I’m Joe the Plumber

I’ve just seen the John McCain advert where people claim that they are ‘Joe the Plumber’ and that they will suffer higher taxes if Barak Obama wins the US election.  I’m not sure if I should be offended, or just keep laughing.  I’m a British ex-pat who won’t be voting as a green card holder, and even I’m wondering how deserate a campaign must be getting if they are falling back on portraying the population of the United States as an unqualified, tax-evading, water and waste repairman.

I’m a skilled worker in the field of Information Technology, and I’m not ‘Joe the Plumber’ because before making an opinion I do a basic amount of research and look at the claims and proposals made by the candidates.  I also then compare their candidate’s promises with past performance.  I consider the global economy as it stands today (probably worse tomorrow) and I look at how I want to be treated next year, as well as in 4 years time, and in a decades times.  I do all this, and then I wonder “who would want to be Joe the Plumber?”

I don’t want 15 minutes of fame, I don’t want to fall into a campaign that makes adverts that look like the pissing contest between Apple and Microsoft, and I really don’t want to be associated with some poor schmuck that got pulled into a world of global politics that he was in no way prepared for.  I want a candidate that has stood in 3 debates and said he will try to maintain or lower the taxes of 95% of Americans, even when the global economy states that anyone would have to raise taxes.  I want a candidate that will allow everyone to recieve medical care without facing crippling bills, regardless of their job.  I want a candidate that doesn’t rely on McCarthyism to try and force voters away from reform just because it might not favour the rich.

As I said earlier, I’m an ex-pat, and I won’t be voting, but I really hope America doesn’t become more isolationist than it is already viewed on the world stage.  I don’t want to live in a region where we joke about being a target and I don’t want to watch a proud nation slip back to a time of “reds under the bed” and “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” policies.

So if anyone from the McCain camp is reading this, you missed your target with that advert.  Have a long think about who you are reaching for and try again, because unless you come up with a new message it will be a quiet and lonely evening for you on November 4th.

—update—update—update—

Looks like I’m not alone, Obama has drawn attention to the misleading, negative campaigning too:

BBC News – Obama criticises ‘ugly’ tactics

The commercial as listed on John McCain’s YouTube page

The “Try This” tax cuts commercial from Barak Obama’s YouTube page:

John McCain ‘endorsed by al-Qaeda supporters’

The Telegraph – John McCain ‘endorsed by al-Queda supporters’

Associated Press – Al-Qaida-linked Web site backs McCain as president

United Press International – Al-Qaida Web site supporting McCainas president

Just when you thought the campaigns couldn’t get more weird, this happens.

The Last Presidential Debate

I’m feeling a bit weary of these debates now.  This evening’s was not as exciting as the Biden vs Palin bout of a few weeks back, possibly because both of these candidates are politicians.  The thing is I was expecting fireworks, I was expecting McCain to “come out fighting” as he’d promised in rallies last week, I was expecting an attempt by the Republican candidate to try and claw back some territory from what appears to be a foregone conclusion as the race reaches its final weeks.

Wait until the microphone is off Tom!

On the FOX News Live Stream from the second presidential debate, before they cut the feed back to the studio you could clearly hear Tom Brokaw chatting jovially about how both candidates ignored the time limits.  At the one point he could be clearly heard saying:

I was looking for a trapdoor I could spring…

We hear yah Tom!

Brokaw was definitely the winner in tonight’s debate.  With Obama in second place, and a laclustre McCain in a low third place.  McCain’s policy announcement for the government to buy out all defaulted mortgages was a brilliant example of the ‘main street rescuing Wall Street’ policy that will cost the tax payer billions while saving the banks from any major losses by letting them offload their bad debt to the government.  Was this a half-baked vocal slip?

Obama defended well against McCain’s occaisional swipes, and appeared the global politician alongside the aging national figure.  You can bet that both sides will claim victory in the morning’s papers but really with his figures slipping in all the polls was McCain’s performance enough?  I think not.

Brokaw made the “trapdoor” comment shortly after this chaotic ending to the debate:

Katie Couric for Vice President

If you don’t watch CBS news you may not have seen Sarah Palin laboring to keep to the script and “on message” under Katie Couric’s tactful and well balanced questioning.  You can watch the clip by playing the embedded clip below or by visiting the CBS News website.

As the interview questions became more focused Palin showed her lack of experience at handling the media and fell back to flustered repitition of practised phrases.  Her answers could only have sounded more carefully rehearsed and scripted if the cue cards had been held in shot.  The appearance was definitely more ‘hockey mom’ and showed little promise of her ever becoming a substantial and dependable VP.

If she is going to continue with the hand waving and snide remarks about the opposing candidates I feel the least she could do is learn a little more about her running mates past political career, it would make those pauses in interviews look just a little less embaressing.

Why do I feel that Putin, Ahmadinejad, and even Gordon Brown must be rubbing their hands in glee knowing that any negotions with the Vice-President of the United States of America could become a whole lot easier next year.