Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber," on Tuesday twice agreed with a claim from an audience member at a John McCain rally that "a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death to Israel."
Wurzelbacher was hitting the campaign trail on behalf of McCain for the first time, joining former Rep. Rob Portman on a GOP bus tour through Ohio.
At a stop in Columbus, he fielded the question on Israel from a self-identified Jewish senior citizen.
The questioner said he was "concerned" with Barack Obama's associations and "It's my belief that a vote for Obama is a vote for the death to Israel."
Wurzelbacher responded: "I do know that."
The questioner then complained about Obama's tax policies and reiterated his Israel comment.
"Well, you know what, I'll actually go ahead and agree with you on that one," Wurzelbacher said. "You know ... no, I agree with ya.'"
Wurzelbacher's first trip to the podium as a McCain surrogate was freewheeling. He often apologized to reporters gathered in a flag store for talking from his gut.
"I'm honestly scared for America," Wurzelbacher said.
He later said Obama would end the democracy that the U.S. military had defended during wars.
"I love America. I hope it remains a democracy, not a socialist society. ... If you look at spreading the wealth, that's honestly right out of Karl Marx's mouth," Wurzelbacher said.
"No one can debate that. That's not my opinion. That's fact."
Though "Joe the Plumber" has become a centerpiece of McCain's campaign in the closing days of the presidential race, McCain aides told FOX News the Republican nominee does not share Wurzelbacher's opinion on Obama's view toward Israel.
Obama states on his Web site that he strongly supports the U.S.-Israel relationship, as well as Israel's right to defend itself and foreign assistance to the country.
McCain, though, has suggested Obama's commitment to Israel is not as deep as it should be.
A McCain TV ad out Tuesday ridicules Obama for saying Iran, whose president is openly hostile toward Israel, is a "tiny" country that "doesn't pose a serious threat."
The narrator says: "Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren't serious threats? Obama -- dangerously unprepared to be president."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
So can someone tell me how being a plumber makes you an expert on Foreign affairs?
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Coriolis wrote:Wait. I thought this guy was just a campaign gimmick. Since when was he stumping for McCain?
You didn't think this was just a spontaneously thing, did you? He was a ringer, a plant.
And a poor one at that given that he's not even a plumber. And has cheated (dodged?) on his taxes.
The Gentleman from Texas abstains. Discourteously.
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"I love America. I hope it remains a democracy, not a socialist society. ... If you look at spreading the wealth, that's honestly right out of Karl Marx's mouth," Wurzelbacher said.
"No one can debate that. That's not my opinion. That's fact."
Everything wrong with the right in America, in short, compact form.
If I give the poor food, the call me a saint.
If I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.
It's really funny what insanely stupid stuff is flung around there. Obama "ending democracy" and turning the USA into a "socialist society"? Obama as president and Israel will be destroyed? How can anyone really believe that?
I also wanted to comment on the Marx-bit, but Samuel beat me to it.
It is pretty incredible when you realize that such programs as the education system is a form of wealth re-distribution. Especially when you factor in scholarships and the government subsidy of universties, which keeps tuition down.
Of course, Republicans are consistant, pushing for vouchers to make it more free markety.
Joe the Unlicensed Plumber is the logical outcome of the anti-intellectual movement in conservative politics. You can point to him as a perfect example of everything that's wrong with America today: an arrogant twat who doesn't know a damned thing about the issues which he nevertheless confidently pontificates about. He is the intellectual descendant of the people Abraham Lincoln referred to derisively as "Know-Nothings".
Just look at how he says that socialism and democracy are polar opposites, even though the French Revolution which revived the democratic movement in western society was a socialist one. The man spews ignorance wherever he goes.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
On the issue of American anti-intellectualism and specifically Southern anti-intellectualism, this Heaven Games thread is an extremely good read. It also makes for very good ammunition because the person making the most relevant posts (Cheesewiz) is a right winger himself.
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Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
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The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
Why exactly does the US has such a hard-on for Israel? I have limited knowledge of foreign policy, but I've always thought that we only give Israel stuff to keep a presence in the Middle East.
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Thank you for that link Edi. It was very enjoyable to read a southern Conservative commenting in an insightful way about the anti-intellectualism of the South. Every time this comes up Southerner on this board like to pretend that some Northern Liberal conspiracy is being mean to them, but even moderate Southerners are seeing a grow of mindless drivel and racism within the South.
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We're not just doing this for money; we're doing this for a shitload of money!
Because we need the state of Israel for the end time prophecies. No, I am not kidding. That is why the evangelicals support them.
You get other people supporting them because they are a democracy and the US foreign policy seems similar to that of Alpha Centauri. They are people just like us. But Jewish.
Why exactly does the US has such a hard-on for Israel? I have limited knowledge of foreign policy, but I've always thought that we only give Israel stuff to keep a presence in the Middle East.
Well, there is that. Israel is a relatively friendly nation in the Middle East whose continued existence is heavily reliant on continued infusions of modern American munitions and cash. There is also a vigorous Zionist movement in the United States which is backed by evangelical Christians. And a fair bit of that sentiment isn't held out of any special affection for the Jews, but rather because they believe that the installment of the Second Coming of Jesus and God's Kingdom on Earth relies on the recreation of Israel so that the forces of God and Satan can proceed to stomp it all flat during Armageddon.
Why exactly does the US has such a hard-on for Israel? I have limited knowledge of foreign policy, but I've always thought that we only give Israel stuff to keep a presence in the Middle East.
Well, there is that. Israel is a relatively friendly nation in the Middle East whose continued existence is heavily reliant on continued infusions of modern American munitions and cash. There is also a vigorous Zionist movement in the United States which is backed by evangelical Christians. And a fair bit of that sentiment isn't held out of any special affection for the Jews, but rather because they believe that the installment of the Second Coming of Jesus and God's Kingdom on Earth relies on the recreation of Israel so that the forces of God and Satan can proceed to stomp it all flat during Armageddon.
Specifically, they believe they must incite a war against Iran that will pretty much obliterate the population of Israel, so they can go to Heaven.
Yes, these people are basically a giant human-sacrifice cult.
Manic Progressive: A liberal who violently swings from anger at politicos to despondency over them.
Out Of Context theatre: Ron Paul has repeatedly said he's not a racist. - Destructinator XIII on why Ron Paul isn't racist.
Coriolis wrote:Wait. I thought this guy was just a campaign gimmick. Since when was he stumping for McCain?
You didn't think this was just a spontaneously thing, did you? He was a ringer, a plant.
And a poor one at that given that he's not even a plumber. And has cheated (dodged?) on his taxes.
Wasn't that stop Obama made in his neighborhood a surprise visit?
If so, I doubt he was a plant as the Repubs wouldn't have had the time to plant him.
As it is, he comes across more as one of those horribly misnamed 'Constitution Party' whackjobs than anything else.
Personally I think the McCain/Palin campaign happened to just get 'lucky' in finding such an obvious nutjob to hang their campaign on.
Anyway, five minutes with Joe The Plumber had Shepard Smith so frustrated that the Fox anchor felt compelled to issue a disclaimer, immediately following the segment, pushing back on any notion that Obama would mean the "death of Israel," saying: "I just want to make this 100 percent perfectly clear -- Barack Obama has said repeatedly and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend of the United States, no matter what happens once he becomes President of the United States. His words." Smith later added, "The rest of it -- man...some things -- it just gets frightening sometimes. We'll be right back." I haven't seen Shep this broken up about the state of the world since Katrina.
Somehow I don't think Joe's the sharpest pencil in the pack.
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."- General Sir Charles Napier
Huh...kinda makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. For a second there, I thought you guys were joking. America is all sorts of wacko.
No, the American right is batshit insane. The funny part is that the Zionists need their support, so they work with the Evangelicals, even though the two groups are polar opposites. After all, the end of the world has all the Jews dieing or converting during the end days. It is a textbook case of unholy alliance/strange bedfellows.
These people don't know the basic differences between Socialism, Communism, or how their own GW Bush has already done more to advance true socialism in the USA than all previous Democratic Presidents combined by partially nationalizing the entire banking industry.
Something about Libertarianism always bothered me. Then one day, I realized what it was:
Libertarian philosophy can be boiled down to the phrase, "Work Will Make You Free."
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around! If all you want to do is have some harmless, mindless fun, go H3RE INST3ADZ0RZ!! Grrr! Fight my Brute, you pansy!
Huh...kinda makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. For a second there, I thought you guys were joking. America is all sorts of wacko.
No, the American right is batshit insane. The funny part is that the Zionists need their support, so they work with the Evangelicals, even though the two groups are polar opposites. After all, the end of the world has all the Jews dieing or converting during the end days. It is a textbook case of unholy alliance/strange bedfellows.
Alliance with Israel also reminds us of the good old days of the Cold War, to which we have been desperately trying to return for the last decade-plus.
So what exactly about the Obama tax plan is Joe and his collective buddies calling socialist? Is it the tax breaks to the lower-middle downwards and increases to everyone else? Because that's just standard tax re-allocation, if I'm understanding correctly.
Zablorg wrote:So what exactly about the Obama tax plan is Joe and his collective buddies calling socialist? Is it the tax breaks to the lower-middle downwards and increases to everyone else? Because that's just standard tax re-allocation, if I'm understanding correctly.
Anything which helps the poor at the expense of the rich is socialism. Anything which helps the rich at the expense of the poor is democracy. Welcome to the American Right. We have cupcakes.
America is all sorts of wacko.
