Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known by the nickname "Joe the Plumber", is an American conservative activist, commentator and politician. He gained instant national attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election when, during a videotaped campaign stop in Ohio by then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama, Wurzelbacher asked Obama about his small business tax policy, and Obama gave a response that included the statement, "when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody." Obama's response was seized on by conservative commentators, as well as by Obama's rival, Republican candidate John McCain, as an indication that Obama was interested in wealth redistribution, and had a socialist view of the economy....
...The McCain-Palin campaign brought him to appear at several campaign events in Ohio, and McCain referred often to "Joe the Plumber" in subsequent campaign speeches and in the final presidential debate, as a metaphor for middle-class Americans. Wurzelbacher parlayed his newfound fame into a career as a conservative activist and pundit. He published a book in 2008 about his experiences, and became a motivational speaker and commentator.
