Maverick Plumber For McCain!

The question on everyone’s lips has to be: who is Joe the Plumber, the man John McCain kept mentioning during the debate? I mean, ok, his name’s Joe (same as my dad! I like him already!) and he’s a plumber, but tell me more…

Well, on closer examination, Plumber Joe’s full name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, and he’s from Holland, Ohio. But wait, there’s more! According to Martin Eisenstadt, a right-leaning political analyst (and former Israeli tank commander, rowr!):

“John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots - he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!” They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who’s spurned Barack Obama’s tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher’s background.

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who’s Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating’s son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.”

Many in the blogosphere have frantically sought to confirm the connection drawn between Joe the Plumber and the notorious S&L illusionist Charles Keating in Mr Eisenstadt’s blog; some calling Joe Wurzelbacher a “plant” for the McCain campaign, while still others have cautioned that this may be a “classic Rovian bait and switch” to distract the electorate from the issues at hand, and make the news media look foolish into the bargain.

But whatever! Joe’s a MAVERICK from the HEARTLAND. He has also claimed on network TV to be an “undecided voter” when the full weight of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters has endorsed none other than That One elect, Barack Obama. MAVERICK!

Also, he’s not even a licensed plumber! SUPER MAVERICK! According to the AP:

“Joe the Plumber said Thursday he doesn’t have a license and doesn’t need one. Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, the nickname Republican John McCain bestowed on him during Wednesday’s presidential debate, said he works for a small plumbing company that does residential work. Because he works for someone else, he doesn’t need a license, he said.

But the county Wurzelbacher and his employer live in, Lucas County, requires plumbers to have licenses. Neither Wurzelbacher nor his employer are licensed there, said Cheryl Schimming of Lucas County Building Regulations, which handles plumber licenses in parts of the county outside Toledo.”

Please, if you can, tell me: what’s more maverick-y than just deciding one day, “heck, I’m going to be a plumber and nothing’s going to stop me, license be damned”. It would take a proud heart and a stubborn belief in manifest destiny, but if you want it badly enough, Lucas County, Ohio is that place.

And as if that weren’t proof enough of Sam/Joe Wurzelbacher’s maverick credentials, it would seem he also owes the state of Ohio almost $1,200 in back income taxes! According to records on file with the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, the state filed a tax lien against Samuel J. Wurzelbacher for $1,182.98 on Jan. 26, 2007 that is still active.

What can I tell you? They’re a team of mavericks over there at McCain-Palin HQ!