McCain Makes Joe the Plumber Into Populist Symbol

Elizabeth Holmes reports from Columbia, Mo., on the presidential race. John McCain has turned Joe the Plumber into a populist symbol, the perfect blend of middle America and small-business owner. The Republican presidential candidate pointed to a group he dined with on Monday afternoon and declared, “These are Joe the Plumbers, writ large.” McCain held the discussion at Buckingham Smokehouse BBQ with several small-business owners. It wasn’t open to the media, but McCain said they talked about “the need to bring this country into a new direction.” “They don’t want to see a capital gains increase in their taxes such as Sen. Obama proposes,” he said, adding that “$250,000 of income affects 50% of the total income of small business in America.” In a statement afterwards, the Arizona senator introduced each one of the small-business owners by their line of work, including a painter, a pharmacist and a land developer. “I’m proud to be in the company of these people ... (link)