I'm Pro Joe, If...
Posted: Friday, October 17, 2008
by Jean Purcell
OpineBooks.com
Danger often emerges from out of the blue. This has happened again, this week, in America.
A significant threat exists to the rights of American citizens to speak freely without fear or intimidation and without loss of privacy. This became clear recently when elected public servants, in a tight campaign and race, decided to break a sacred trust, the right of citizens to speak freely.
A citizen's question, usually a simple matter, became a big event only because it elicited a revealing and potentially problematic answer from the candidate.
The spontaneous answer struck a sour chord with the public. The candidate used the phrase "spread the wealth." That is a common term in socialistic politics and economies.
"Spread the wealth" does not mean "help the poor." "Spread the wealth" means that there is only so much "pie." It assumes a "zero sum game," and it means we must allow others to decide how much of our earnings will be thrown into a pot to be shared with others, with no "say so" on the citizens' part. "Share the wealth" assumes, to a degree, no growth of the pie. It says, "Don't help lift others up; give us your money and we'll say we'll lift others up for you. Don't succeed, or you'll be penalized."
The questioner said his name was Joe and that he works as plumber. Many liked how his question elicited a spontaneous answer from a self-controlled candidate. Joe the Plumber instantly became a hero to many citizens.
What to do? The Obama campaign and many in the media decided to deflect Barack the Senator's answer, which troubled many, by demeaning Joe the Plumber. Make Joe the Plumber a Scapegoat for the dilemma the candidate talked himself into.
To execute such a plan successfully, Joe the Plumber must be demeaned incessantly. Demeaning Joe the Plumber, however, is a failed tactic, for it demeans all citizens' rights to speak freely without fear or intimidation.
An American plumber, thereby, became, around the world, an object of mockery and a hero at the same time. People saw the mockery and did not like it. They reacted to the plumber's situation, and empathized. It could, after all, have been them under the mocking spotlight.
Every occurrence of intimidation of free speech needs to be confronted. It needs to be brought into the light with boldness. It needs strength equal to the determination of those who mock.
With Joe the Plumber as the new target, the Barack the Senator and Joe B. the Senator campaign, and its media supporters, wanted to deflect attention from the spontaneous "spread the wealth" comment. They wanted to make a Scapegoat of Joe the Plumber. To do so they would need to try to crush his free speech rights, his rights to speak without fear or intimidation.
Barack the Senator, Joe the Senator, and their campaigners and supporters are even now mocking Joe the Plumber. They are doing it repeatedly and blatantly.They are shouting their taunts at Joe the Plumber. Two elected public servants, still under the oath of office, are leading a public mockery, insult, and intimidation campaign against a citizen and his right to speak freely without fear or intimidation.
They will deny they are doing such things, but the evidence is in their words. Are we listening? Are American citizens going to allow this to stand? What if you or I were in Joe the Plumber's shoes, whether Democrat or Republican. Would we allow this to stand?
Another Joe, Senator Joe McCarthy, ruined citizens' lives with powerful actions and demeaning words that were an abuse of power. It all developed slowly, one event at a time. One wonders if he, in earlier days, could have believed he would take his position as a senator as far and low as he did. He did not begin his fear and smear campaign in a hearing room. He began privately, then publicly, then officially.
I get the chills when either the press or a candidate verbally ridicules a private citizen. Hearing or reading the words of a public servant demeaning a citizen gives me the creeps. It is deeply offensive and deeply troublesome. It is one thing for two candidates to hit hard at each other with words. That is politics and candidates know the game.
The ridicule of any citizen by an elected public servant tightens the grip of abusive power. The only way to pry that grip loose is to vote them out as soon as possible. At all times, the American people should protest with words, with votes. We should not look the other way on this. This affects every citizen who wishes to speak.
The first erosion of democracy is the loss of free speech. Why should anyone or any team get away with trying to make Joe the plumber a scapegoat?
I'm for Joe, if ...it's Joe the Plumber. I am for Joe the Plumber's right to continue to speak freely. The danger is before all of us. That's the point, for in such matters Joe is us. No citizen should have any need to fear, or even to think of fear, when wanting to speak his or her mind...or to question any person elected to serve the people.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Hi Jane. Well written article, but I think you are getting too hung up on the phrase 'spread the wealth'. It's not a matter of if the US government is going to spread the wealth, but how much wealth should be spread, and how it will be spread.America has been spreading the wealth for years through social programs for the poor and unemployed, the elderly, disaster relief, social security, Medicare and Medicaid, and the list goes on and on. There is also wealth-spreading going on to help businesses, such as SBA loans, tax incentives, commercial infrastructure funding, and even eminent domain seizure of private property, which some people consider absolutely evil and un-American. I think what Obama is saying is that it's time for how the wealth is spread to be shifted somewhat, and I agree.To the main point of your article, I watch a lot of news and I haven't seen anyone smearing Joe the Plumber. There has been a lot of joking going on, just like with Joe Sixpack, but in the interviews I've seen with Sam (Joe) Wurzelbacher, he certainly didn't seem to act like his right to free speech was being threatened.I do see deliberate smear tactics being used against people who even remotely support 'distributing the wealth', though.Hi, "Joe bag of donuts,"
Thanks for commenting.
I have heard TV footage and radio transmissions of the candidates' words from their own mouths, not reported but recorded. I do not make things up for a serious column.
I wrote to express deep concerns about a private citizen being the source of ridicule, however humorous to some, for a torrent of words from politicians.
Thanks for writing,
Jane
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