Joe the Plumber Eclipses Joe Sixpack
Last night I viewed the last of 49 political debates. That’s right, I admit it…I watched all 49 debates. Don’t be hatin – don’t be judgin…you probably watched every episode of Lost…some twice! Needless to say, over the last 2 years I have become quite the TVholic. And here is what’s really sad, my sweet wife of 30 years has become just as much of a political junkie as me. She use to bake, sew, take walks with our dog in the neighborhood, and long for more chick flicks on the tube. Now she is just as addicted to Morning Joe, Hardball, Countdown, and Anderson Cooper 360 as I am. With this difficult empty nest situation we find ourselves in we’ve found something we love to do togther though, and that’s pretty cool. So last night the debates of the 2008 campaign came to a close. After shedding a tear of two we then moved into the 2nd phase of our post debate ritual - two to three hours of more TV… recaps and post debate commentary. You know, every election seems to have it’s everyman. I was beginning to think this year might be different in that there would be no everyman in the 2008 campaign. But last night John Sidney McCain (Sidney is McCain’s middle name in case you don’t know) introduced America to Joe Wurzelbacher or Joe the Plumber. Joe is this campaigns everyman… a small business owner from Holland Ohio who last night got his 15 minutes of fame. So this guy has a 6 minute conversation with Barak Obama in Ohio the other day and now find himself being mentioned 26 times in last nights debate. This guy will probably end up with some kind of book deal and a made for TV movie if he plays his cards right. According to news reports this morning, he has already hired an agent to handle his many television interview offers and product endorsement deals. What a great country this is! Wouldn’t it be something if Joe the Plumber takes the place of Joe Sixpack in becoming the game changer in this years election? Believe me when I say that stranger things have happened. Well guess what? According to this morning’s Los Angeles Times, this year’s everyman, Joe the Plumber, is not even registred to vote! That’s right, he’s not registered to vote in the 2008 Presidential election in his home state of Ohio. The one guy who might just change the whole conversation in political world 2008 is not even going to exercise his constitutional right to vote. One of my all time favorite pet peeves…people who criticize the government at hand along with it’s elected officials but who don’t vote. Is there anything more cynical, more apathetic than that? Hey Joe, what’s the deal? This is America bro, where one of the most precious rights and duties we have is to VOTE. I know it’s too late for some of you who might be reading this blogpost- the deadline for registration has come and gone and you’re in the same boat as Joe the Plumber. You’ve got 2 years before the next election…GET REGISTERED!!!
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