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Joe on Palin, Jindal, etc.

By Robert Stacy McCain on 11.18.08 @ 10:57PM

A student reporter for the Tufts Daily scores an interview with Joe the Plumber:

Q: As a Republican, do you feel that Gov. Sarah Palin was the right vice-presidential selection?
A: Honestly, I think she shines too much. I think vice president no, president definitely. She has moral values. She has a record of change that ... John McCain had supposedly ... Sarah was actually too big of a personality, too big of a person to be vice president. . . .

Q: The Republican Party was dealt another devastating blow [on Nov. 4]. In your opinion, what do you feel the party needs to do in order to successfully regain control of the government? Also, what should disappointed conservatives like yourself do following the election?
A: The party should remember that they are conservative Republicans - that has been forgotten. They no longer hold to their ideals. They blow with the wind on just about every public opinion poll. So they are not right-wing; they are trying to show that they're middle or even left-of-middle sometimes. You have to remember two years ago, the Democrats loved John McCain. That is not what this is about. If you're a party, you have to stick to your ideals. The frontrunners in the Republican Party have definitely seem to forgotten that. Governor [Bobby] Jindal of Louisiana seems to have the right idea. We have got to get back to the grassroots of the Republican Party and not apologize for being conservative ...

More where that came from.

View all comments (20) | Leave a comment

Eugene Debbs| 11.19.08 @ 12:05AM

Penetrating political analysis from Joe the Plumber, really.

I wonder if Joe Sixpack would completely agree with Plumber's assessment of these important issues.

If Joe Strummer, erstwhile Rock genius were still living, I'd say we could ask him too. He probably knew tons about tax policy -- like Joe the Plumber.

Really -- you guys on the right are incredible.

Joe the Plumber! Look out, here comes "the party of ideas."

What a joke.

fareast| 11.19.08 @ 12:38AM

Eugene,

OK, it's certainly fair to say that Joe the Plumber falls short of either William F. Buckley or Eric Sevareid. But I think it's only fair to place him in the context of his contemporary intellectual equals.

From today's Daily Kos, by the none other than the Great and Magnificent Kos himself:
________________________________
I have an idea!
by kos

In the spirit of post-partisanship, and in spite of the American people's overwhelming votes for change in 2006 and 2008, let's appoint fierce global warming critic James Inhoffe to the Environment and Public Works committee!

Shit, that wouldn't be any worse than appointing fierce Obama critic and Iraq War supporter Joe Lieberman to the Homeland Security committee.

But in all seriousness, I think we've now learned that Joe Lieberman is the smartest politician in DC. He knew Democrats were spineless capitulators who would cave at the merest threat no matter how many times he shit in their face.

He's probably having a great laugh about it just about now.

Given how much he is hated by his constituents, he at least knows that the Senate Democratic caucus are a bunch of spineless asses utterly unwilling and unable to deliver the change the American people requested.
________________________________

Marvelous insight and truly uplifting eloquence, no doubt. Congratulations, you losers have just set the world record for the shortest victory lap ever.

Back to the misery factory you go.

ruth| 11.19.08 @ 1:49AM

Yeah, Eugene, imagine that! Joe, an ordinary American, believes in the transcendence of conservative ideals. The fact that you mock a simple but eloquent American reminds me yet again that liberalism is a mental illness. Go to your rubber room.

ruth| 11.19.08 @ 1:54AM

Eugene's miserable because their election win is a pyrrhic victory. They had to steal it to win.

Trurl| 11.19.08 @ 3:00AM

Hmm, on one hand, Joe The Plumber... on the other, Sean Penn, Micheal Stipe, Alec Baldwin, Dixie Chicks, Oprah, Ellen, Whoopie, Baba Wawa, Babs Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Redford, MSNBC inclusive...

I'll take Joe. He actually seems quite articulate.

But, tell you what. You get all the actor/music/journalist people to shut up and we'll let Joe go back to working honestly for a living. Deal??

Deborah Durkee| 11.19.08 @ 4:30AM

Just like the Obama campaign had to look for dirt on an everyday citizen who had the audacity to hope for an answer about "spreading the weath around," the left just can't stand an average citizen having an opinion different from theirs. Joe's a regular guy who makes much sense and doesn't spew hate, so he must be conservative.

Deborah Durkee| 11.19.08 @ 4:32AM

oops... "wealth" not "weath!" It's too early and not enough coffee apparently.

Captain America| 11.19.08 @ 8:03AM

Joe the Sage.

Leave Joe alone. He doesn't try to be anything other than what he is, a representative of the rank and file Republicans who determine winners or losers on election day.

Jack Bauer| 11.19.08 @ 8:49AM

Is Eugene the Dumber REALLY as stupid as his post makes him sound?

I guess so.

Bob| 11.19.08 @ 9:05AM

As most of you know, I'm highly critical of the current leadership of the Republican party because they are right wing whackos who let the social conservatives pull them around by the nose. However, if this interview is accurate, I am highly impressed with Joe. He has his priorities right even though he far overrates Palin and has drunk the right wing KoolAid about Obama's associations. Furthermore, there was absolutely no mention about abortion or any other social conservative agenda. He sounds as if he's much smarter than Palin. Don't you wish that she could answer questions with this much clarity?

J David| 11.19.08 @ 9:52AM

It looks like there is still going to be DKossack and HuffPo troll trouble even after the election...There must be some underlying fear that the communist college kid and "community organizer" will be needing a whole lot of defending in the near future...

Thomas| 11.19.08 @ 10:00AM

J. David,

Shhh. Bob and Eugene have every right to post here. Don't let on that people know who they are. If they fall for it, they won't change their handles.
As it stands, I now know who to refrain from attempting to engage in an honest, intelligent , academic discussion.

Good Day, all.

Bob| 11.19.08 @ 10:09AM

Thomas -- I won't tell if you don't! Ditto on any intelligent aspect of any conversation with you and JDavid.

Thomas| 11.19.08 @ 10:59AM

I have to thank Mr. Debbs for the repost from kos. I think that it is illuminating for people who do not regularly scan the Daily Kos, which I suspect is most of us. So I would like to respectfully disagree with kos' analysis of Joe Lieberman.

I have to admit that this is not a totally original thought. Rush Limbaugh put frth this idea on Tuesday, but i agree with his reasoning.

Joe Lieberman's motivation for his support of McCain are largely irrelevant in this matter. What is relevant is the Harry Reid had all but publicly stated that Lieberman was out of his committee chairmanship. Two days later Lieberman is back in. Why? It appears Lieberman was bought off. He now in indebted to the Democrats and, if the theory holds, directly to Barack Obama, himself.

Washington is politics and politics is the art of the deal. Thanks to kos and Mr. Debbs for reminding us of that. It is time for a change in Washington, a BIG change.

Blacque Jacques Shellacque| 11.19.08 @ 12:00PM

I'm highly critical of the current leadership of the Republican party because they are right wing whackos who let the social conservatives pull them around by the nose.

Translation: the Republicans haven't moved to the left enough.

james23| 11.19.08 @ 12:11PM

Its funny when Lefty trolls come on conservative blogs and post under oh so subtle names like Eugene Debbs. On other blogs, this guy posts as Bill Ayers and as Joy Behar.

Bob| 11.19.08 @ 12:49PM

BJS - Actually, social conservatives are not really "conservative" as they want the government to codify THEIR social agenda. True conservatives want limited government.

Translation: you don't understand the term "conservative". Social conservatives are actually to the LEFT of libertarian conservatives.

ruth| 11.19.08 @ 12:52PM

He probably looks like Joy the B., too.

ruth| 11.19.08 @ 1:02PM

There you go again, Bob, AmSpecBlog's resident oracle, busily spewing your sly, condescending witticisms . It must be hard to see all of us down here--so far below your lofty perch. A**clown.

Ronsonic| 11.19.08 @ 9:52PM

Damn, a college freshman interviews a plumber and we get something more frank and informative than most of what passes for political news and commentary.