Video: McCain Fights For Joe The Plumber & Obama Mocks

Yesterday, your humble blogger jumped the gun and produced a (now viral) video culled from another choppy YouTube soon after Barack Obama's speech about Joe the Plumber in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Obama's comments were political dynamite and speedy dissemination was of the essence.

With no access to raw DVR'd video, I rely exclusively on stuff already posted online. Unfortunately, the second-hand video I clipped did not include the full context of Obama's statement. I updated my original post with the full text quote, in which Obama mocks John McCain's fighting for a plumber.

This afternoon, I finally found an extended clip of better quality, helpfully posted by an Obama supporter --- thanks, buddy. I was about to simply post it as a final update to my original post and close the chapter. But then I read this:

Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. --  obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty shit, but it's  right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed. The viciousness and glee with which they set about the task ought to concern anyone who still cares about citizen participation, and freedom of speech, and all that old crap they taught in Civics class before politics turned into Narrative Deathrace 3000, and Web 2.0 turned into Berlin 1932.0.

So you know what?

Screw them and their "fairness." This is now fucking war.

Here's a new version of my video. I gave it an appropriate title (McCain Fights For Plumber & Obama Mocks), I use the better quality CNN video and for those rigid taskmasters, I include the full sentence Obama stutters at the beginning. And that's all the "fairness" you'll get. Deal with it:

So, sorry for that first video. Feel free to spread this one far and wide.

Comments

[jasperjava]

"Joe" the "plumber" is neither a Joe nor a licenced plumber. He's related to Charles Keating.

Obama answered his question in a mature, respectful, and truthful manner, but "Joe" said that he "tap danced" like Sammy Davis Jr.

That's all you need to know about "Joe".

[Cuffy Meigs]

You're on the wrong thread, jasperjava. Your uber-original findings have been vomited out a dozen different ways on the other Joe video post.

[bombshell]

It's funny how people like to preceive things... Obama was mocking the fact that McCain wants people to believe that he is actually fighting for people LIKE or SUCH as plumbers (which JOE is not). It is very clear to me and a whole lot of other folks that he was not mocking the profession itself. Who is McCain kidding? Himself? He is obviously FOR big business and not for plumbers. What the hell is wrong with people? Quit trying twist things around!

[Harold Holmyard]

Joe's question was whether Barack was going to tax him more. I think Joe meant that it was that question that Obama did not directly answer (tap danced around).

[drill]

hi you desperate wingnuts. listen, i'm not sure what you're talking about with this joe the plumber business. but obama was saying that if mccain's centerpiece is to fight for a guy about to buy a $250,000 business then fine. but obama is fighting for the people who actually are struggling to pay the bills and pay for gas right now, people in a much worse position than joe at the moment. good for joe that he can buy a business. but obama wasn't mocking mccain for fighting for a plumber. and i think you actually know that.

[Cuffy Meigs]

but obama wasn't mocking mccain for fighting for a plumber.

If not that, then what? He was mocking something with that derisive tone and shit-eating grin. Inform us desperate wingnuts.

[Susan]

Wow! Desperate wingnuts! Good one! Sadly, flinging insults and attacking private citizens is not the way to get your Messiah elected.

It worked so well with Sarah Palin, didn't it? So well that tens of thousands of supporters attend her campaign stops daily. I know, Biden gets those hundreds of fans -

Joe the Plumber is everyman. I am 62, and I am Joe the Plumber - My husband and I worked hard for everything we have, and we will both continue working as long as we can, the same as most of the folks in the country.

You and your leader can jeer at us, insult us, but that's ok because we KNOW who is working for us - and it isn't the messiah.

[Frank Parriott]

No need to apologize.
I AM JOE.

[libsRmorons]

""Joe" the "plumber" is neither a Joe nor a licenced plumber. He's related to Charles Keating."

Joe's middle name is Joseph, hence he IS a Joe. True, he isnt a licensed plumber, but he does not need one one as long as he is not self employed and as long as he works on residential jobs, not commercial. And he is NOT related to Charles Keating.

[Charlie Joe]

Me too. I am Joe.

[Rosetta the Racist]

Hello Cuffy, this is Rosetta.

Nice work!! Excellet video, Cuff. Very well done indeed. It must shock the senses of the Kool-aid swilling Obama disciples to see their Messiah behave in such an arrogant, condescending way about someone in the working class. Shocking I say!!

If you have a second, please consider becoming a racist with me.

http://thewickedpinto.wordpress.com/2008/10/18/i-rosetta-am-a-proud-racist/

[John Roe]

OK Obamamaniacs answer me this. Who is it that employ all of our middle class butts?
Who is it that control the grocery, gas, clothing, etc. industries. PEOPLE MAKING OVER $250.000. Do you think they got there by just sitting back and doing nothing when there expenses rise? If there taxes go up it will be paid for with our raises we would have gotten, higher prices on everything and for a lot of us our jobs. I think it is stupid to raise taxes on the very people we need the most to get this countries economy going again.

[Hi]

I AM JOE.

PASS IT ON.

[KIP]

This is a response to the comment below.
And I hold my convex belly and chuckle. "desperate wingnuts"..? "Messiah"?? Who calls the president a "Messiah".. uh, besides the Mormons?

Why can't people just be smarter? Is reading proper non-partisan news so difficult?

Making points about public attendance to campaigns based on your speculation.. What is that about? That point means nothing.

"Flinging insults"? "And attacking private citizens"? What?? I don't mind people "flinging insults" but I do mind hypocrites. If you're going to call people "desperate wingnuts," especially without substantial reasoning, shhhhh.... por favor.

As for your "private citizen" remark.. LOL. Well what the hell am I? A Public Citizen because I have a facebook account? LOL. We're all private citizens.

It's great that 62 year old, like you are still working, most 24 year olds can't get a job right now. Work hard, and if you make less than $250,000.00 dollars, you'll have nothing to worry about. You'll retire in a few years and receive money from the government-

"Wow! Desperate wingnuts! Good one! Sadly, flinging insults and attacking private citizens is not the way to get your Messiah elected.

It worked so well with Sarah Palin, didn't it? So well that tens of thousands of supporters attend her campaign stops daily. I know, Biden gets those hundreds of fans -

Joe the Plumber is everyman. I am 62, and I am Joe the Plumber - My husband and I worked hard for everything we have, and we will both continue working as long as we can, the same as most of the folks in the country.

You and your leader can jeer at us, insult us, but that's ok because we KNOW who is working for us - and it isn't the messiah."

Posted by: Susan | October 17, 2008 at 09:14 PM

[cranky]

Just wondering how making something more expensive will help Michelle's kids? Corporations don't pay taxes -- you do in the form of higher prices.

The Messiah, the second coming of Jimmy Carter.

[e Faust]

I am Joe.

Got that comrade Obamamaniacs?

[sunshine70]

I cannot believe some of the messages on here. So much anger and calling Obama the messiah just shows how little you know and it is not even worth going there with you. It is obvious that you are so dead set in your ways that you would not dare listen to another persons views or understandings. I can truly see why you would support Mccain and Palin because you have alot of anger just like them! As far as Joe your plumer goes, well sorry to tell you this BUT he is not even licensed or belongs to a union. There was a rumor that he is not even registered to vote,but unlike you I will give the guy the benefit of the doubt and not believe FALSE RUMORS! The whole thing is silly and totally being blown out of porportion, but then again if name calling and spreading trash about a person is the only way you can win a election then I truly feel for ya!

[Lavagod]

I find it funny when the Obamabots just say the same thing over and over again without actually looking up a few facts.

Sunshine70 said the below
"well sorry to tell you this BUT he is not even licensed "

Your statement is true but you fail to understand that he does not need a license to do his job as he falls under the license of his employer.

I looked it up with the state of Ohio and his boss is indeed licensed.

And to say he is not even a plumber is just plain wrong. Do you know Joe? Do you ride to work with Joe? NO so don't sit there and tell me the man is not telling the truth about his profession.

Obama wants to make fun of him and he is. Joe is the middle class American and your candidate wants to mock him and condone the media for ripping this mans life apart.

Someone mention that Joe can't be a middle class American because he wants to buy this business. What you don't know is Joe just wants to buy the business some day. That meaning is Joe doesn't have the income right now being a middle class American but hopes one day to be able to buy that business.

You Obama supporters can try and make this about McCain all you want but the fact still remains that a middle class American was mocked and ridiculed for asking a question.

The day we fear asking a question is the day I hope I'm long and gone because I don't think I could stand to see that happen. Obama is just giving a glimps of his administration and what he will do to his opposition.

I'm not a huge McCain fan but I know without a shadow of a doubt he is the better person for this country at this moment.

[smurt1]

I think it's funny that republican leaning websites always have such crappy production values. No graphics, no big friendly buttons, just little text based links. It reminds me of the internet in 1995!

I got a newsflash for ya, there's a lot of new fonts out there you should try besides times new roman and helvetica!

Also the fact of the matter is clear to anyone who watches the full video of Obama and Joe, which is that Obama is respectful and calmly explains himself and his policy. you can disagree, as I believe Joe does, but I doubt Joe himself would say Obama was rude or dismissive to him personally. An attack on McCain's pathetic campaign is not an attack of joe the plumber himself.

Oh, and by and large Obama supporters are not millenial nut cases looking for the new messiah. That honor belongs to the Left Behind reading supporters of the anti-witchcraft Sarah Palin brigade.

Thanks guys.

[Cuffy Meigs]

smurt1, Obama was dismissive of Joe in his recent stump speech, not during his actual encounter with Joe.

And thanks for the insightful criticism about fonts.

[smurt1]

I can't say I found Obama's comments about Joe dismissive, but that's in the eye of the beholder, I suspect. I will say that it is probably a hassle for Joe to have his name tossed around and his views over-simplified by the pundit class. However, it was McCain who made this guy the centerpiece of his campaign, and so it is at McCain's door that the blame for the subsequent media storm should be laid.

I think Joe the plumber seems like a nice guy, and I think he went up to Obama planning to nail him on this tax issue and instead it has really helped to clarify Obama's position, and to make common knowledge the fact that his tax break goes to anyone who makes less than $250K

I can't say that all those people work less hard than those who have more, can you?

[Cuffy Meigs]

and instead it has really helped to clarify Obama's position

Indeed, which is: Spread the Wealth.

And that's what got under Obama's skin --- Joe prompted the socialist to briefly decloak. Oops.

[sunshine70]

Like I had stated before this whole"Joe the plumber thing has gone way to far". Someone made a comment today that the democrats have ruined this poor guy from getting a job. What they did not mention was that is was not Obama who broadcasted the entire discussion it was McCain. So once again Obama is being blamed for something he did not create. McCains entire campaign has been based on trashing Obama, let's see it went from Revern Wright to him being a muslim, then he was best friends with terrorists,to paying off Acorn, now he is accusing Obama of not caring about a plumber! How desperate can one person be? But yet we are suppose to trust his judgement when it comes to our country? Iam a independent and in the beginning I was not completely sure who I was voting for but there is no doubt in my mind. McCain is a bitter, angry man and he does scare me. If the wrong person crosses him or his sidekick Palin the economy will be the last thing we will be worried about because he will start another war! Oh and by the way it does matter if you are licensed if you want to start your own buisness.I never stated you needed a license to be a plumber. I just found it comical that here is a guy making such a huge ordeal about having his own buisness, yet come to find out he can't.

[Cuffy Meigs]

...to him being a muslim...

Provide one cite where the McCain campaign has questioned Obama's Christianity. Just one. C'mon, it should be easy, right?

[smurt1]

I do appreciate the discourse, first of all.

I think it is a tough sell to tell people that the phrase "spread the wealth" is akin to socialism. There is something called fairness, and I think most people believe in an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. When the pay rate gets so inflated at the top end, it makes those of us in the lower 95% of the economy (with incomes of less than $250,000) feel a bit undervalued, as if our hard work doesn't count for as much in the eyes of society.

I am not a small business owner, but in my own way I work hard and contribute to society. I don't expect to get paid any more, but I do appreciate a government which taxes me less and instead shifts that burden to those who really profit from the incredible dynamo that is the United States of America.

Is it a coincidence that this is the land of opportunity, or is it something in our form of government that promotes greatness? The whole thing is set up to promote business! So is it so unreasonable to expect those businesses to fund the endeavor which promotes their interests?

Thanks. And frankly, Obama seems pretty unflappable, I would not characterize him as being rattled or even irked at Joe the Plumber. If anything, he might still be trying to get his vote!

[Soul Bro]

Cuffy;

Another Republican endorses Obama!!

Scott McLellan, former press secretary for President GW Bush from 2003-06, says he backs Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama for the November election.

"I will be voting for Barack Obama," McClellan said Thursday. McLellan explained that he has always planned on supporting "the candidate who has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done."