Joe the Plumber goes with the flow

After presidential debate, it's business as usual for local man

Joe Bradshaw, a Lawrence resident who owns Joe the Plumber LLC, said Wednesday night's presidential debate was a popular topic the following day.

Lawrence’s Joe the Plumber fixed a urinal at Z’s Espresso on Thursday.

So much for fame.

One day after the two men who hope to be president spent a good deal of Wednesday evening’s presidential debate talking about Joe the Plumber, Lawrence resident Joe Bradshaw spent a good part of Thursday talking about them.

That’s because – of course – Joe is a plumber. The name of Bradshaw’s business actually is Joe the Plumber LLC.

“I heard a lot about it today,” said Bradshaw, who said a customer service representative at Home Depot’s call center became very excited when he told her his business name.

In case you’ve been stuck in the bathroom for the last 24 hours, Joe the Plumber stole the show at Wednesday’s debate. Presidential candidate John McCain began talking about suburban Toledo, Ohio, plumber Joe Wurzelbacher, and then the two candidates combined to work the phrase Joe the Plumber into their answers – or whatever you called those responses – 26 times.

Despite all the deference shown to plumbers, Bradshaw said he didn’t spend much time Thursday working on balancing the federal budget or fixing the tax code.

Pesky urinal.

Just as well. Bradshaw said he would rather get his hands dirty the old-fashioned way than the Washington way.

“Our job is at least doable,” Bradshaw said. “You can see the beginning and the end of it. I would much rather do what I do.”

Bradshaw has had his small business for about six years in Lawrence. It employs six people. He said if he had the chance to be the Joe the Plumber, he probably would ask both candidates about small business taxes and health care.

But he doesn’t expect to get that chance anytime soon. Even though his business’ legal name is Joe the Plumber, he recently started doing business under the name Mr. Rooter Plumbing.

Bad timing. But, believe it or not, Bradshaw said he didn’t foresee that Joe the Plumber would suddenly become the focal point of the presidential election.

“It is just odd that something so obscure as a plumber has taken center stage,” Bradshaw said.