On Wednesday, January 14th the producers of a documentary on the presidential campaign in Ohio will unveil their trailer at Stetson's in DC. The documentary offers a unique perspective on "Joe The Plumber", even as many if not all are tired of hearing about the whole thing. Just a week away from the big day, go check out how it all happened with the hard work of real working class people on the ground in this crucial battleground state.
Stetson’s Famous Bar & Grill will host the unveiling of a trailer for an upcoming documentary that explores how the "Joe the Plumber" phenomenon became one of the most defining moments of the 2008 presidential election. The film "JoeBama: A Catchphrase, The Real Joes, and How Ohio Was Won" will be released in its entirety later this year.
The event will be attended by the producers of the film from Impulse Media Productions, Inc and a number of individuals who appear in the film. Members of the press and the general public are welcome to attend.
Who: Film Producers, Campaign Organizers, General Public
What: Unveiling of the trailer for "JoeBama: A Catchphrase, The Real Joes, and How Ohio Was Won"
Where: Steston’s Famous Bar & Grill – 1610 U St., NW in Washington, DC
When: Wednesday, January 14th at 7:00 PM
About the film:
JoeBama: A Catchphrase, The Real Joes, and How Ohio Was Won
In one of the most contentious presidential races in American history, a battle for identity was waged during the close and critical last month of the 2008 presidential campaign. JoeBama: A Catchphrase, The Real Joes, and How Ohio Was Won is a documentary exposing one of the defining moments of the campaign and how it shaped the victory of a crucial swing state. JoeBama contains unfiltered access to the ground level efforts of a local organization and the evolution of a political slogan, taking us on an inside tour of what really happened and how Ohio was won.
While John McCain and Barack Obama were still close in the polls, Senator McCain had to make the third and last debate the defining moment of his campaign. Recalling an exchange between Obama and an Ohio citizen a few days prior, McCain infamously introduced Joe the Plumber, an individual whose name and occupation would echo throughout the political world.
Joe the Plumber became a catchall phrase for everything American- healthcare, the economy, patriotism- the embodiment of the average American. The slogan began a veritable tug-of-war for the American working class vote in 2008. Meanwhile, blue-collar workers in Ohio were rolling up their sleeves to ensure an Obama victory.
JoeBama focuses on the grassroots political efforts of Local 50, a plumbers union located in the perennial swing state of Ohio, two miles south of where Joe Wurzelbacher grabbed his fifteen minutes of fame. A full year before Barack Obama met Joe The Plumber, the members of Local 50, on top of balancing work and family, had already found a new passion. They had discovered the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. They canvassed. They got the vote out. They tackled voter suppression. When Joe The Plumber appeared and wouldn¹t go away, they got angry and did what union men and women do best - they organized. Local 50 created an extensive counter-campaign to expose the true identity of a Real Joe: a conscientious, honest, American worker who raised all hands for Obama in 2008.
JoeBama follows the majestic efforts of a group of Ohio workers who did all they could to ensure that the Ohio vote was safely in the hands of Barack Obama. This documentary tells the story of the snarling twists and turns in the three weeks leading up to the election as both campaigns try to capitalize on the catchphrase and define Joe the Voter. Ultimately we know who won this election - but JoeBama focuses on the working class and the unions and a catchphrase that tried to define them all.
For more information on the documentary, please contact Matt Meyer at matt@impulsemp.com.