There are three suggestions I would make to anyone trying to manufacture a “Joe the Plumber” moment in a national political campaign.
First, don’t do it: Obama’s meeting with Joe Wurzelbacher was devastating for the candidate because it was an unscripted moment with a real person that Obama completely fumbled.
You can’t manufacture that sort of moment, you just have to hope you have a camera on the candidate when something like that occurs. As part of our new political reality of the past several election cycles, campaign “trackers” hold just that very role, following candidates in their every waking moment hoping to catch such a moment on tape to be mercilessly exploited.
If you decide to abandon all common sense and try manufacture a relationship to attack a candidate on, it is important to chose a spokesman who doesn’t have glassy eyes and halting disjointed speech that suggests he shared bong hits with the camera crew directly before taping.
Third, if you are going to make absurd claims, try to make sure that you’ve done the basic research so that the claim doesn’t blow up in your face. Hayes claims:
“My name is Richard Hayes, and I pick up Mitt Romney’s trash. We’re kind of like the invisible people. He doesn’t realize that the service we provide — if it wasn’t for us, it would be a big health issue, us not picking up trash.
“Residents do come out and shake our hands. Sometimes they give us hugs and thank us for the job we’re doing, hand us water and Gatorades. Tell us we’re doing a good job and keep up the good work. Picking up 15, 16 tons by hand, that takes a toll on your body. When I’m 55, 60 years old, I know my body’s gonna be break down [sic]. Mitt Romney doesn’t care about that.”
Don’t claim Mitt Romney doesn’t know or care about garbage men when he devotes a specific mention about them in his book, right down to the line about being invisible:
“During my campaign for governor, I decided to spend a day every few weeks doing the jobs of other people in Massachusetts. Among other jobs, I cooked sausages at Fenway Park, worked on asphalt paving crew, stacked bales of hay on a farm, volunteered in an emergency room, served food at a nursing home, and worked as a child-care assistant. I’m often asked which was the hardest job – it’s child care, by a mile.”
“One day I gathered trash as a garbage collector. I stood on that little platform at the back of the truck, holding on as the driver navigated his way through the narrow streets of Boston. As we pulled up to traffic lights, I noticed that the shoppers and businesspeople who were standing only a few feet from me didn’t even see me. It was as if I was invisible. Perhaps it was because a lot of us don’t think garbage men are worthy of notice; I disagree – anyone who works that hard deserves our respect. – I wasn’t a particularly good garbage collector: at one point, after filling the trough at the back of the truck, I pulled the wrong hydraulic lever. Instead of pushing the load into the truck, I dumped it onto the street. Maybe the suits didn’t notice me, but the guys at the construction site sure did…” (251)
The AFSCME claim isn’t just poor agi-prop, it was directly refuted before it was ever written.
Now, if Richard Hayes and the AFSCME union—which has pledged to spend 100 million dollars to reelect Obama instead of providing Richard with the healthcare he needs—wanted to really impress Americans, perhaps they could find an example of where career liberal elitist Barack Obama even pretended to have a service industry job, or spent time volunteering to help people.
Mitt Romney isn’t a perfect candidate, but he is a far better man than the President, which much more depth of character and more genuine empathy for his fellow human beings when the cameras are off than Barack Obama could ever pretend to have.
If this union or other unions want to blow $100 million playing into Romney’s hands like this, I hope the new President is considerate enough to invite them to his inauguration.
I sat across the table from AFSCME for the last twenty years of my career in everything from employee disciplinary interviews, to grievance arbitrations, labor board hearings, and contract negotiations. I also dealt with everything they had to throw at us in the form of guerilla theater and mau-mauing supervisors and managers and with their staff from DC heavies down to the local business agents and shop stewards. The one thing they ALL have in common in everything they do is that the NEVER think about what the other guy will do with what they do. AFSCME apparatchiks are so smug and certain that they just figure out what is going to happen and go in to execute their plan without more than the most superficial thought to what their opponent might do, they just decide you’re going to do what they’ve decided you’re going to do, and with almost no witness prep. They are the complete manifestation of the lefties’ so fondly held belief that leftist and smart are synonyms.
No wonder Mike Rowe struck a chord with Romney. Romney has already done a mini version of “Dirty jobs”.
“Mitt Romney isn’t a perfect candidate, but he is a far better man than the President, which much more depth of character and more genuine empathy for his fellow human beings when the cameras are off than Barack Obama could ever pretend to have.”
Yep.
B0 is the perfect example of the Emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes. All we need is to have some little kid who’s brave and selfless enough to blow the whistle on him that he’s naked. Unfortunately prosodomy and proabort Romney is overall at least as horrible a candidate if people would only wake up the danger we face from BOTH of these deranged antiChristian cultists, one Mormon and one Muslim. I only pray God wakes the country up about both of these lunatic lawless fascists before it’s too late; Romney’s incredible stealth regarding his takeover is unbelievable and sadly proves how gullible “Christians” and “conservatives” (whatever those words mean) and countless others are. God save us from both of these dangerous traitors.
AFAIK, the Mormons haven’t done anything overtly evil against their neighbors/fellow Americans since Mountain Meadows, and that was well over a century ago. Forgive me if this seems nasty or insensitive, but I just shake my head when Christians of older sects get hot and bothered over the supposed menace of “antiChristian” Mormons. As a Jew, it’s always seemed from my perspective that Mormons are to Protestantism, historically, as Christians are to Judaism. You know, the additional Scripture, the charismatic heterodox prophet, the sweeping reinterpretation of the tradition and its basis, the supplanting of the original community. Think about it.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate the job trashmen do; I realize without them, we’d all be up to our necks in refuse. But I have my own work to do, I don’t have time to stop the car and get out and hug the trash collectors. They probably would think I was nuts if I did. And besides, nobody hugs me when I do my job correctly. But I do get compensated for doing it; it’s called a “salary.”
– in, garbage out. Californa garbage(wo)men are better paid than Tony Soprano. Good to know Mitt does live here long enough to generate enough garbage to go through. Also, let’s restore your edits:
“you know”
“you know”
“you know”
“you know”
“you know”
“you know”
I can’t wait for the media to hound this guy the same way they did Joe the Plumber. I’m sure they have dozens of reporters working on it right now.
I always wave at the trash guys when I see then around our neighborhood, or if I pass them as I’m driving out. They appreciate it it and I appreciate them. Geez, I just love Mitt, the more I learn about him as a person. Why do I imagine our current WH occupant ~ when being shuttled in relative opulence from Point A to Point B ~ not caring a wink who was discommoded by the planning for his entourage’s passage that day? Garbage routes re-done, days delayed. Once he rejoins the common man in January, he might even get stuck BEHIND a truck and get to wrinkle his delicate nose in disgust once more at the stench.
A delightful thought.
Every Christmas I leave the garbage guys on my route a case of beer and $50. I love them and they love me.
Who’s this Mip Ronnie fellow he’s talking about?
lulz
I considered the entire premise of these two ads to be just plain stupid. I refused to waste time on them. Apparently, they were far worse than I could have imagined.
Bad news (re: this, “uterus control,” old people in wheelchairs flying off of cliffs, where that “free cell phone” came from, “dey be gwan putch y’all back in de chains” etc.: they only have to fool STUPID people to win. Advantage: Team O.
“Obama’s meeting with Joe Wurzelbacher was devastating for the candidate”
So devastating that he…won? It wasn’t devastating at all. We (i.e. sane individuals who live by reason and common sense) only think it was because it was abhorrent to us.
It’s too bad that the story from Romney’s book won’t get past the eyes of those who are inclined to vote for him anyway.
Sorry if I sound bitter. Sick of sending Romney money that he’s apparently not spending, and as Buckeye in Franklin County, I really expected to be seeing a lot.
Mr. Owens do not forget the obvious and bold faced lie that Richard Hayes told.
He does not actually physically “pick up” Mitt Romney’s trash. A mechanical arm does. All he does is drive the truck but he implied that he will suffer physical harm after years of his rigorous job.
A 100 lb women could do his job.
This ad has (at least) 3 problems:
1) The garbage trucks shown in the ad are automated. No need for garbage men to get out of the truck and grab the trash can. Yet they are shown doing just that. Why? For the ad, of course. In my neighborhood with the automated trucks, if my trash can isn’t on the curb for the truck to pick up, it isn’t emptied. Unless there is a special pickup, workers do not get out of the truck.
2) Romney only bought the house in 2008 and it is going to be remodeled. How often is he even in residence?????
3) La Jolla, CA sanitation workers average $75 THOUSAND a year in salary. Even if this guy was just starting with a lower salary, he is not part of the 47% the libs say Mitt Romney is “ignoring”.
There are several points to be made here, which I think illuminate some of this issue:
1) Public Union dues (or these days private ones) aren’t collected for the purpose of negotiating with employers or providing things like health insurance for the union members. They’re collected so that the union bosses can contribute the money to politicians, who will in turn have lunch with said union bosses and treat them as if they’re bigwigs. The union bosses in question then are given the impression (sometimes it’s even true) that they influence public policy, and of course they have only the best of intentions, and the health and safety of their members, in mind.
2) Romney actually does things. He’s a practical man. He wanted to know about how a trash truck operates, so he did the work for a day. Obama on the other hand understands the theory of garbage collection, and how important it is that those people get substantial benefits from the government, in addition to the salary they collect. The money can come from the wealthy people whose trash they collect. What, you say that the wealthy people will run out of money? Nonsense, no one’s ever proven that possible. The very few instances where it’s happened, things weren’t properly managed.
3) The idea of President Obama trying to operate a trash truck successfully for a whole day, without a break to play golf of have a fancy lunch or dinner, is just amusing.
Mitt has fun with the story of how he screwed up. Had Barry ever participated in such fact finding he’d be telling people he was a better sanitation worker, farm hand, short order cook, day care assistant etc. etc. than those who did it full time.
Well to give Obama credit he did run the streets with the scum of the earth, ACORN low lifes and such, in the name of democracy, here defined as voting multiple places at $3 to $5 a shot, or maybe a pack of smokes.
I don’t get “hugged” for the work I do either. I do it for my own satisfaction, self-worth, contribution to society. By the way:
According to this web site, a Garbage Man working in 92037 Zip Code (La Jolla) makes an average of $75,371/year and could make almost $90k/year. (http://garbagemansalary.net/CA/La-Jolla/salary/Garbage-Man-Salary)
P.S. How does he know that Mitt doesn’t appreciate him?
Does buck fobama hug his trash man? Wait, is that racist? Who you callin’ trash?!
I wish they’d stop ‘trashing’ Mitt Romney.
“Mitt Romney isn’t a perfect candidate,…”
I am getting tired of reading this. Ever hear a Dem say that about a candidate of theirs, even when said candidate stinks?
Lose it.
To 20. Ray van Dune – I AGREE!!! It is a given, no living person is perfect. Why conservatives have to give liberals ammunition to attack our candidates is beyond me.
Hopefully the pundits will wise up.
Wow Dems, awesome strategy!!! When are you gonna produce the commercial with the ghost of our Libyan Ambassador asking Barry about the lack of security in Benghazi, which led him to be kidnapped, raped, and murdered by those peaceful Muslims.
Yeah, yeah, poor you. Mitt Romney doesn’t feel your union pain. But, I’ll bet that Obama, who lets his own brother rot in a mud hut in Africa, will be so much more compassionate … riiiight.
Um, this guy’s AFSCME. He probably doesn’t pay a dime for healthcare, or ever will. Don’t know if the Local 127 AFSCME in San Diego got a waiver from ObamaCare, but wouldn’t be surprised given how many AFSCME locals nationwide were exempted from the Unaffordable Care Act.
Garbage People or Men and Womyn (GPorMW) should love conservatives. We believe in growing the economy and making things – more trash! Liberals are green this and that, renewable, less packaging, etc. Less jobs for the GPorMW.
I don’t know a thing about our garbagepeople (they may be ladies, or intergalactic aliens, for all I know). They pick up trash here anytime between 2 AM and 6 AM. VERY LOUDLY, with a truck that sounds like it’s a 747 ready for take-off. I don’t know if anybody here loves our garbagepeople. I do know people have called the police on them for making so much noise in the middle of the night.
Doesn’t obama have more important things to talk about, like say, Libya, or obamacare, or the fact that the US is nearly bankrupt, thanks to him?