Plumber of the Year

The Boston Herald, today's front page

It wasn't until I saw this photo that "Joe The Plumber" suddenly clicked as racist bait. How many black plumbers do you know? And who did Joe turn out to be but our most antiquated, rednecked, "bitter"-talking voter? Since only pictures "matter," Joe turned out to be exactly who Rove & Co. wanted him to be: an angry white guy who doesn't want some uppity black to "spread the wealth around." The witch hunt began even before Palin winked: our Smokin' Joe is instantly more American than Obama if only because none of his credentials matter: only his name, his persona, his innate superiority to anyone with differently colored skin than his. This guy's beyond bitter: he's desperate, and will make Obama's mandate even more serious, fragile, and burdened than JFK's, FDR's, or Mr. Smith's. All together now: hold hands and jump.