So I'm watching the news the other day when it was airing McCain's speech in Ohio and to my surprise he announced that Joe the Plumber was in the audience.  McCain valiantly called for Mighty Joe in a desperate last minute attempt to get browine points.  Alas, within the red see of thirsty McCain supporters there was in fact no Joe.  He called out once more "Is Joe with us today?  Joe I thought you were here today."  The moment was nothing short of priceless, and embarrassing.  I felt a little embarrassed for him.  It seemed like McCain was grasping at straws just to keep one foot in this race.  The Republican party made this big hoopla about a man named Joe who was a plumber who they really didn't even put a face to at the time.  It's like they just went out and found a man named Joe who was in fact a plumber and he became the poster child for the Republican party.  He became the go to sentiment factor whenever a politician wanted to normalize themselves or get on the common folks' level.  For Joe to not even show up showed a lot.  If Joe, who is supposed to be a representation of that "hard working American", didn't see it fit or important to show up to a rally that was partially all about him and people like him, why should the people who he's supposed to be representing show up.  And why did Joe have to be a plumber?  Are plumbers the only hardworking Americans out there?  What about Teresa, the hard working soul food restaurant owner.  She's in her late (very late) forties and works 16 hours days preparing soul food (from scratch) for a sometimes hostile crowd of over-worked and underpaid common folks.  What about David, the retired police officer who works hard from home independently raising organic crops and herbs and chickens just to cut down on how much he his wife have to spend in the grocery store.  His philosophy: Why buy it when you can raise it?  Or what about their hard working son, Dominique, who has worked hard in the military, been shipped over seas twice, worked hard to get in college after the military, and had to sit out because of his hard working efforts down on the Mississippi coast during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and is now working hard to finish school and become independent business owners just like his parents.  I AM JOE THE PLUMBER!