McCain gains backing of Joe the Plumber
By PHILIP ELLIOTT – 30 minutes ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Joe the Plumber endorsed Republican John McCain for president on Tuesday and agreed that a vote for Democratic candidate Barack Obama would be "a vote for the death of Israel."
Samuel J. Wurzelbacher gained national attention when Obama told him during a campaign stop that he wanted to "spread the wealth around." Their exchange about Obama's tax plan aired countless times on cable news programs, and McCain repeatedly cited Joe the Plumber in their third and final debate and again at campaign events.
McCain points to Wurzelbacher as an example of the middle-class worker who would be hurt economically by an Obama presidency, However, Wurzelbacher likely would fare better under Obama's tax plan because it calls for no tax increase for working couples earning more than $250,000 a year — Wurzelbacher earns far less — and provides for a middle-class tax cut.
In a McCain rally at a flag store, Wurzelbacher said he feared that Obama would turn the U.S. into a socialist nation.
When a McCain supporter asked him if he believed "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel," Wurzelbacher replied, "I'll go ahead and agree with you on that." He didn't elaborate on how Obama, who has said his commitment to Israeli security is "nonnegotiable," would be caustic for the Jewish state.
Fame brought media scrutiny to Wurzelbacher, who turned out to be an unlicensed plumber with unpaid back taxes.
For the life of me, I don't understand some of the comments people make about the results of someone being elected President. Don't those people read the Constitution. The President's Constitutional authority is actually quite liminted. To get the most accomplished, a President must work with and through the Congress which means he must engage in bargaining and compromise. Even the candidates do it themselves and that is frustrating to hear.
