Joe The Plumber Gets (Ob)Served

The last presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama was also the last straw. The debate was awash with references to Joe The Plumber, tipping the scales of nomination for The Metaphor Observatory’s 2008 Top Ten List of Metaphors. We can only take so much repetition, news and editorializing – there oughta’ be a law.

Joe’s nom de plumb became a Con-temporary metaphor for American dreamers who dare to venture towards the G-hooded vultures of O’taxable wealth. The subject of Mr. Plumber’s success seemed to back up John, who’s been prostrately watching his polls shrink. So John seized this rare opportunity to plunge Barack’s popularity by calling on Joe The Plumber to flush out snags in Obama’s tax policies. John’s mass usage has unfortunately jiggled Joe’s handle a little too much, springing a news leak that The Plumber is plum unlicensed. His brother, noted actor Christopher The Plumber, could not be reached for comment.

Now that Joe The Plumber has been officially (Ob)served, we’re eagerly waiting for someone to take the plunge and coin the name “Joe The Broker” – a metaphor for the soaked survivors of the lending clog, reportly caused by banking bastards flushing Uncle Sam’s wallet down the toilet. Of course, if we keep turning people into rhetorical props, we may eventually find ourselves talking in circles while our economy spirals down the drain.