 The "Joe the Plumber" Debate
By Joseph A. Palermo
(10/15/08) )
John McCain apparently loves workers now (except
for those in Columbia who are being killed trying to form
labor unions). He brought up the apocryphal demographic, "Joe the Plumber," and then
accused Barack Obama of "class warfare." He was condescending
to working people and to women. It's an outrage that after a Republican
administration that McCain voted with 90 percent of the time has
waged an unremitting class war against the working people in this
country -- robbing their earnings, their retirement accounts, and
their children's futures --, here's John McCain tonight denouncing
the idea of "spreading the wealth around."
McCain said: "I'm proud of the people who come to our rallies" (even
the ones who scream racial epithets?). And then he segued into
another yawner on all his "veteran" buddies who love
him so who show up. He said that ACORN is "destroying the
fabric of democracy" (by registering poor people to vote?).
He repeated the talk radio lie that Obama "launched his campaign" in
Bill Ayers' living room. McCain was petulant (as when he cried
again about how Obama forced him to go 100 percent negative because
he dissed his phony "town hall" ploy). McCain said that
Sarah Palin is a "role model for women" (some role model).
He dismissed the equal pay for women case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Co., as if it were totally irrelevant, exposing
once again his deep-seated misogyny.
John McCain tonight was facetious, smirking,
sarcastic, disrespectful, brooding, dismissive, rude, mean,
condescending, and wound up tight. Talking to "Joe the Plumber," he said: "Hey Joe,
you're rich! Congratulations!" Coming from a guy who married
into a $100 million fortune that's pretty weird. He's an elitist.
His true self had shown brightly tonight and I bet most people
were pretty turned off.
But most importantly, McCain is wrong on all
the issues. He feigns compassion for Americans who are "hurting," but he offers
only warmed over Republican "free market" policies. The
corporate media have seized upon McCain telling Obama: "I'm
not George Bush." But McCain's economic policies -- deregulation,
tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, cutting social programs
with a "spending freeze" in a time of growing poverty
and unemployment -- are all George W. Bush's policies. AND THEY
ALL FAILED!
We have just experienced the worst financial
crisis in 70 years. The stock market lost $3 trillion in the
last three weeks. Millions of baby boomers close to retirement
have been forced to recalibrate their plans for their "golden years." Eight
hundred thousand people have lost their jobs in recent months.
And all McCain wants to talk about is Bill Ayers and ACORN?
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