Joe the Plumber: Changing This Year’s Race?

As Paul noted earlier today, John McCain is “hanging around” in the Presidential race despite what would seem to be overwhelming odds. Maybe even doing a bit better than hanging around, as the current Gallup poll has Obama up by only two points, within the margin of error, among “traditional likely voters.” Which illustrates the problem pollsters have, trying to figure out who will actually vote this year.

I think several developments may be helping McCain a bit. The emergence of ACORN as an issue is one. Voter fraud really angers people, for good reason, and most voters understand not only that ACORN is registering Democratic voters, but that Obama’s relationship with ACORN is much deeper than he admits. Today, the New Mexico Republican Party released evidence that ACORN’s voter registration fraud–a fact that no one denies–has already led to actual voter fraud:

Public records released in New Mexico today confirm that fraudulent voter registrations are in fact turning into fraudulent votes. ACORN, currently under investigation by the FBI, is now confirmed to be responsible for producing fraudulent voter registrations and illegal votes in New Mexico. An inspection of public records has revealed that illegal votes were cast in New Mexico’s 2008 primary election.

“This is a bombshell. We now have undeniable proof that a significant number of fraudulent voters were cast in Democrat primary races for the New Mexico state legislature as a result of ACORN’s voter registration fraud,” remarked State Representative Justine Fox Young (R-Albuquerque). “No longer can ACORN argue that their phony voter registration forms don’t translate into fraudulent votes. They do and today we can prove it.” …

“It is safe to say that the number of illegal votes being cast dwarfs the 366 votes that decided the 2000 Presidential election in New Mexico,” said Nina Martinez, Secretary for the Republican Party of New Mexico.

Another factor working in McCain’s favor is the emergence of Joe the Plumber, who finally–and more effectively than the McCain campaign has ever been able to do it–put Obama where he belongs, in the long tradition of tax-raising, wealth-distributing liberals. The McCain campaign jumped on the bandwagon with this effective ad:

Joe Biden, meanwhile, made matters worse by expressing doubt that a mere plumber could earn $250,000 a year, thereby insulting small business people everywhere. It’s a good reminder of how far removed from reality the patrician Democrats are.

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