Plumber Joe Wurzelbacher speaks to the media, October 16, 2008, outside of his home in Holland, Ohio. Wurzelbacher was referred to frequently by presidential candidates Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ ) and Democrat U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during last night’s third debate as “Joe the Plummer”. (Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images North America)
The star of last night’s Presidential debate wasn’t either of the candidates. It was a plumber named Joe.
With the phrase “Joe the Plumber” being tossed around last night, the public (and the media) were eager to learn more about the man behind the moniker. Enter Joe Wurzelbacher.
Joe Wurzelbacher briefly made the news recently when Fox News ran a tape of him approaching Senator Barack Obama at a campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio. Wurzelbacher explained to Obama that his tax policies would put him in a bind if he were to buy into his employer’s plumbing business, which would make an estimated $280 thousand/year.
Joe became a repeated example in last night’s presidential debate and by morning, reporters were camping out on his doorstep to catch him as he left the house in the morning.
Well maybe Joe would have been happier staying anonymous instead of becoming an example and having nosy reporters go rooting around in his paper trail.
It turns out Joe Wurzelbacher really doesn’t like taxes… like to the point where he won’t pay them.
From Bloomberg.com:
“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.”
So Wurzelbacher has an active lien against his house for back income taxes. And by the way he’s no where near close to making the kind of money that would put him in Obama’s $250k and up tax bracket. And here’s the real kicker.
He’s not a licensed plumber.
That’s right. Joe the Plumber is not a licensed plumber (More from the Washington Post). To be fair, Wurzelbacher doesn’t have to be licensed to work for a plumbing company, but it just sort of tastes like the icing on the cake to me.
At this point I’m guessing Wurzelbacher wishes he had just kept quiet and never spoken up to Obama or anyone else ever about the subject of politics. He seems like a likeable enough guy. It’s just awkward to see a completely normal “Joe” have his laundry tossed by the press.
What do you think about Joe the Plumber? Vote here.
The Hustle 2.0 