Obama told Joe that it is okay to soak those making more than $250,000 because then you can “spread the wealth” around and everyone will benefit. That is redistribution of wealth – taking from the rich (and from the kinda rich) and giving to the not so rich and the poor. And Obama admitted it. Out loud. On video.

Joe the Plumber is not going to be making tax policy (unfortunately), so even if he was a plant or a liar or Trig Palin’s daddy or John McCain’s love child doesn’t matter because it would not change what Barack Obama said. If the scenario described by Joe was real or fabricated would not even change the fact that Obama, the man asking to be allowed to reshape America’s economic policies, said out loud what his philosophy on taxes is and it amounts to redistribution of wealth.

James Pethokoukis at U.S. News and World Report said that in Obama’s statement he was “playing into the most extreme stereotype” of the Democrat party “that is infested with socialists.” He pointed to what he called McCain’s best line in the debate, “Now, of all times in America, we need to cut people’s taxes. We need to encourage business, create jobs, not spread the wealth around.”

Pethokoukis then pointed to something from a Gallup poll from June: “When given a choice about how government should address the numerous economic difficulties facing today’s consumer, Americans overwhelmingly – by 84% to 13% -- prefer that the government focus on improving overall economic conditions and the jobs situation in the United States as opposed to taking steps to distribute wealth more evenly among Americans.”

That attitude may have changed a bit since June, considering the recent credit crisis and anger toward Wall Street fat cats. But even if it is not still an 84-13% split, it is almost certainly still a substantial majority. No wonder those on the Left have decided Joe the Plumber must be destroyed. What they don’t get is that he is not what will cost them votes – Obama’s own words are.