn’t, how dare he be self sufficient!
DUmmies also think voting for Obama will get them out of their moms' basement.
And he didn't even know it!
If they wanted out of Mom's basement they wouldn't be DUmmies.
I think they believe Obama will send them a monthly stipend. It's called No Couch Potato's Behind Left.
Joe pierced that lie, which is why they feel the need to destroy his name. If he had said he was going to vote Obama, despite the personal cost to his family, he'd be their hero. Donks rate everyone based on usefulness.
Opportunity or Frustration, voter's choice!
“his bourgeois self” lol
Obama’s tax cuts arent going to matter if you lose your job.
Also if you raise business taxes, everything will cost more. Imagine if sales taxes went up 10% or 15%. So under Obama’s tax plans, everyone will be worse off.
LOL True!
I just had a (I assume) DUmmie ask me what I meant when I wrote about Joe being an example of how the libs don't care for working folk who don't happen to agree with their politics.
My answer: "People who have jobs"
I think he was trying to imply I'm anti-unemployed person, or something.
When the party of JFK has to ask what one means with the term "working folks," you know their party's gone whole-hog commie! :D
Yes, we're the bitter clinger class.
If they have jobs in the public sector, they are assumed to be libs, and thus, acceptable.
From my POV, public sector workers are overhead & it's a sound business principle to keep overhead as low as possible. To the left, that makes me heartless.
I wonder to what extent is this true, that 98% of small businesses make less than $250,000? Is a gas station a small business? Is that the same as a vegetable stand? Is an auto repair shop a small business? ...a plumbing shop? ...a small retail store? ...a sandwich shop? ...a welding shop? What is BO talking about?
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