Joe the Plumber now Joe the Attorney?
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who became known as "Joe the Plumber" during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election campaign, attends a press conference announcing a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on his behalf against the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, in Washington on Thursday.
Jake Turcotte
It would be a heckuva lot more dramatic if Joe the Plumber announced he was representing himself in the lawsuit.
Entering the courtroom with legal briefs in one hand and plunger in the other. Vowing to flush the legal system clean of impropriety and wrong doing.
It kinda has a John Grisham feel to it.
Sure, Joe doesn't have a law degree, but he doesn't have a plumber's license either. And in just a few short months, he's been a renaissance man. Campaigner, author, war correspondent, economic advisor, speaker -- why not lawyer?
Come on, Joe!
Privacy rights
In case you haven't heard, Joe the Plumber (Wurzelbacher) is suing. He's going after the former Ohio government workers who did some searches on his background following the conversation he had with then-candidate Barack Obama last October.
You remember the day...
Plumber told Obama that he was worried about the candidate's tax policies because he was buying a business that made about $280,000 a year.
That wasn't altogether correct. He wasn't buying that business. No matter.
The conversation between the two "went off the hook" as GOP chair Michael Steele might say.
Because Obama, who back then did not use a teleprompter every time he spoke, uttered the phrase, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
BOOM. Pandemonium spread. It was the political equivalent of the Jerry Springer show.
For the first time in history, there were three names on a presidential ticket: McCain/Palin/Plumber.
Power plumbing
So afraid of the mighty Plumber, some Ohio government workers did a little snooping. Something that the Ohio Inspector General later deemed inappropriate.
And now Plumber wants 'em to pay.
Too legit to quit
Plumber, disappointing those who relished calling him "Joe the Attorney," is not representing himself. He's teamed up with Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.
In a press conference yesterday they announced he is suing for "substantial damages, including emotional distress, harassment, personal humiliation and embarrassment."
"You shouldn't have to regret asking a reasonable question in a public forum of a presidential candidate," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "This attack on Joe the Plumber has a chilling effect on not only his First Amendment rights, but on the First Amendment rights of all."
Sound bites
Interested in more than just the lawsuit, reporters asked Plumber other questions as well. Like if he was going to get back into the plumbing industry.
Nope. And it's the media's fault.
"I show up to your house and you lean way left," he explained. "I do a great job, but you don't like my politics. So you say, 'Joe the Plumber overcharged me' and 'Joe the Plumber broke this.' And it makes national news."
We hear you, Joe. It's that same media that wastes people's time by talking about un-newsy things like President Obama's new swing set.
Politics
What about a future political career? He said he's not running for the congressional seat in his district citing incumbent Marcy Kaptur's apparent eternal hold on the slot.
"Even when Marcy's dead, she's going to get elected," he said.