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Good news: Toledo moves to shut down Joe the Plumber — Look on the bright side. The media's finally starting to vet acquaintances of Barack Obama. … Also revealed: His boss's business probably doesn't bring in anywhere near $250,000 a year so he should stop dreaming about turning …
Discussion:
Perfunction, The Jawa Report, The Other McCain, Stop The ACLU, The Corner, GINA COBB and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
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Joe in the Spotlight — One week ago, Joe Wurzelbacher was just another working man living in a modest ranch house in Toledo, Ohio, thinking about how to expand his plumbing business. But when he stopped Senator Barack Obama during a visit to his block this weekend to ask about his taxes …
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The Corner, Matthew Yglesias, ABCNEWS, Fox News, MSNBC, Tennessee Guerilla Women, JammieWearingFool, Political Punch, Mother, May I Sleep …, Hullabaloo, BlueOregon, VentureBeat, The Huffington Post, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Guardian, NewsBusters.org, BAGnewsNotes, Stop The ACLU, Truthdig and Reason

The “Joe the Plumber” Story Hits an Amazing New Low — Just when you didn't think things could get worse for John McCain - they go in the toilet. — Literally. — So, you remember Joe the Plumber, who John McCain kept relentlessly bringing up. And up.


Real Deal on ‘Joe the Plumber’ Reveals New Slant — One week ago, Joe Wurzelbacher was just another working man living in a modest house outside Toledo, Ohio, and thinking about how to buy the plumbing business where he works. But when he stopped Senator Barack Obama during a visit …
Discussion:
Connecting.the.Dots

Money & Business — Did Barack “Spread the Wealth” Obama Just Blow the Election? — No. Really. You're kidding me. Barack Obama actually told that Joe the Plumber guy that he wants to “spread the wealth around.” What, did Obama just get done reading the Wikipedia entry on Huey “Share the Wealth” Long or something?

How the Left Works — By now everyone who follows politics has heard of Joe Wurzelbacher, a guy from Toledo known now as ‘Joe the Plumber,’ who asked a question of Barack Obama in a campaign rope line, and was referenced numerous times in last night's debate.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Daily Kos, Wizbang, The Anchoress, Wonkette, Gateway Pundit, JustOneMinute and American Power

Sam The Not-Officialy-A-Plumber — (I.e., Joe The Plumber's name isn't Joe, and he's not officially a plumber. Discuss.) — Actually, he's “Sam The Guy Who Does Plumbing,” technicallly. — “Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher.” — His voter registration application misspells his name, btw.


Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher related to Charles “the Crook” Keating. Oops. — John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blogs, Political Machine, The Corner, Crooks and Liars, Liberal Values and The Moderate Voice


I'm Not A Plumber, But I Play One On TV
Discussion:
The Sundries Shack, Pat Dollard, Mother, May I Sleep …, Washington Wire, Political Machine, 24Ahead, Corrente and Achenblog

‘Joe the Plumber,’ Who Dislikes Obama Tax Plan, Owes Back Taxes
Discussion:
Jonathan Martin's Blogs, Tax Foundation, Pawatercooler.com, Toledo Blade, pandagon.net and Washington Post

The Press, The Plumber And Liberal Poster Boy
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Michelle Malkin, Scholars and Rogues, Patterico's Pontifications, Newsweek Blogs, Pat Dollard and Pajamas Media

Barack Obama for President — THE NOMINATING process this year produced two unusually talented and qualified presidential candidates. There are few public figures we have respected more over the years than Sen. John McCain. Yet it is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Obama, McCain bring humor to dinner — NEW YORK — Barack Obama and John McCain appeared together tonight at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. The entertaining pool report from the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny is below. — Senator Barack Obama was preceded - actually …
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McCain to Letterman: ‘I Screwed Up’ — He made it. — After a high-flying adventure, Senator John McCain finally sat down next to David Letterman on the set of “The Late Show” on Thursday and offered his mea culpa: “I screwed up.” — Anyone following Mr. McCain or watching Mr. Letterman knew exactly what Mr. McCain meant.
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Lobbyist Speaks: Rumor Of McCain Affair False, Damaging — VICKI ISEMAN TALKS FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT THE GOP NOMINEE, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AND THE STORY THAT CHANGED HER LIFE. — In one of the most sensational stories of the presidential campaign, The New York Times published a 3,000-word …
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Lobbyist speaks out, denies affair with McCain
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AMERICAblog News

Shocker: Tribune Co. Gives Notice To Drop AP — NEW YORK Tribune Company has given a two-year notice to the Associated Press that its daily newspapers plan to drop the news service, becoming the first major newspaper chain to do so since the recent controversy over new rates began.
Discussion:
Buck Naked Politics


Inland GOP mailing depicts Obama's face on food stamp — Download story podcast — The Press-Enterprise — The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.
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Today's Polls, 10/16 — With seven different daily tracking polls to work with — one of which releases three separate versions of its model each day — there is a lot to choose from for those who might seek to cherry-pick results. — Slow news day, Matt? If this is a two-point race right now, I'll eat Drudge's fedora.
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Rasmussen Reports
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Recordings and information leading to recent API story on Michelle Obama's telephone call is now being cleared for release — API is disturbed by the way many have reacted to the story on Mrs Obama's call. Many have shown us by the way they have behaved towards API that they only think of …

Latest McCain Robocall Alleges That Obama Denied Babies Medical Care — We've obtained yet another McCain campaign robocall, and this one levels perhaps the nastiest charge yet: It claims that Barack Obama callously denied newborns needed medical attention by opposing a measure to force doctors …
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Harsh GOP robo-call hits Ayers
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Washington Wire, TPM Election Central, Comments from Left Field, The Huffington Post and D-Day

‘DIP’ Loans Are Scarce, Complicating Bankruptcies — Credit has gotten so tight in recent weeks that companies contemplating a bankruptcy filing can't find the cash needed to get through the process. — This multibillion-dollar corner of the lending market — debtor-in-possession and exit financing …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly

Glenn Beck joins Fox News — Drudge teased this earlier, and Fox News has announced that conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck is joining the network, leaving behind CNN's Headline News. Beck will host a show at 5 p.m. on Fox beginning in the spring (Full release after the jump).