# Joe McCain called 911 to complain about traffic
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [October 24, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442 "2008-10-24T22:33:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/1 "2008-10-24T22:33:20Z")
> **[Archive blogs](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/)**
>
> Los Angeles Times blogs that were published between 2006 and 2013.
> [@](#):
>
> Joe McCain called 911 on his cell phone, and when asked what the emergency was, said, “It’s not an emergency, but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95, traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic’s coming the other way?” When the operator asked if he were calling 911 to complain about traffic, McCain said, “F\*\*k you” and hung up.
Short fuse family, indeed.
When they called the number back, they got his voicemail, which identified him as “Joe McCain”. This is the same brother who referred to part of Virginia as communist a couple weeks ago.
Kind of a bad week for John McCain.
---
### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/2 "2008-10-24T22:34:50Z")
Before i worked out who Joe McCain was, i thought that he must be some unholy merging of John McCain and Joe the Plumber.
---
### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/3 "2008-10-24T22:34:53Z")
Yeah. No shit.
Who’s Joe McCain?
[Emily Latela]_Nevermind_[EL]
---
### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/4 "2008-10-24T22:35:11Z")
‘Week’?
---
### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/5 "2008-10-24T22:39:41Z")
:::snerk:::. On the other hand, it’s a long-standing presidential tradition to have embarassing relatives.
I recognize the interchange in question and traffic does indeed suck there. Never been tempted to dial 911 about it though!
Maybe if his brother gets elected, he can fix that interchange!
---
### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/6 "2008-10-24T22:40:08Z")
Billy Carter … please pick up the white courtesy phone … Billy Carter to the white courtesy phone.
---
### Author:  [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/7 "2008-10-24T22:45:31Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#):
>
> Billy Carter … please pick up the white courtesy phone … Billy Carter to the white courtesy phone.
Yea, Roger Clinton has an exciting offer for him.
---
### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/8 "2008-10-24T23:05:52Z")
Family is off-limits, IMO.
Daniel
---
### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/9 "2008-10-24T23:29:20Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> Family is off-limits, IMO.
That’s nice. Thanks for dropping by.
---
### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/10 "2008-10-24T23:35:44Z")
Nah, embarassing brothers are perfectly on-limits. Tradition. Hey, how far back can we go with this?
---
### Author:  [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/11 "2008-10-24T23:37:35Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#):
>
> Nah, embarassing brothers are perfectly on-limits. Tradition. Hey, how far back can we go with this?
Jebediah Washington. ‘Course you won’t hear about him with your fancy book learnin’.
---
### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/12 "2008-10-24T23:37:43Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#):
>
> Nah, embarassing brothers are perfectly on-limits. Tradition. Hey, how far back can we go with this?
The problem with being a Bible literalist is they can only go back to Noah and family.
---
### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/13 "2008-10-25T00:08:49Z")
> [@wring](#):
>
> Yea, Roger Clinton has an exciting offer for him.
LOL. He probably wants to sell him his last case of gold-topped Billy Beers.
Oh wait, Billy’s dead. I still have some silvertops if anyone is buying. They are only about 30 years old.
---
### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/14 "2008-10-25T01:52:22Z")
> [@DanBlather](#):
>
> The problem with being a Bible literalist is they can only go back to Noah and family.
Not at all. Abel had an embarrassing brother too.
That was from **Typo Knig** , who then mimicked a loudspeaker saying “Express handbasket leaving at gate 666”.
---
### Author:  [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/15 "2008-10-25T09:29:21Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#):
>
> … it’s a long-standing presidential tradition to have embarassing relatives.
In the Bush family the embarrassing relative got elected, twice!:eek::eek:
---
### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/16 "2008-10-25T11:19:46Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#):
>
> :::snerk:::. On the other hand, it’s a long-standing presidential tradition to have embarassing relatives.
Obama supposedly has a half-brother who lives in a cardboard box in Kenya. That right there would be an improvement over some 911-abusing jackass.
---
### Author:  [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/17 "2008-10-25T11:48:11Z")
According to this [Washington Post article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102403458.html?hpid=sec-politics), he’s apologized. Bless his heart.
According to the same article, Brother Joe lives in Alexandria, VA. I did a phone look up on the web, and there is a Joe McCain in old town Alexandria, although I have no way of knowing it’s the same person.
Since this is the Pit, I just want to add gently:
How mother fucking moronic do you have to be to live in Alex-FUCKING-andria V fucking A for more than FIVE goat rimming MINUTES and call the EMERGENCY LINE to complain about traffic on the Wilson Bridge. It’s called the “Wilson Bridge” because calling it “The worst goddamn shit-eating traffic circle-jerk cluster fuck on the east coast” is too long.
And then he called them back!!! Teh stoopid - it burns.
Maybe Joe McCain is trying to be the next Billy Carter or Roger Clinton. \Your Honor, Let the record reflect that the witness made the “drinky drinky” motion\
---
### Author:  [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/18 "2008-10-25T11:58:56Z")
Apparently, on his phone message machine, he mentions something about having to work on a campaign. Otherwise, I don’t think this should reflect on McCain himself.
That said, what exactly did he think 911 was going to do about the traffic?
---
### Author:  [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/19 "2008-10-25T12:07:15Z")
Totally hilarious.
“You’re calling about _traffic_?”
“FUCK YOU!”
Later in the day, Joe called Gen. Petraeus and ordered an airstrike on the 18 wheeler that had boxed him in behind a slow moving Yugo. I know I would if I could.
---
### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2008, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442/20 "2008-10-25T12:16:50Z")
Amusing, but not fair game.
John is not his brother’s keeper, although one might argue Joe needs one. Further, who among us has not done rude or foolish things? I have never done this particular mistake, but I have made others of a similar scale. All of us have.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-mccain-called-911-to-complain-about-traffic/469442.md?page=2)