Small Business Takes Center Stage in Debate

Small business owners rarely steal the spotlight. Most of the time, they're the kind of people who stay behind the scenes, toiling away in a darkened warehouse or office after hours, on weekends and through holidays to keep their companies going while everyone else is enjoying time off. They are the first to arrive, the last to leave and the least likely to expect attention—much less national attention—for their sacrifices. But during last night's final presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, one aspiring entrepreneur, Joe Wurzelbacher, a Toledo, Ohio, man planning on buying the small plumbing business he currently works for, thrust the concerns of small business owners into the forefront of the race.
The candidates referred to Wurzelbacher, who recently met Obama at a campaign stop and questioned him about how his tax plan would affect his future business, a total of 23 times as they squared off over the economy, health-care and other domestic issues. So who is "Joe the plumber," and why does his story matter? Check out this analysis in U.S. News & World Report. You can also find out more about where the candidates stand on the issues that matter to your business in our latest issue of MyBusiness.