SAY IT AINT SO, JOE

Joe the Plumber sure came in handy during the last presidential debate. He was mentioned no less than two dozen times, and addressed directly by the candidates, and as a result, Joe was catapulted into fame as a symbol of the average working man facing "much higher taxes" under Obama's tax plan. Maybe he was a little too handy, in fact. It turns out Joe the Plummer (c) isn't exactly what he seems.

For starters, his name's not Joe, and he's not a licensed plumber.

"Joe the Plumber's story sprang a few leaks Thursday," says the Associated Press.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle (Story of Joe the Plumber Springs Many Leaks, Oct. 17, 2008) the "icon of the authentic working-class voter" is a fake.

"His first name isn't really Joe. It's Samuel.

He's not really a plumber--at least not a licensed one.

He's concerned about increased taxes - but hasn't paid his own income taxes.

And he's not exactly just a guy from Ohio.

He's lived in Arizona ... and Alaska.

He is registered as a Republican, and voted in the state's GOP primary in March, county elections records show. But he was previously registered, dating back to 2007, in the Natural Law Party." -SF Chronicle

According to FactCheck.org, an independent non-partisan group,"McCain said 'Joe the plumber' faced 'much higher taxes' under Obama’s tax plan and would pay a fine under Obama’s health care plan if he failed to provide coverage for his workers. But Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher would pay higher taxes only if the business he says he wants to buy puts his income over $200,000 a year, and his small business would be exempt from Obama’s requirement to provide coverage for workers."

Update from FactCheck: ABC News reported the morning after the debate that Wurzelbacher admitted to a reporter that he won't actually make enough from his new plumbing business to pay Obama's higher tax rates. ABC said his admission "would seem to indicate that he would be eligible for an Obama tax cut."

Read the SF Chronicle story HERE.

Candid shot of "That One" and "Fibber" McCain at the final debate