For the irony files

Guess how Joe the Plumber has been supporting himself as he campaigns with John McCain around the country worrying that Obama is going to take his hard-earned money and give it to someone else? He’s been relying on the hard-earned money that other people have been handing over to him:

“I’m not getting paid for things.  It’s starting to get hard to eat,” the now-famous Joe the Plumber tells INSIDE EDITION’s Deborah Norville.

Joe the Plumber, a.k.a. Joe Wurzelbacher, opens up to Norville about the downside of his overnight fame.  All that stumping is keeping him from earning a living as a plumber!

“When is the last time you actually had a regular [plumbing] gig?” Deborah asks.

“[It's been] Three weeks now; I did a favor for a buddy of mine the other day, but I didn’t get paid for it [because] it was my friend.  And he’s an Obama supporter,” Joe says.

On the eve of election day, Joe, a single dad, told INSIDE EDITION he’s getting by with help from friends and family, along with donations from well-wishers.

“It’s hard being on the receiving end, a little bit of pride gets in there sometimes,” admits Joe.

“So you just go to the mailbox and there’s an envelope with a check in it, written to your name?” marvels Norville.

“Yes ma’am,” Joe says.

Joe says he may run for Congress himself down the line.  He’s also working on a book, tentatively called Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream.

You really couldn’t make this stuff up.