Joe the Plumber, who questioned Obama’s tax proposals during the 2008 campaign, has died at 49

Hikermick@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 126 points –
apnews.com
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But he drew criticism during the campaign for suggesting that the United States should build a fence at the Mexico border and “start shooting” at immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally.

Fuck that guy.

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I'd forgotten about him. Everyone should.

Yeah. Literally who? Maybe if he was some antivaxx crackpot who ended up dying of a vaccine preventable disease. At least that'd be some leopards ate my face content.

I did too. Found it interesting he came up with the wall idea first

I don't think building a wall is a new/original idea, in any way

Its actually a well researched topic, the Chinese originally got the idea for their wall from Joe the Plumber.

Like what happens to most Americans in the US healthcare system: The cancer that killed him also wiped out his family's savings.

Is that true? I didn't see that in the article. I was hoping he had Obamacare because I enjoy irony

From the 2nd paragraph of the OP:

"His family announced this year on an online fundraising site that he had pancreatic cancer."

The way Americans deal with medical bankruptcy are the 'online fundraising' sites. If things are well financially, they don't use them.

I always thought he was just another plant by the astroturfing right

This is the most non story ever.

If we're going to have a news story every time someone who had a bad take on the TV 15 years ago dies, we're never going to have time to report on anything else.

Oh yeah. I remember this fucking stooge. RIP in Piss (also shit) Joe The Plumber; may your afterlife be uncomfortably unclogged

Cancer

He was, but he’s dead now luckily.

Celebrating the death of others imo is sociopathic.

Nah.

There’s a whole host of people I’ll outright fucking party for when they die, such as Rupert Murdoch for example.

This is more of a good riddance.

You get the respect in death that you make in life.

It's not about respecting a purpose it's about celebrating the suffering of others, their families, their friends, etc. That's the part I question.

One could argue it's celebrating the departure of another vector of suffering from the world. No one mentioned being happy about his family etc.

But it is also celebrating the death of a human.

Let me go let the Munchkins know that they're sociopathic for celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.

I didn’t even realize he was a real person. I thought that “Joe the Plumber” was just a name they used in the debates to signify some kind of common person.

I can see that, especially since the term Joe Six-pack is as you described, a common blue collar person.

This is the best summary I could come up with:


His oldest son, Joey Wurzelbacher, said his father died Sunday in Wisconsin after a long illness.

“The only thing I have to say is that he was a true patriot,” Joey Wurzelbacher — whose father had the middle name Joseph and went by Joe — said in a telephone interview.

He went from toiling as a plumber in suburban Toledo, Ohio, to life as a media sensation when he asked Obama about his tax plan during a campaign stop.

Days later, Obama’s Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. John McCain, repeatedly cited “Joe the Plumber” in a presidential debate.

He also wrote a book and worked with a veterans organization that provided outdoor programs for wounded soldiers.

But he drew criticism during the campaign for suggesting that the United States should build a fence at the Mexico border and “start shooting” at immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally.


The original article contains 440 words, the summary contains 147 words. Saved 67%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

I remembered him. Shocked he died at a young age.

The trades have one of the highest rates of early death out of any industry. No surprise to me at all

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