Since last night’s presidential debate, all I have heard from everybody around me is ‘What about Joe the Pumber’? Clearly, the most talked about man in the U.S. presidential election is now a 34-year-old Ohio resident otherwise known as Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.
Joe was referenced more than 20 times in Wednesday night’s presidential debate, and has quickly found himself caught in a deluge of media attention, political parody and personal scrutiny. Obama and his running mate, Biden, both criticized Joe as a false idol of the Republican cause.
“John [McCain] continues to cling to the notion of this guy Joe the Plumber,” Biden said on NBC’s Today show. “I don’t have any Joe the plumbers in my neighborhood that make $250,000 a year. The Joe the plumbers in my neighborhood, the Joe the cops in my neighborhood, the Joe the grocery store owners in my neighborhood, they make, like 98 per cent of the small businesses, less than $250,000 a year.”
Admittedly, Joe does not earn close to $250K per year but McCain’s point was that he he could indeed buy the business that he had dreamed of, then Obama’s tax policy (increasing taxes for those who earn over $250 K from 36 to 39 per cent) would make life much more difficult for folks like him.
Entrepreneurs all over America identify with Joe the Plumber which is why he has clearly become the talk of the town. Especially given the turmoil in the financial markets that has kept everyone on their toes lately. But what about the Ecopreneurists? To me you folks are the entrepreneurs of the New Economy who have the potential to not just to rebuild…but rebuild a sustainable economy. What are your thoughts on Joe The Plumber ? Does he represent you?
Please do send in your comments. In the next three weeks until the election, there is plenty of scope for conversation and opinion as to how ecopreneurists can take America to where it needs to be to support our individual and joint cause of sustainability.
Related Posts
Obama vs. McCain: Who Will Better Support Joe The Plumber?
Obama Vs. McCain: Who Will Better Serve the U.S. Economy?
Image Credit: Google