Joe the Absentee leaves McCain fumbling in Ohio
DEFIANCE, Ohio (AFP) ? He's become a mascot of John McCain's attempts to paint Barack Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal determined to hit ordinary working class Americans in the pocket.
But on Thursday "Joe the Plumber" became "Joe the Absentee."
Addressing a rally in the western Ohio of Defiance, Republican candidate McCain recalled how Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher had quizzed Obama over his tax plans and attempted to introduce him to the crowd.
Yet when Wurzelbacher was asked to step forward he was nowhere to be seen.
"Joe's with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe?" McCain asked, only to be greeted by an awkward silence. "Is Joe with us today? Joe, I thought you were here today."
McCain swiftly brushed off the moment however. "Well, you're all Joe the Plumbers!" McCain said. "So all of you stand up!"
McCain campaign staff said Wurzelbacher would hit the trail at an event in Ohio later Thursday.
