PLUMBER FROM OHIO DOMINATES DEBATE, GIVES MCCAIN NEW LIFE

Republican White House hopeful John McCain needed a “game-changer” during last night’s final presidential debate to catch Democrat Barack Obama in the polls. Most people — myself included — assumed that would have to come in some form of a “magical moment” for McCain that would be played over and over again ad nauseam for the election’s final 19 days. But instead, it came from one unassuming man in Ohio named Joe Wurzelbacher.

Wurzelbacher, who will be forever known as “Joe the Plumber,”was mentioned a combined 26 times last night by both candidates for his now-infamous moment in which he brazenly challenged Obama on his socialist “redistribution of wealth” tax plan. In turn, he became an overnight sensation.

Joe the Plumber has captured America’s imagination — the everyman who still hopes he can be happy, healthy and wise — and still make a buck. He had 21 reporters sitting in his driveway Wednesday night. [...]

Joe the Plumber came to prominence over the weekend when he sparred with Obama over the Democratic presidential candidate’s income tax plan, which calls for increasing the tax rate from 36 percent to 39 percent for people making more than $250,000.

Wurzelbacher, 34, told Obama that he was preparing to buy the plumbing company he works for, and that its revenues come to more than $250,000 a year.

“Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?” Wurzelberger asked Obama in Toledo on Sunday. [...]

Joe the Plumber is now part of the political consciousness. Press releases from independent organizations cite Joe the Plumber as the disenfranchised voter. His name came up in a Senate hearing on Thursday. [FOX News Channel]

Nielsen Wire reported today that Wurzelbacher absolutely drove the discussion and debate among bloggers over the last 24 hours, going from 0 percent of all blog posts on Oct. 14 to nearly 1 percent today. That means that one out of every one hundred blog stories written today referenced Joe the Plumber — think about how that adds up.

The mainstream media is also giving Wurzelbacher unprecedented attention. A Google News search of Joe the Plumber returns thousands of articles, and it led the hour on almost every broadcast television station. McCain even released a new television ad today titled “Joe the Plumber.”

And that is exactly what McCain needs to happen for the next week or two.

Every time Joe’s clip is played, his story is told, or his soundbite is mentioned, Obama loses ground.

With a failing economy, the last thing people want is a tax increase. Joe the Plumber revealed that Obama will do just that.

We don’t want “Senator Government” telling us how to spend our money as he empties our wallets. Joe the Plumber revealed that Obama will do just that.

And we sure as hell don’t want to know that our hard work will be “redistributed” to other people in yet another form of welfare. Joe the Plumber revealed that Obama will do just that.

Polls were already reflecting the salience of Wurzelbacher’s story. In Joe’s home state of Ohio, Rasmussen showed the race now tied at 49 percent a piece. And nationally, McCain was just two points behind Obama according to Gallup.

Granted, those polls used three day tracking numbers so at least two-thirds of the surveying came prior to the debate, but that means McCain’s numbers have nowhere to go but up.

Was Wednesday a game-changer? To borrow from McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin: You betcha.

McCain’s challenge now is to keep this going for just over two more weeks.