Obama's first instinct: attack and destroy Joe the Plumber

It's great to be here in Miami. Florida is a must-win state on November 4th, and with your help, we're going to win Florida, and bring change to Washington, DC. We had a good debate this week. You may have noticed-- there was a lot of talk about Senator Obama's tax increases and Joe the Plumber. Last weekend, Senator Obama showed up in Joe's driveway to ask for his vote, and Joe asked Senator Obama a tough question. I'm glad he did; I think Senator Obama could use a few more tough questions.

The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn't ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn't recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.

John McCain speech today at political rally.




So, let me get this straight. Ask a question of a political person who has come to your neighborhood to campaign and this is what you get? Pilloried and categorized, put down and indicted for what? For asking an uncomfortable question?

Here's the problem: the Obama campaign is simply too quick to jump on the "disagree-ers." That is a dangerous, ominous sign of a group of people who won't take criticism or questions from a common citizen. It's as if one should be aware of participating in debate lest they be called crazy people, like the average guy in Ohio who told McCain he was mad as hell or a neighbor, like Joe the Plumber.

It doesn't matter where he is in his career path. None of it matters. What matters is there appears to be an entire mechanism in place to destroy ordinary people.

As I recall, the Bush administration has also been labeled as a group who couldn't take criticism and wouldn't listen. At least, though, they left you alone if you dared to complain about them.

It's hardly a tactic our founders would have approved of. Actually, it's shockingly un-American.

Thanks for the read.