Tuesday, November 4, 2008

In Case You Missed: Joe the Plumber

The Aristocrat as "Joe the Plumber"
Since Joe wanted to make a mockery of the political process, then I wanted to make a mockery out of Joe, a "true" American

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aristocrats don't mock people. I'm a bit surprised you did that. Seems beneath someone of your intellect and style.

The Joe the Plumber stuff was awful and just a tacky political gimmick, but mocking the guy seems excessive.

Anonymous said...

Joe the Plumber availed himself to mocking when he decided that he was an expert on Israel and our foreign relations with that country.

I wonder if you would have had the same comments if I would have chosen to parody Rev. Wright? Ayers? And too, I was not the only Joe the Plumber at costume parties in Oxford and around the world

Anonymous said...

Why are you bringing up Ayers and Rev. Wright as if I'm on the Republican side of things here? I must say that's a bit offensive. It seems like you are paintings things in black and white terms i.e. "he doesn't like me portraying joe the plumber, so he must be a right winger". I was for Obama in this whole thing.

I just feel that all of the mocking and hatred I saw launched at joe the plumber does nothing but further his fifteen minutes which he never should have had in the first place. I don't feel he deserves sympathy because much of this is his own doing, but I wish that we (as a whole country) would stop with personal derision.

Of course that is just a dream. Politics will never be civil.

Anonymous said...

I did not initiate any of this derision. You called me out for mocking Joe the Plumber. I felt and feel like he is mock-able and in the spirit of dressing up for the party, I went over the top. And actually being Joe the Plumber was not my idea. I was asked by a friend, and strong, strong McCain supporter to be her "Joe" while she played a "hockey mom."

The division was the McCain campaign's own doing. They undertook to pub up the "joes" and "hockey moms" and "small town folks" as true Americans. Where did that leave everyone else who did not fit those archetypes? As it turns out, America is changing and is currently comprised of more than just people who fit the Joe-mold.


As for the civility of politics and this WHOLE ride, I don't think any other election has brought Americans back to the table in the political process. This election had RECORD turnouts, and for a change, more and more people were participating in the process.

I was going to vote for Obama before, but I became an active and aggressive supporter after McCain chose Sarah Palin. Everything changed after that, and the dirty politics and blatent under estimation of public intelligence forced me to speak out.

Wright, Ayers, the Joe's, the "he's an Arab" lady and the like were fair game for parody. Saying politics is divisive goes without saying. Governance and politics is about managing the competing interests of the people, groups, and other constituents that make up a nation.


Thanks for engaging me though, I appreciate the comments. I am curious to your general impressions of this election cycle.