When Joe the Plumber made national news, the media turned on him like an attack dog for the Obama campaign. They had a satellite truck outside his home and were telling his story on the evening news.
Meanwhile, the supporters of Barack Obama started using government computers to snoop through Joe’s background. Here are some headlines:
- State employee says she was ordered to check out Joe the Plumber
- Checks on ‘Joe’ more extensive than first acknowledged
- Clerk charged with unlawful search of Joe the Plumber
- Job and Family Services made several checks on Joe the Plumber
- Ohio Child Support Chief Ordered Check In Joe The Plumber’s Record
This is some scandalous stuff. The state of Ohio’s records being used against a private citizen for daring to speak out against Barack Obama. That’s not just scandalous, it’s scary. You would think there would be some outrage on Capitol Hill.
[crickets chirping]
Meanwhile, the country has learned that Barry’s auntie is living in a slum in Boston…and she’s an illegal immigrant.
Now that, my friends, calls for an investigation:
Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan fired off a letter asking Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to investigate whether someone leaked the information to the media in an effort to damage Obama.
“The AP reports that it ‘could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved,’ a very disturbing (suggestion) indeed,” read the letter from Conyers, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
“This leak is deplorable and I urge you to take immediate action to investigate and discipline those responsible.”
You can see how much the Democrats care about the people here. Violate Joe’s civil rights, no big deal. Report on Obama’s aunt, investigate. Now remember folks, this is the same Democrat party that didn’t want warrentless wiretaps on terrorist phone calls, but are mum on the government investigating a private citizen to help a fellow Democrat’s campaign.
After the last presidential debate, during which John McCain invoked Joe the Plumber’s anti-socialism shot heard ‘round the world, several taxpayer-subsidized employees in Ohio immediately rifled through government databases in search of damning information. The Columbus Dispatch identified Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, as one of the dirt-diggers. She also happens to support Barack Obama and contributed the maximum amount to his presidential campaign.
On Wednesday, Jones-Kelley admitted that the records checks on Wurzelbacher that she approved were far more extensive than she first acknowledged. In addition to pawing through his child-support papers, the agency “also checked Wurzelbacher in its computer systems to determine whether he was receiving welfare assistance or owed unemployment compensation taxes.”
Jones-Kelley argued that plumbing the plumber’s information was no big deal because the agency always checks up on citizens who come into public light. Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland quickly pooh-poohed the civil-liberties infringements and denied any nefarious political motives.
If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine, you don’t have a spine.
What are we to think of our government if they not only use the resources at hand to hurt the reputation of a private citizen, but then try to pass it off as “routine?” It seems to me that they are playing the American People for a fool. It seems to me that they are becoming more and more authoritarian. It seems this road leads to serfdom.
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin
