Son of Ponytail Guy

Remember "Ponytail Guy? Slate does:

"Ponytail Guy" is the term some in political circles use to refer to Denton Walthall, who asked a question in the second presidential debate in 1992. A domestic mediator who worked with children, Walthall scolded President George H.W. Bush for running a mudslinging, character-based campaign against Bill Clinton in 1992. Referring to voters as "symbolically the children of the future president," he asked how voters could expect the candidates "to meet our needs, the needs in housing and in crime and you name it, as opposed to the wants of your political spin doctors and your political parties. ... Could we cross our hearts? It sounds silly here but could we make a commitment? You know, we're not under oath at this point, but could you make a commitment to the citizens of the U.S. to meet our needs—and we have many—and not yours again?"

It did sound silly: a father-president dandling a nation of children voters on his knee. But instead of challenging the paterfamilias premise, the candidates took his pain seriously. Walthall didn't scold Bush by name, but as the camera shot over his shoulder (showing us his ponytail), Bush could be seen growing annoyed. The question was addressed to all the candidates, but Bush was the candidate running the character-based campaign. He had answered a previous questioner by making the case for why Bill Clinton's character should be an issue. So it was obvious Bush was the target of the Ponytail Guy's criticism.

In 1992, the moment symbolized the disconnect between Bush and the electorate: He wanted to talk about character, while America was pleading for solutions. The president compounded his problem when he inartfully handled a woman's inartful question about how the "national debt" had hurt him personally. (Bush was also caught looking at his wristwatch twice during the evening.) Clinton knew how to take advantage of the moment. "I worked 12 years very hard as a governor on the real problems of real people. I'm just as sick as you are by having to wake up and figure out how to defend myself every day. I never thought I'd ever be involved in anything like this."

Now we have met "Joe the Plumber" ...Son of Ponytail Guy. The leftists at Tribe.net describe what happened:

Last weekend, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) visited a quiet neighborhood outside Toledo, OH, and ran into a man named Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. Wurzelbacher, known as "Joe," asked Obama if he believed in the American Dream and expressed his concern about having to pay higher taxes should he fulfill his desire to own a small plumbing business. "I'm getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year," he told Obama. "Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" Obama explained that his tax plan is premised on the idea that "if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. If you've got a plumbing business, you're going to be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you." Obama then added, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." Wurzelbacher became an instant conservative hero. Right-wing media immediately latched on to him -- who called Obama's economic plan "socialist" -- and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) quickly jumped on the bandwagon, lionizing "Joe the Plumber" in the final presidential debate last Wednesday. "What you want to do to Joe the Plumber and millions more like him is have their taxes increased and not be able to realize the American Dream of owning their own business," McCain said to Obama. But the reality is far different. In fact, a progressive tax policy is exactly how "millions" like "Joe the Plumber" can realize the American Dream ...

Psst. 84% of all Americans which includes 77% of all Democrats oppose the concept of wealth redistribution to fix the economy!