Joe the Plumber, whose real name was Samuel Wurzelbacher, asked Barack Obama during a 2008 campaign stop about Obama's tax plan. He said, "I'm getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year. Your new tax plan's going to tax me more, isn't it?" He expressed concern that Obama's tax plan would conflict with "the American dream" by potentially increasing his taxes
. Obama responded by explaining that if Wurzelbacher qualified as a small business, he would get a 50 percent tax credit on health care costs and a tax cut on that part. For income above $250,000, the tax rate would increase from 36 to 39 percent, similar to rates under Bill Clinton. Obama emphasized that his goal was not to punish success but to ensure economic opportunity for everyone, saying that spreading the wealth around would be good for the economy as a whole
. This exchange became a significant moment in the 2008 presidential campaign, with John McCain frequently referencing "Joe the Plumber" to criticize Obama's tax policies, arguing they would raise taxes on small businesses and hurt job creation
