Posted on 01/16/2010 4:57:47 PM PST by UB355
CALEDONIA - Joe the Plumber, the man who became the face of the average American during the 2008 presidential campaign, is coming to Racine County on Saturday.
The Ohio man, whose full name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, has gone by Joe since he "came out of the womb," he said in a phone interview last week.
But he didn't become nationally known as "Joe the Plumber" until he asked President Barack Obama a question about taxes on the campaign trail and his new nickname was later mentioned multiple times in a televised debate between Obama and Sen. John McCain.
Now, after quite a bit of media attention during the election, Wurzelbacher is on the trail himself passing along his message about getting involved in politics. He is the featured guest at the at the Racine TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party's "Bonfire Tea Party" scheduled for 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Caledonia.
This tea party bonfire will concentrate on keeping taxes and the deficit in check and citizens' rights to private health insurance, said Nancy Milholland, the event's co-organizer.
But Wurzelbacher said he isn't coming to tell people what political party they should support.
"Regardless of your persuasion ... Republican or Democrat, we need more Americans getting involved," said 36-year-old Wurzelbacher. "Ultimately it comes down to political responsibility; people need to take responsibility for their actions." People need to learn about their elected officials and vote, he said.
He compared the consequences of not getting involved in politics to the result of a fox getting into a chicken coop.
"You know a fox is going to eat a chicken and politicians are going to take advantage of the American people if we are not doing our own job," Wurzelbacher said. "Our job is to hold these elected officials accountable."
Since the 2008 presidential election, Wurzelbacher is no longer working as plumber, he said. He does odd jobs, attends speaking engagements and has written a book titled: "Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream."
In Wurzelbacher's 15 minutes of fame during the political campaign, he was interviewed by many national newscasters and details of his life were dug up by the media, he said.
"If you have to rely on other people for your self-esteem you definitely don't want to be in the public eye," Wurzelbacher said.
The attention took some getting used to, he said. But he still chooses to be out in the public. He wants to spread the message for people to get involved in politics so that his son can have the same opportunities growing up that he had when he was young.
As for running for an elected position any time soon, he said, "I don't feel led that way." But he didn't say that it is out of the picture for the future.
If You Go:
WHAT: "Bonfire Tea Party" featuring Joe the Plumber
WHERE: 4505 Highway H, Caledonia
WHEN: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday,
I hope someone writes a longer report about today’s rally. I would have liked to have attended, but I can’t handle the cold or to be on my feet for long.
My husband was in the Napa store in Grafton around 1 pm looking for tractor parts and “Mike the Plumber” was headed to the Tea Party. My husband joked, “I thought all plumbers were named Joe”, to which Mike said, “I’m heading there right now to see Joe.”
Ok, you asked. I was there from 2PM till about 5:30. The bonfire was in an open area on a farm.
That’s 3000 people standing near a farmhouse in twenty-seven degrees!!!!!!! You think we are not fired up?
They set up a shuttle bus service from a parking area in a park in Franksville.
It started out with singing by a very nice vocalist. The invocation was by Reverend David King who is running for Secretary of State. Robin Voss had very interesting points about medicine in Ireland - a socialist health care system now being privatized. She’ll be on Vicki McKenna’s show on Monday. Both candidates for Senate spoke, Westlake and Walsh. The former is a better speaker, but Walsh had the crowd for a time when he talked about the American Dream.
I can listen to Joe the Plumber anytime. He proves that we are a people of talent and we do not need elites to govern us. He speaks so well and his patriotism is so clear.
Vicki McKenna was up last and she’s also great, but by then it was getting damn cold. She was kind of the clean up hitter.
I’d like to pay a tribute to a gentleman that we ended up talking to at the bonfire. He wore a US Army hat and we discussed that we are both vets, but he was a veteran of World War II. He was in the cold with us at the age of 83. Pretty darn spry and believe me he had our president pegged. My fellow Americans we are a great people.
Thank you so much for your great report. I’m going to make some hot chocolate now because your description is so realistic that I need a warm up! LOL. Did you mean that Terrence Wall (running against Feingold) spoke? You wrote Walsh, but JSOnline said Wall.
Yes. That’s right Terrence Wall and Westlake both spoke. Westlake is a more dynamic speaker. Just hope he can beat Feingold.
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