“Joe the Plumber” has been found after the debate last night, and he’s not making things look any better for Barack Obama or John McCain.

The plumber the candidates were talking about in last night’s debate turns out to be a man by the name of Joe Wurzelbacher.

At an Obama event in Ohio, Wurzelbacher told Obama that he’s planning on buying a business that earns over $250,000 a year. He then asked Obama, “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”

Years before that question sparked much of the final presidential debate of 2008, a relative of Wurzelbacher’s was involved in a scandal with McCain.

The Gawker article says, “Keating’s son-in-law, Robert Wurzelbacher (not a very common last name) served a 40-month prison sentence in 1993 in connection with Keating’s Lincoln Savings and Loan collapse.” According to the article, McCain was investigated in the matter, but was let off with a slap on the wrist.

It’s hard to believe that Joe the Plumber just happened to be connected to the Keating scandal, and Joe’s already become somewhat of a talking head for republicans. It’s starting to look like this thing was -to some extent- set up by someone.

Wurzelbacher isn’t a very common last name.

There is a collection of articles and fast facts about the situation here.