Presidential Debate Finds Salient Metaphor in Mario the Plumber

Small Businessman, Platform-based Hero an American Everyman

HEMPSTEAD, NY—The third and final debate between Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama found an extended metaphor in the trials and tribulations of Mario the plumber, whose struggles against a difficult economy and the tyranny of King Koopa have struck a resonant chord with the American voter.

Mario Mario, referred to simply as "Mario the plumber" several times by both candidates, is a self-employed independent contractor who owns and operates a small family plumbing business with his brother, Luigi Mario. A tireless worker, Mario has been known to put in ten- to twelve-hour days, whether it be servicing pipes and drains or exploring a hidden passageway to Warp Zone. In a well-publicized incident on the campaign trail, Mario asked Senator Obama if his proposed tax plan would punish his hard-earned success, either from operating a business worth over $250,000, or from earning extra points by repeatedly stomping on the same Koopa Troopa shell on the staircase at the end of the level.

Obama promised Mario in no uncertain terms that his tax plan would not hurt the plumber; indeed, depending on the plumber's individual situation, he might even be spared some capital gains taxes that would otherwise be acquired by investing in his business or in climbing the vine that leads you to the secret area in the clouds.

Senator McCain, on the other hand, roundly criticized Obama's plan during the debate, warning Mario the plumber that Obama's plan might tax him out of several of his investments. "My friends," McCain went on to say, "working families are already paying a hundred gold coins for a 1-UP. This is no time to raise taxes on anybody. My plan will ensure that employers can create jobs and that there will be sufficient yellow capes for all working families who need to fly across the lava pit in the underground board."