(CNN) - Joe Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber, has become an integral part of John McCain's presidential bid, but it appears the Arizona senator's campaign and the now-famous Toledo plumber need to work on their communication skills.
McCain aides told CNN's Dana Bash Wurzelbacher would appear with the Republican presidential candidate at his first campaign event in Defiance, Ohio. But in what was a slightly awkward moment for McCain, Wurzelbacher was nowhere to be seen when the Arizona senator called out for him.
Read Dana Bash's first person account of the mix up on AC360 blog
A campaign aide later said Wurzelbacher had "decided not to come" and may join McCain later in the day.
But reached at his home by CNN's Mary Snow, Wurzelbacher said it was "news to him" that he was supposed to be at the McCain rally. Wurzelbacher said nobody from the McCain campaign confirmed he was attending the event and called the incident a "miscommunication."
Wurzelbacher also said he is headed to Philadelphia for a charity event unrelated to the campaign and has no plans to meet up with McCain today.
UPDATE: Contacted by CNN a second time, Wurzelbacher said the campaign only called him to confirm after the event in question already took place. He will now try to meet up with McCain later in the day.
Watch: 'Joe': McCain 'a real American'
Wurzelbacher also said he had gotten an initial call about coming to the morning rally, "but no one called back to confirm," and was "not happy" that McCain had called out his name and he wasn't there.
From CNN Politics
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I think McCain will soon confuse Joe Lieberman with Joe The Plumber... "My fellow prisoners!"
mccain wants to give more tax breaks to the Big Oil companies. Exxon netted $14.8 billion this past quarter. In only three months they made profit of almost $15 billion after expenses and taxes. Do they really need more breaks? How many new hires like Joe the plumber have they taken on with all this wealth? The Big Oil keeps sticking it to us with the help of mccain/palin. We cannot afford four more years. Vote Barack Obama.
Maybe he had a toilet to fix! He's a plumber not a policy adviser...
John McCain can't even communicate properly with his cohorts, how is he supposed to be president?
That is rich, maybe even more than $250K worth! McCain's campaign shows what type of administration he would have. Uncoordinated, lurching all over the place, built on pettiness and narrowminded failure to truly understand a situation.
2-1 he'll have a reality series by the end of next wk. 5-1 he'll go into adult films.
These are some clowns!
Can't believe anyone feels happy voting for this ticket
Sad case.
Good grief - what next? Enough of "Joe the Plumber" already! Reminds me of story time at the local library.
I get it, Joe was at the early voting booth casting a vote for Obama.
Vote early! Joe did!
Obama/Biden '08
CNN
With the state of every aspect of most people's lives in this country in the worst state they have been in decades, you choose to focus on this???
This man is a LIAR, he isn't a plumber and was never going to 'buy a business'.
Doesn't pay his TAXES!!!
And CNN continues to celebrate him like he is what we should all aspire to.
Please make this egomaniac go away.
Isn't this guy supposed to have a JOB?
Oh good Lord. Will CNN ever find a piece of drivel that is too inane to make into a story??
Joe the unlicensed, tax-evading and faked Plumber is cheating for GOP again! I wish McCain's campaign to retrieve their shame. They did so much dishonest tricks in this election.
didn't want the tax man to find him?
If we could harness the Hot air coming from the GOP... we'd have ourselves a New Energy Source.
Bwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Joe the Plumber must have realized that McCain is a big coward and likes ot give tax money to the PLO terrorist Organziation. Millions of dollars wen to them with McCain being in charge. Investigate this CNN. McCain is a coward and a terrorist
LMFAO. The guy is being used just like Palin is. McCain is a pimp and Sara and Sam are the word that rhymes with toes.
OBAMA/BIDEN 08
My son asked me this morning if he should be Joe the Plumber for Halloween (with a sign on his back that says "I am stupid")...or if he should just wear his gross mask and wear a sign that says "McCain/ Palin make me sick". Pretty interesting from an 11 year old.
Maybe he thought he was suppose to be on the David Letterman Show, so he decided not to show like his hero JM
Mc Cain should do the country the favor and drop out of the race and save the country the time, the money and the trouble ( and leave, by leaving the American people with whatever is worth to remember about John Mc Cain – Mc cain the POW – not the politician ; Picking Palin without a background check was the biggest mistake of his campaign, panicking during the financial crisis and wanting to suspend your campaign, didn't say much about his experience either). His been tested "my friend" and he has failed.Barack talks about the issues, Mc Cain acts like a kiddengarden child, looking for insulting epithets ( socialist, radical ), and tries to score points by punching below the belt because he can not conceive anything intelligent to say and make a point. He is desperately trying to stay afloat, well here is the life vest: He should concede in dignity before he looses in a mudslide.And he should do himself the favor and separate himself from the likes of Sarah Palin and "Joe the plumber."
I can't believe McCain has chosen to have this guy as a part of his, so called, campaign. The decisions McCain and Palin have made in regards to their actions and remarks are very awkward.
If McCain wants to put his country first, he should drop out of the race.
McCain is going to continue to make a fool of himself til the every end, along with Palin and Joe- the three awkward fools.
He dumped Gramps McCain to prepare for the Palin / Wurzelbacher 2012 campaign...
ha. he clearly doesn't read a newspaper either just like palin. even i knew he was supposed to be at that rally. guess that's what happens when you team up with a tax evader.
OBAMA/BIDEN '08
is joe suddenly independently wealthy that he can afford to miss all this time from work or is the mc cain campaign paying him to go to all these events? inquiring minds want to know,
WHAT A FLIPPIN' JOKE. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.
IMMAGIN A BLUNDER LIKE THIS WITH A MAJOR FOREIGN LEADER.
"Meeing?" exclaimed Mr Brown, Brithish PM, in unmistkable surprise. "Good Lord, John, what ever are you talking about.?"
This would be funny if it werent both sad and frightning