-->

• Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber," became a central figure during the final debate between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. During a Media Research Center presentation of the "Dis-honors" Awards, Wurzelbacher told the audience that all the love in the room was making him "horny." The statement was one of several jokes that he told while on the stage.Huffington Post: Joe The Plumber Tells Conservatives ... (March 20, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Full name: Joe Wurzelbacher
  2. From Holland, Ohio
  3. Has worked as a plumber for 15 yearsMSNBC: Ohio plumber becomes focus of debate (October 15, 2008)
  4. Wurzelbacher is not a licensed plumber Washington Post: Joe the Plumber: Not a Licensed Plumber (October 15, 2008)
  5. Wurzelbacher owes the state of Ohio in back taxesChicago Tribune: Joe The Plumber's Story has some cracks (October 16, 2008)
  6. Wurzelbacher came up 25 times during the 90-minute Hofstra DebateGuardian UK: Who is 'Joe the Plumber' - aka Joe Wurzelbacher? (October 16, 2008)
  7. Both McCain and Obama addressed Wurzelbacher directly during the debate
  8. Plans on buying a business that earns more than $250,000 a year

• Obama Meets Joe the Plumber

  On October 12, 2008, Joe Wurzelbacher approached Obama on the streets of Toledo, Ohio, to ask about the tax increase he may incur if he expands his small business. Obama told him that if his business earned more then $250,000 a year, his taxes would be raised by 3%. Obama said this will help him give a tax cut to those businesses who make less.Huffington Post: "Joe The Plumber" Speaks: "It's Pretty Surreal" (October 15, 2008)

• War Correspondent

  In January 2009, Wurzelbacher announced he was going to Israel to become a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com. Wurzelbacher, who planned to cover the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip, said he hoped to let "'average joes' share their story" about the conflict.FOX News: Joe the Plumber: War Correspondent? (January 7, 2009) Wurzelbacher arrived in Israel on January 11, 2009. He told a group of reporters assigned to cover the Gaza conflict that he believed the media should have "no business" covering war. During his visit to the southern Israeli town of Sderot, Wurzelbacher and his crew were forced to run for shelter when sirens sounded, warning of a possible rocket attack. Of daily life in Sderot, Wurzelbacher said, "I'm sure they're taking quick showers, I know I would. So you can't plan your day, you can't take a picnic."CNN: Joe the Plumber: Ban media from war

• Small Business Facts

  1. 20 million small business tax returns are filed annually
  2. 4% of small businesses report taxable income of $200,000 or more
  3. 88% of small businesses report earnings of less than $100,000Palm Beach Post: Fact-checking Obama's and McCain's assertions... (October 15, 2008)

• Wuzelbacher Israel Quotes

  "I think media should be abolished from, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you're gonna sit there and say, 'well, look at this atrocity'; well you don't know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it."CNN: Joe the Plumber: Ban media from war

  "I'm in the bunker, I'm sitting there angry, outright furious, that I'm letting this terrorist dictate what I'm going to do because they're firing missiles. It was fear at first, then outright anger, and then me wanting some kind of retribution. I'm not a person that runs from things, but when it's a missile, you run."CNN: Joe the Plumber: Ban media from war

• Quotes

  ''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."—Barack ObamaMSNBC: Ohio plumber becomes focus of debate (October 15, 2008)

  "...according to a calculation by the independent, non-partisan Tax Policy Center, fewer than 700,000 taxpayers would have to pay higher taxes under Mr. Obama's plan. But even some of these are not small business owners in the traditional sense; they include lawyers, accountants and investors in real estate, all of them with incomes that put them in the top tax brackets."—The New York TimesThe New York Times: Plumber From Ohio Is Thrust Into Spotlight (October 15, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Obama Plumber | Election 2008 | Barack Obama | John McCain | Hofstra University Debate | Joe Wurzelbacher | Sarah McCain Palin | Joe the Plumber Country Album | Ohio Exit Polls | Ohio Election Results | Kristen Wiig Joe the Plumber | Palin Turkey | Israel Attacks Gaza Strip | How to Become a Plumber

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page