'Joe the Plumber' talks with Barack Obama Sunday
/ AP
Final debate gives Joe Wurzelbacher instant celebrity status
By Ryan Fowler
Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 1:59 a.m.
Read more: Local, Politics, National, Average, Joe, Debate, Mccain, Obama, Ohio, Plumber, Toledo, Joe Wurzelbacher
His name was mentioned more than 20 times during the final presidential debate on Wednesday…“Joe the Plumber” of Holland, Ohio. He’s a single father who describes himself simply as average.
Joe Wurzelbacher spoke with Senator Barack Obama during a campaign stop in Toledo Sunday. Wurzelbacher told the Illinois senator his (Obama’s) tax plan would prevent him (Joe) from buying the business that currently employs him.
During Wednesday’s debate Senator John McCain used “Joe the Plumber” as an example of how small business owners would suffer under Obama. In the matter of a 90-minute debate, “Joe the Plumber” became an overnight sensation that will forever be linked to the 2008 presidential race.
NBC 24’s Ryan Fowler spoke one-on-one with “Joe the Plumber” shortly after the debate wrapped.
“I was astounded to hear my name on national television spoken by a presidential candidate. I mean it floored me,” Wurzelbacher said.
Being an “average Joe," he said, “I get up every morning at 4:30 and I go to work. I don’t get home until 6 or 7. I cook dinner. I do homework with my son. I do yard work on the weekend. That’s a typical day and I live in a typical middle class neighborhood. I’m pretty much just average. I like to live a simple life.”
On all the attention he’s received since the debate wrapped: “I’ll have my 15-minutes. Come Nov. 4 ... if McCain wins I might have another day or two out of it. If Obama wins then I’ll be a footnote maybe at the most, I won’t be recognized again and that will be fine with me,” Wurzelbacher said.
Reaction to talking with Obama about his proposed tax plan: “I wasn’t impressed. In fact, it upset me. For someone to sit there and say you’ve done too good, and I’m going to penalize you now. In essence that’s what he said. I’m paraphrasing, but you done too good; I want some more of your money now. That’s wrong. That’s wrong across the board and I can’t imagine someone not agreeing with that. I can’t imagine America not agreeing with that,” Wurzelbacher said.
His advice to other voters: “Do your own homework. Don’t sit there and take your friends’ advice. Don’t sit there and take TV’s advice. Do your own homework. Find out what you really want instead of what your union steward wants, what anyone wants. That’s my biggest thing right there. Do your own homework,” Wurzelbacher said.
Although it seems Wurzelbacher supports McCain, he refuses to say who he plans to vote for come Nov. 4.
