Another Take on Joe The Plumber in Israel

For the first, conventional, take, go here. PR stunt? Most definitely. And especially considering this tidbit of information from a former partner of the PJTV head, who now blogs as Dennis the Peasant. (Oh, and the business relationship did not end well. So he has little good to say about this):

The reason I consider this stunt to be typical Raj huckstering is simple: Joe the Plumber will be on Pajamas Media's subscription-only PJTV web site. In other words, Da Raj is betting Joe the Plumber can help him sell the idea that you should plunk down between $15 and $37 per month to watch Da Raj, Glenn Reynolds and the rest of the D-listers at Pajamas Media interview each other... as well as folks you've never heard of and could care less about.

Subscription only? Awesome. Now I don't think the people who sent Joe to Israel have anything other than PR hucksterism on their minds, but honestly I'm still rooting for Joe. I don't think this is a good opportunity for him, given who he's falling in with, but I do believe that it's up to him to make something good come out of it?

Not qualified to be a journalist? Please, it's the easiest job in the world if you can write, heck even if you can't. Two things to be a journalist:

1. Get facts.

2. Publish facts.

So why don't more people do it? That's easy, the pay is crappy, job prospects are poor and getting worse all the time. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that your average plumber probably makes way more than your average journalist.

As near as I can see, Joe's only crime is being a plumber with an opinion, who once ruined an Obama moment -- and it was the wrong opinion to boot.

Bottom line, this is not likely to work given the reception and who he's fallen in with, but there isn't anything wrong with grabbing an opportunity. Just look at Caroline Kennedy and Roland Burris.

Not a journalist? Watch the video again, this guy got more real stuff out of Barack Obama than any interview I've seen with a member of the mainstream media. I'd nominate him to moderate Meet the Press!

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