Mr. Wurzelbacher exits stage left

[we vs us]

Joe the Plumber has had it up to here with the GOP.  He's taking his plunger and going . . . to the other conservative party?

" . . . Big Government is never popular in theory, but the disaster aid, school lunches and prescription drugs that make up Big Government have become wildly popular in practice, especially now that so many people are hurting. Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, tells TIME he's so outraged by GOP overspending, he's quitting the party — and he's the bull's-eye of its target audience. But he also said he wouldn't support any cuts in defense, Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid — which, along with debt payments, would put more than two-thirds of the budget off limits." 

The article goes on to make an interesting point, and to bring up what might be called the Modern Conservative Conundrum.  Given that people don't like the idea of Big Government but like it when it helps them, and given that, during hard times (like now) people want more Big Government rather than less, how do conservatives stay in power by promising less government?

Here's hoping that Joe the Plumber has the answer.

[Conan71]

Joe the Plumber has had it up to here with the GOP.  He's taking his plunger and going . . . to the other conservative party?

" . . . Big Government is never popular in theory, but the disaster aid, school lunches and prescription drugs that make up Big Government have become wildly popular in practice, especially now that so many people are hurting. Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, tells TIME he's so outraged by GOP overspending, he's quitting the party — and he's the bull's-eye of its target audience. But he also said he wouldn't support any cuts in defense, Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid — which, along with debt payments, would put more than two-thirds of the budget off limits." 

The article goes on to make an interesting point, and to bring up what might be called the Modern Conservative Conundrum.  Given that people don't like the idea of Big Government but like it when it helps them, and given that, during hard times (like now) people want more Big Government rather than less, how do conservatives stay in power by promising less government?

Here's hoping that Joe the Plumber has the answer.

You're giving JTP space here why???

[Townsend]

Kind of a blanket statement on the headline but darn it, I'm pleased to see they've forgotten their history and are doomed apparently...

Republicans want "Joe the Plumber" in Congress

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20096663-503544.html

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the Ohio resident who rose to prominence during the 2008 presidential cycle as "Joe the Plumber" and later served as a war correspondent, is now considering a run for Congress - and national Republicans appear to be on board.
Wurzelbacher would challenge longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who represents Ohio's 9th congressional district, an area that includes Toledo. Jon Stainbrook, chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party, told the Toledo Blade that there exists a "high-level interest in the national Republican Party" in a Wurzelbacher candidacy, adding: "We are encouraging Joe to run."
For Republicans, a large part of the appeal of a Wurzelbacher candidacy is his name recognition and the fundraising potential that comes with it. The everyman appeal that prompted the McCain campaign to latch onto Wurzelbacher after he confronted then-candidate Barack Obama over his tax plan at a campaign event, meanwhile, certainly won't hurt. (Mr. Obama told Wurzelbacher he wanted to "spread the wealth," a phrase that Republicans would repeatedly cite to criticize the Democratic nominee.)
Kaptur's district is heavily Democratic, but that could change after redistricting is finalized in the wake of the 2010 census. Wurzelbacher, who has been on the speaker circuit, is likely waiting to see how the district lines shake out before making a decision. 
Asked about a possible run, he told the Blade: "I think it's a very interesting idea. That's as much as I can say."
Wurzelbacher won one of nearly 400 seats on the Republican Party committee for northwest Ohio's Lucas County last May. The group only meets a few times a year to elect the county chairman and sets the party agenda.

Wonder who else is coming 'round the corner.