A non-Joe, non-tax paying, non-plumber had "center stage" at the debate last night. John McCain even declared him the winner. It's a gimmick, and I'm already, less then 24 hrs later, way over it. It's funny that Joe the plumber is even considered by McCain as an "average" Joe. Most average people aren't considering buying quarter million dollar businesses.
Digression: Joe the Plumber has little if any relevance to any substantive issues that this campaign is about. It was a tool McCain used to distort Obama's tax policy (and after watching an interview with him, yes, I think tool is the right word to use).
What this tactic has achieved, however, is exactly what McCain's campaign wants. Get the talking heads to stop talking about the economy. Frankly, I don't give a damn about Joe's business ventures, but by making this the buzz, whether or not McCain wins the argument, he wins the battle of deflecting from the economy for a few news cycles.
So from here on out, I suggest we stop talking about Joe, and start talking about:
knocking on doors
phone-banking
early voting
driving folks to the polls
getting active in our communities
YES WE CAN! Seriously, for 19 more days, YES YOU CAN!