Joe the Plumber

I appreciate McCain's strategy behind his highlighting of Joe the Plumber during Wednesday's debate. McCain wanted to change the media narrative which has largely been about him losing this election. So McCain's strategy was to move the goalposts. Sure, Obama may be winning in the polls, but has he won the support of the everyman, Joe the Plumber? Until he's done that, he hasn't closed the deal. And McCain knows from experience that the media just can't resist stories like that.

Now, of course, from what we know about him, Joe the Plumber looks nothing like the median voter in this country. He's a self-described conservative and a registered Republican. Folks like that are currently in the minority. Obama never had much of a chance of winning him over. But at least for a few days, it changes the story to McCain's advantage.