Obama's response to Joe's question about his tax plan and the Angry Left's and media's (but I repeat myself) response to Joe in general are pretty illustrative of their attitudes--meaning Obama's and liberal "elites"--towards average Americans in "flyover" country.
Pretty much, just read Iowahawk's break from satirical writing:
We've all witnessed a lot of insanity in American politics over the last few years. Up until the last few days, none of it has seriously bothered me; hey, just more grist for the satire mill. But after witnessing the media's blitzkreig on Joe 'the Plumber' Wurzelbacher, I can only muster anger, and no small amount of fear.Politicians -- Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, et al. -- obviously have to put up with some rude, nasty [crap], but it's right there in the jobs description. Joe the Plumber is different. He was a guy tossing a football with his kid in the front yard of his $125,000 house when a politician picked him out as a prop for a 30 second newsbite for the cable news cameras. Joe simply had the temerity to speak truth (or, if you prefer, an uninformed opinion) to power, for which the politico-media axis apparently determined that he must be humiliated, harassed, smashed, destroyed. The viciousness and glee with which they set about the task ought to concern anyone who still cares about citizen participation, and freedom of speech, and all that old crap they taught in Civics class before politics turned into Narrative Deathrace 3000, and Web 2.0 turned into Berlin 1932.0.
Godwin's Law! you say? if the jackboot fits, wear it.
If it's meta-memes and meta-meta-narratives these media headlice want, so be it. I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy, Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.
Are you a Joe? Say it proud. Leave it on every goddamn newspaper comment section and online forum. Let these pressroom and online thugs know you won't stay silent when they try to destroy the life of a private citizen for speaking his mind -- because for every one of them, there are a million Joe Wurzelbachers. And for that we should all be thankful.
Joe's story should resonate with everyone who has a dream, who aspires to something greater than what they are or what they are doing now. Obama wants to punish those who succeed & "spread the wealth around."
Obama, like John Edwards, sees two Americas: the America that is the target of his pandering so that he can get elected and the America he intends to tax in order to fund his utopian pipe dream.
Remember that when you enter the polling booth.
If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.
