Joe Wurzelbacher

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'Joe the Plumber' Is Dead at 49
'Joe the Plumber'
Is Dead at 49
OBITUARY
Aug 28, 2023 1:10 PM CDT

'Joe the Plumber' Is Dead at 49

Joe Wurzelbacher famously questioned Barack Obama on campaign trail in 2008

(Newser) - The man the world came to know as "Joe the Plumber" has died at age 49 from pancreatic cancer, reports Fox News . Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher gained national fame back in 2008 when he questioned then-Sen. Barack Obama on the campaign trail in Toledo, Ohio, about his tax plan, per...

Joe the Plumber on the Border: 'Start Shooting'

...and 'put a damn fence' up

(Newser) - Samuel Wurzelbacher, perhaps better known as "Joe the Plumber," has a border control solution: The US should "put a damn fence on the border going with Mexico and start shooting," he said Friday at a fundraising dinner for an Arizona state senator. Wurzelbacher, an Ohio Republican...

Joe the Plumber: McCain 'Screwed My Life Up'

Wurzelbacher says the candidate used him during campaign

(Newser) - Don't expect to see Joe the Plumber on the campaign trail for John McCain anytime soon. "I don't owe him shit," Joe Wurzelbacher told an audience in Pennsylvania this week. "He really screwed my life up, is how I look at it." Wurzelbacher said the McCain...

As a Reporter, Joe the Plumber's a Good Plumber
As a Reporter, Joe the Plumber's a Good Plumber
OPINION
Feb 11, 2009 10:07 AM CST

As a Reporter, Joe the Plumber's a Good Plumber

Would-be journo mainly full of crap

(Newser) - In our YouTube world, "anyone and everyone can play journalist," but not everyone should, writes James Rainey in the LA Times. Case in point: Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher. In his work for conservative Pajamas Media, "Wurzelbacher looks about as capable with a microphone and a...

Reporting From Gaza, This Is Joe the Plumber

Campaign celeb tries war journalism for conservative website

(Newser) - Perhaps in an effort to ditch his infamous moniker, Joe the Plumber is swapping plunger for pen. The Ohio businessman, the presidential election’s "average American," will spend 10 days near Gaza covering Israel’s perspective on the conflict for pjtv.com, Internet arm of conservative Pajamas Media....

'Unsexiest' Men Alive: Post-Election Edition
'Unsexiest' Men Alive: Post-Election Edition
OPINION
Dec 10, 2008 7:13 PM CST

'Unsexiest' Men Alive: Post-Election Edition

(Newser) - The Boston Phoenix drew up its  “Unsexiest Men” list in March, but the election season produced some new contenders, while others earned a reprieve.
  • John Edwards: The perennial Dem also-ran wasn't on the first list, but his very public dalliance earns him a spot after a recount of sorts.
...

Joe the Plumber 'Appalled' by McCain

Campaigning made him feel 'dirty'

(Newser) - Joe the Plumber, a sidekick of John McCain's presidential campaign who came to represent the common man, now says he was "appalled" by the Republican candidate, Politico reports. Plumber Joe Wurzelbacher, who appeared at campaign stops with McCain, told a conservative radio show host his up-close look at presidential...

Joe the Plumber Grabs Book Deal

Chooses small publisher, says he's "spreading the wealth"

(Newser) - Before the 2008 election is a month old, Joe the Plumber plans to have a book on the shelves, the New York Times reports. Samuel J. Wurzelbacher has signed a deal with PearlGate Publishing to write “Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream,” due in bookstores Dec....

Ohio Cops Flush Plumber Joe's Speeding Ticket

Toledo police worried about 'negative repercussions'

(Newser) - It seems Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, or as John McCain dubbed him, “Joe the Plumber,” lives a charmed life. Wurzelbacher was caught going 50mph in a 35mph zone in Toledo last week, but America’s favorite toilet doctor got off with just a warning. The officer decided a ticket...

New Video Hit: 'Where Are You, Joe?'

McCain's guest nowhere to be found during first Ohio rally

(Newser) - The image of John McCain looking for a nowhere-to-be-found Joe the Plumber has surfaced on YouTube and is being forwarded by gleeful Democrats, notes MSNBC's First Read blog. “Joe’s with us here," McCain said at an Ohio rally yesterday. "Joe, where are you?," he asked,...

Joe the Country Singer? Record Deal In the Works

(Newser) - We already knew he could fix a toilet and stir up a presidential race. Now, Joe the Plumber may be dazzling us with a country album on Inauguration Day, Politico reports. It seems the artist formally known as Joe Wurzelbacher has teamed up with a Nashville PR firm and is...

Joe the Congressman?
 Joe the Congressman? 
Oct 25, 2008 11:40 AM CDT

Joe the Congressman?

Would battle popular northern Ohio representative

(Newser) - Joe the Plumber is mulling a 2010 congressional bid. The man John McCain turned into an instant celebrity—and the centerpiece of the GOP campaign in the home stretch—told radio host Laura Ingraham yesterday he might take on a highly popular incumbent in northern Ohio, CNN reports. “I'll...

McCain's Final Strokes Paint Obama With Lefty Brush

Democrat's tax plans amount to 'welfare,' Republican charges

(Newser) - John McCain criticized Barack Obama’s economic plans yesterday as the Republican focuses on portraying his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal with a socialist vision for America, the Los Angeles Times reports. McCain had hoped to iconic plumber Joe on his tour of central Florida, but Joe Wurzelbacher refused. Instead,...

Obama's Plumber Calls Joe Out
Obama's Plumber Calls Joe Out
Oct 18, 2008 6:41 PM CDT

Obama's Plumber Calls Joe Out

Wurzelbacher hurts pros by having no license, he says

(Newser) - Joe Wurzelbacher may be the most famous plumber this side of Super Mario Brothers, but Troy Dunn doesn't think much of him. “Joe the Plumber isn’t even a licensed plumber,” says Dunn, the 44-year-old licensed journeyman who fixes Barack Obama’s toilets. “He's taking our work....

Joe the Plumber's Story Line Springs a Few Leaks

(Newser) - Tired of Joe the Plumber? His life has been turned upside since he became an unintentional media celebrity, the New York Times notes. Among the odds and ends:
  • He is a single father, 34, whose real name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher.
  • He does plumbing work for a contractor but is
...

The Day After, McCain Still Savors His Cup of Joe

Back on trail after debate, Republican still has Obama-baiting plumber on lips

(Newser) - Joe the Plumber remained a fixture of John McCain’s campaign today on the heels of his prominence in last night’s debate, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Joe's the man,” the Republican said at a rally. “He won and small businesses won across America. The American people...

Debate Puts Spotlight on 'Joe the Plumber'

McCain mentions make Ohio man America's most famous plumber

(Newser) - Joe Wurzelbacher found it "pretty surreal" to become the focus of last night's presidential debate, the Ohio plumber tells the AP. "Joe the Plumber" was mentioned more than 20 times in the debate—more than Iraq or the economy—as John McCain and Barack Obama sparred...

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