The Unasked Question

"To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge."

--Benjamin Disraeli--

 

"Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them."

--Paul Valery--

 

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard."

--H. L. Mencken--

 

 

John McCain pulled another rabbit out of his hat by attempting to make one man out of 300 million Americans into the persona of middle class regular "Joe" America.  America meet "Joe the Plumber."  Whereas I personally believe it is impossible to make one person speak for an entire group of people, "Joe the Plumber" provided America with a wonderful opportunity to take a close look at how a large group of Americans behave during every election.  And the media blew it.   

The media asked a lot of questions about "Joe the Plumber."  We found out his full name.  We found out how much he really makes a year.  We found out what type of home he lives in.  We even found out that he is not a licensed plumber, but what we did not find out is why does not support Barack Obama even though it appears to be in his economic interest.

It is rumored that thirty-six (36%) percent of Americans routinely vote against their interests.  Yet, no one wants to explore why that is the case.  "Joe the Plumber" appears to fall in that category.  Every reputable fact checking website has made it clear that "Joe the Plumber" would receive more tax relief and better health care protection under an Obama administration than he would under a McCain administration, yet "Joe the Plumber" appears to support John McCain.  Why?

That is the million dollar question that the media should be spending its time, because maybe then we will also learn why people in Ohio, Florida, Indiana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and a bunch of other states continue to vote against their interests. 

 

Comments

[LLR]

We see it all the time. Hollywood actors and actresses make a ton of money just many of them vote and campaign for Democratic candidates even though lower taxes (usually championed by republicans) would be in their best interest.

Now on the other end of the economic ladder we have a lot of people that may vote for candidates based on other issue other than money. They may vote based on a candidate’s view on guns, abortion, gay rights, etc.

The Democrats have done a great job running candidates in states like MS that are so conservative that you can’t tell the difference between them and republicans. They are pro 2nd amendment, pro-life, and tend to be somewhat fiscally conservative.

[AvgBrother]

LLR,

Thank you for the comment. I agree with some of what you posted, but I must point out a few things. First, "Joe the Plumber" raised economic interests in this campaign so it is reasonable to assume that are his issues. He also did not raise any other type issues like abortion, same sex marriage, energy policy, etc. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that he would vote for the candidate that is in his best economic interests, which he is not doing.

Second, you are correct that people vote based on interests other than economic matters, like the environment, foreign policy, energy policies, etc. Many entertainers seem to align with Democrats on those issues. And they also do not seem to mind paying a few extra bucks in taxes since they can afford it. They may feel that it may be better to pay a little more now and invest in our country than to let things get bad and have to pay more a few years from now.