Joe the Plumber: 'McCain was trying to use me'

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, stands with Samuel "Joe The Plumber" Wurzelbacher at a rally at Mentor High School in Mentor, Ohio. (Oct. 30, 2008) Credit: AP
Joe the Plumber, who backed Sen. John McCain for president in 2008, now says the Arizona senator is "no public servant" and that McCain tried to "use me."
The Ohio man, whose name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, made his comments Saturday to Pennsylvania public radio's Scott Detrow, who reported them on his political blog. Wurzelbacher was in Harrisburg to speak on behalf of a conservative Pennsylvania gubernatorial hopeful.
PHOTOS: Take a look back at John McCain on the campaign trail in 2008
Echoing the negative comments he made in his 2009 book, Wurzelbacher told Detrow that even though he endorsed McCain for president, "McCain was trying to use me."
"I happened to be the face of middle Americans," said Wurzelbacher. "It was a ploy."
"He really screwed my life up, is how I look at it," Wurzelbacher said.
Wurzelbacher became a sensation after he was referred to frequently in the final presidential debate and by McCain and running mate Sarah Palin in their stump speeches.
Wurzelbacher, in fact, said in his speech at state Rep. Sam Rohrer's Mobilize for Liberty event that he no longer supports Palin because she's backing McCain's re-election effort in Arizona.
"John McCain is no public servant," Wurzelbacher said, calling him a career politician.
Combined news services
Women hoping to become deacons ... Out East: Southold Fish Market ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
Women hoping to become deacons ... Out East: Southold Fish Market ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV



