America met Joe the Plumber during debate

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- An Ohio plumber who talked to Barack Obama about taxes became John McCain's embodiment of the working class during Wednesday's presidential debate.

McCain took a weekend encounter between Obama and Joe Wurzelbacher in the Toledo area, using "Joe the Plumber" as a symbol of how Obama's tax policies would hurt small businesses, The New York Times reported Thursday.

"It floored me. It's not something I expected ever," Wurzelbacher said Thursday in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

During the weekend, Wurzelbacher asked Obama about his tax plan and whether it would cost him more in taxes because he was getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year. Obama acknowledged higher taxes could be the case, but also talked about tax credit plans.

McCain discussed the exchange within the first 15 minutes of Wednesday's debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.:

"Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes. You (Obama) were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes," McCain said. "I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and be able -- and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable healthcare for you and your employees."

Both candidates mentioned Wurzelbacher more than 20 times combined during the debate.