Joe the Plumber

You can call it a lot of different ways, but in my mind the surprise star of last night's debate had to be Joe the Plumber. In case you missed it, Joe isn't just a metaphoric stand-in for your average small business owner -- though he serves that purpose too. No, Joe the Plumber is an actual real guy in Holland, Ohio named Joe Wurzelbacher. Before being featured prominently in last night's debate, his chief claim to fame was having asked Obama some tax policy questions at a campaign stop last week.

Given his newfound celebrity status as a proxy for the Working Everyman (and Everywoman!), some organizations have been looking into the background of Joe the Plumber, and what they've found amuses me.

• For one thing, Joe the Plumber has no plumbing license.


• Also, he isn't registered to vote. UPDATE: He is! But it's under a misspelled name. Damn you, ACORN!


• UPDATE 2: And his real name isn't Joe!


• And perhaps my favorite, he is distantly connected to Charles Keating of Keating 5 fame, albeit in a vague way that isn't probably terribly important.

So how's that for a good time, eh? But no worries. As a friend pointed out, would you really expect any less? After all, Joe Six Pack's legendary abs aren't all they're cracked up to be, either.