Joe the Skinhead
This is no Mr. Clean. Joe Wurzelbacher, the bald Ohio plumber who has turned into a mascot for the GOP, is as rabid a rightist as they come. Ever since his accidental ascent to the national stage, the plumber who is not a licensed plumber, has been inching his way forward as an official symbol of an ordinary Joe for a Republican Party that is desperately flailing away. Overnight, he has become another celebrity action figure in the McCain campaign, now appearing at McCain and Palin speeches enthralling crowds of supporters by his very presence.
The Republican Party, along with the McCain campaign, appears to be going down the drain, so why not call in a plumber, or reasonable facsimile thereof? JTP is a manufactured common man, an appeal to the blind, nativist element of a party that has used the ignorance of ordinary, working class people to support the interests of its true constituency – the corporate aristocracy.
At first refusing to endorse a candidate, the plumber began leaking his political opinions within a few short days, as his moniker became a constantly repeated mantra for McCain and Sarah Pailin in their stump speeches. It became apparent that Joe the Plumber had become Joe the Parrot as he regurgitated Republican talking points at any opportunity.
Seeing the wild reaction of the crowds to the mere mention of Joe the Plumber, the McCain people broke down and recruited the hairless Wurzelbacher to appear at rallies alongside their candidate. Problem is, campaign officials apparently forgot to tell Joe that he was invited; when McCain beckoned the newly minted policy wonk to join the dignitaries onstage at an Ohio appearance, his call was met with silence. “You are all Joe the Plumber!” the Arizona senator yelled to the crowd when Joe didn’t materialize, echoing a famous scene from the movie Spartacus.
It is interesting that with all the media attention, there has been little, if any mention, of JTP's resemblance to a skinhead. Finding his five minutes of fame, he has acquired an agent and is reportedly trawling around for a contract as a country music singer. Perhaps when the action figure is cast in plastic, the real Joe will be offered a cabinet post.
This is no Mr. Clean. Joe Wurzelbacher, the bald Ohio plumber who has turned into a mascot for the GOP, is as rabid a rightist as they come. Ever since his accidental ascent to the national stage, the plumber who is not a licensed plumber, has been inching his way forward as an official symbol of an ordinary Joe for a Republican Party that is desperately flailing away. Overnight, he has become another celebrity action figure in the McCain campaign, now appearing at McCain and Palin speeches enthralling crowds of supporters by his very presence.
The Republican Party, along with the McCain campaign, appears to be going down the drain, so why not call in a plumber, or reasonable facsimile thereof? JTP is a manufactured common man, an appeal to the blind, nativist element of a party that has used the ignorance of ordinary, working class people to support the interests of its true constituency – the corporate aristocracy.
At first refusing to endorse a candidate, the plumber began leaking his political opinions within a few short days, as his moniker became a constantly repeated mantra for McCain and Sarah Pailin in their stump speeches. It became apparent that Joe the Plumber had become Joe the Parrot as he regurgitated Republican talking points at any opportunity.
Seeing the wild reaction of the crowds to the mere mention of Joe the Plumber, the McCain people broke down and recruited the hairless Wurzelbacher to appear at rallies alongside their candidate. Problem is, campaign officials apparently forgot to tell Joe that he was invited; when McCain beckoned the newly minted policy wonk to join the dignitaries onstage at an Ohio appearance, his call was met with silence. “You are all Joe the Plumber!” the Arizona senator yelled to the crowd when Joe didn’t materialize, echoing a famous scene from the movie Spartacus.
It is interesting that with all the media attention, there has been little, if any mention, of JTP's resemblance to a skinhead. Finding his five minutes of fame, he has acquired an agent and is reportedly trawling around for a contract as a country music singer. Perhaps when the action figure is cast in plastic, the real Joe will be offered a cabinet post.
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