I AM JOE. Or: How to make enemies and alienate people
I AM JOE - There's a storm brewing. You see, a lot of people are getting righteously pissed about what they perceive as over-the-top treatment of Joe Wurzelbacher (A.K.A. JOE THE PLUMBER) by members of the press. Media reports have described his tax status, whether or not he's a licensed plumber, and other things that have absolutely no bearing on his question to Barack Obama, or Obama's response.
And I think the anger is justified. What the hell does it matter whether the person asking the the question holds a professional license, or owes back taxes? The question has merit, or it doesn't. I think it does. Obama's answer, including the bit about spreading the wealth around does reveal something about his philosophy and the kinds of policies he would support.
Even if you view this as a tempest in a teapot, we should be more than a little concerned about the implications of Mr. Wurzelbacher's treatment by some members of the press - if you care about participatory government and what happens to ordinary people who speak up and question our candidates and elected officials. In this case, it seems that some in the media are focusing on the person asking the question, rather than the merits of the question and the implications of Obama's response. For the record, I think Obama's response merits discussion.
What does this have to do with management? Perhaps nothing. But it does have a lot to do with leadership and integrity - and ultimately, that's what this site is about.
You see, I sympathize with "Joe the Plumber" -- or at least the idealized "Joe the Plumber" that Mr. Wurzelbacher's question raised. I am most definitely against "spreading the wealth around" via our tax system. Yes, I want to keep what I earn and decide how it is to be spent -- after all, I earned it, didn't I? Voluntary charity is not the same as government redistribution of wealth. I can't understand why the difference is so difficult to understand.
There are those who argue that Mr. Wurzelbacher asked for it, or that John McCain dragged him into this -- that their actions have put him in the media spotlight -- but that doesn't explain the media focus on the questioner rather than the question and the answer.
Much has been made of the MSM's decline -- and this kind of behavior can't help, especially with the widespread perception that the MSM are "in the tank" for Obama. In the political arena, it appears that all notions of press objectivity have been thrown out the window.

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Even the Pew Research Center noticed...
Yes, there is a widespread perception that the media are fully behind Obama. Pew also confirms that reporting on McCain is significantly more negative than the reporting on Obama:
People can see what's going on. It's not imagined. It's real.
At least one reporter sees the destruction of his profession...
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