You don't think he's showing entrepreneurial spirit?
After all, he did ask Barrack Obama a question about tax policy.

There are tons and tons of conservative media outlets, most of them with a web presence.... What the right lacks are people with the skill to do the job.

Worse, they're confused about what the job is. For all conservatives' pretending about so-called "liberal media bias," Pajamas Media is sending this clown not just in spite of but because of his biases.

The Right doesn't want journalists; they want propagandists. Joe the Propagandist certainly fits the bill.

Unfortunately, as the clown show of conservative media has demonstrated, they're piss poor even at that -- which is why their movinf of the Overton window and define the terms of debate is accomplished more by whining than anything else.

I can't help but think a bunch of Republican strategists got together and decided Joe would be the ideal counterpart to Michael Moore.

Also, what's with the phonetic spelling? Does AP suddenly think their audience is a bunch of linguists or lexicogrophers?

That's absurd.

It's such a shame about those 4222 American non-Christians who have died in Iraq.

Would've been funny if he changed his name to Yankel the Plumber.

If he dies (an outcome I dearly hope he avoids, but which can happen when amateurs go into war zones), will it matter which side killed him?

A co-worker and I discussed this news today. As we both agreed-- the right wing opinion media gets mocked for this sort of thing, which they do all the time, and it may embarrass them a bit; but they go on anyway.

If an equivalent hire were made by, say, Talking Points Media, the howls of outrage would in effect destroy TPM forever. I am not sure why, but the bar for anyone not on the right is set at a reasonably professional level-- or else-- while the bar for the right wing is so low a snake couldn't crawl under it.

Just to show the questions to Sarah Palin weren't sexist, how is he gonna pull this off when he has custody of his son? I hope somebody asks this nimrod that question.

BTW I have been posting this elsewhere so I might as well repost here. Do you think this quote directed at pajamasmedia resident dumbass Glenn Reynolds had anything to do with this publicity stunt?

http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine/2009/01/ambulancechaser_should_try_cha.html

Get off your fat ass, Glenn, and go cover the war

too bad it isn't Joe the Bible Scholar, or he would know that one is not to test God by putting oneself in harms way and counting on a miracle, see Matt. 4:7, also Deut 6:16.

if there is a God, i have to confess i would take a certain pleasure in Joe learning this lesson about not counting on Him for protection the very, very hard way.

Wurzelbacher's turning into another one of those cosmopolitan egghead know-it-all media types.

*Real* conservatives don't leave Alaska.

"Being a Christian, I'm pretty well protected by God."

I'm tempted to list some martyrs and some other Christians killed during wartime to counter Mr. Wurzelbacher's thesis, but that imply a comparison of Wurzelbacher to, say, Dedrick Bonhoeffer. And that would be, uh, misleading.

I do believe the Mr. Wurzelbacher is stupider than most things he pulls from a clogged waste pipe on a given day.

I guess the Muslims and Jews who died in this conflict weren't protected by God.

I'm still confused about Goldfarb's initial observation.

The Republicans have FOX NEWS for Grod's sake. They have a full-fledged cable news network that carries water and propagandizes for the Republican party nearly 24/7 (with a few minutes here or there where they throw in a nugget for "balance"). Not to mention the newspaper outlets that bend over backwards to put conservative editorial writers on their pages. The Wall Street Journal is still considered one of the better sources of real journalism in this country, despite the acquisition by Rupert Murdoch and their long well-known conservative editorial stance.

Why does TPM (which started out as one reporter's blog) outrank FOX NEWS (an international organization with reporters around the globe) and the WSJ? Please.

The real problem is that conservative "journalism" consists of finding ways to defend Republicans and blame everything on Democrats. TPM, on the other hand, feels free to criticize Democrats as well as Republicans. Sure that criticism comes from the left side politically, but so what? If the right could come up with a solid, right-leaning but intellectually honest source that was willing to criticize Republicans when they were wrong they could have something. But they don't. And all indications are that they won't any time soon.

You ever get that feeling that something isn't going to end well?

"what the right lacks is people with the skill to do the job."

all the better. if you are actually competent at what you're doing -- like reporting -- that makes you part of the "liberal elite." having no discernable skill at it makes you an "average joe."

I guess Jeff Gannon was busy?
The right really has put themselves in a box. They realize they need to expand their base, but they think they have to go even further to the right to accomplish it. The end result is they end up tasking pathetic lunatics like this to deliver their message. If they could get the rights, they'd be better served by Elmer Fudd.

DanP, the AP runs multiple wires to multiple clients, including newspapers and broadcasters. The article excerpted in this post comes from the broadcast wire, which contains phonetic spellings of some names.

(I worked for the AP many moons ago and often pulled duty in the broadcast desk in the Dallas and Balto buros.)

Between this and the porn bailout, I really feel as though April Fool's has come early...

Wow. Just wow.

And his "being a Christian" line really didn't do much to quell my suspicions that he might be a skinhead. I wonder if he's going to use that line as a way of helping convert people in Israel. "Hey, I'm no Jew and my house hasn't been bombed once." No wonder he didn't like that Obama tap danced like Sammy Davis; that dude was black and Jewish.

I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to hearing more about Joe's exploits in Israel or not. Trainwrecks are like that. But they're usually not hyped so much by the people in the train.

Just a hunch, but I don't think he is going to get very close to actual bombs and shooting and stuff. Maybe he'll do a man in the street from within a few miles of where a rocket landed last month.

After all, the whole country's a war zone under attack by the Islamojihadofascists, don'tcha know.

Imagining Wurzelbacher in Israel, the image that arises is that of a foie gras goose being fed.
. . . jim strain in san diego.

Maybe he can use some of the money Pajamas Media will give him to pay off those back taxes he skipped out on.

Goldfarb's lament is sheer lunacy -- there are thousands of rightwing outlets more than capable of doing what TPM has done.

There are also plenty of people with the skills to do the job. After all, journalism ain't exactly brain surgery.

The problem is that the right doesn't have anyone interested in doing the job of a journalist: gathering facts and reporting the truth behind those facts, ideology be damned.

For them, it's ALWAYS about the ideology, the political implications, and the horse race. It's not about truth, or veracity, or policy -- those are things intellectual egghead hippie liberals care about, not good 'ol God fearin' folks.

So until the right starts taking reality seriously -- instead of trying to make up their own -- they'll be relegated to obscurity while receiving the mocking and derision they so deserve.

Meh, I'm lazy, so's I'm just pasting what I wrote on this at thinkprogress, with a few minor additions...

1: On the one hand, this could be SamJoe the Nottaplumber’s attempt to be respectable. I mean, he is by and large a national laughingstock. No matter how any of us may try to pretend we don’t care what others think of us, we may change our tune if the nation, nay, THE WORLD were to think we’re an idiot. Doing something brave, even if it’s for self-glory, might make the cat sleep a little better each night, rather than being known as a mascot for the most laughable Presidential ticket since the likes of Pat Paulsen and Spuds Mackenzie used to run.

2: On the other hand, sand is sand, and a cynical soul may see SamJoe the Nottaplumber standing in a vast sretch of sand, talking to someone who’s dressed like a soldier and wonder if maybe he’s not just in the Cali or Nevada desert. Shades of Capricorn One, I know, but I don’t put anything past these liars. If he actually goes and risks his neck to let soldiers tell their stories, more power to him. Just because I think he will die doesn't mean I think he's evil enough for me to wish him dead. But if it’s all just another neocon staged photo op, THEN let the devil take em all back to hell.

And while I’m acting all macho from behind a keyboard, if SamJoe the Nottaplumber really DOES go, here’s hoping he lets ANY soldier voice their opinions and feeling, and not just cherrypick those who are toeing the neocon line. While I’m at it, may as well wish for a pony.

This post (and the comments above) remind me of what pisses me off many times about my fellow-liberals.
Newsflash: Being a journalist is not a whole hell of a lot more complicated than being a plumber. It ain't quantum mechanics. When's the last time Greg Sargent sweated a joint...?

At least Wurzelbacher's got the balls to give it a shot. When opportunity knocks, you gotta take it. The guys a conservative, idiot McCain gave him the most visibility and leverage he'll have in his entire life, and he's trying to ride it.
I'd do the fucking same in his position.
Nobody on this board has any idea what the guy's gonna write once/if he gets into Gaza.

It's his life, it's likely the best money he's ever made, and so what if he's relying on the grace of god to keep him safe.

I'm no fan of the guy, but I can't help but think that the entire tone of "liberal" criticism of him would be completely different if he was "Joe the Software Engineer" or "Joe the Marketing guy".

Being a nuts-and-bolts (though not sewer pipes) kind of pragmatic, what I'd like to know is what language Mr Turnip-root plans to conduct his interviews in. Because, while "an Average Joe"on the Israelis' side of the "world opinion" he'll be seeking might know some English (though, probably, of the Brit variety), somehow I doubt the same's true on the Palestinians' side. And, although I may be underestimating Mr Root's linguistic abilities, he does not strike me as someone who's well versed in either Hebrew or Arabic, either spoken or written.

Maybe he'll be caught in the crossfire, and that'll FINALLY be the end of him...

"Being a Christian, I'm pretty well protected by God."

Unlike all those people who were killed in the WTC attack.

I can't help but think that the entire tone of "liberal" criticism of him would be completely different if he was "Joe the Software Engineer" or "Joe the Marketing guy".

I'd still think he was a farkin' idiot.

The left continues to victimize Samuel Wurzelbacher, who committed the heinous crime of asking The One a direct question about a hypothetical tax situation, and who is trying to live a quiet and modest life but can't get a moment's peace from the press and vicious partisans.

Asked if he's concerned about his personal safety, he added, "Being a Christian, I'm pretty well protected by God."

As a Christian, I am offended at this statement.

I am with Doctor Biobrain about this. It smacks of some strains of Christian Identity thought.

@steveconga:

Newsflash: Being a journalist is not a whole hell of a lot more complicated than being a plumber. It ain't quantum mechanics.

Actually, I have no problem with a person being a plumber. It is an honorable, challenging, and needed profession, and a good plumber is worth every penny. I have no problem with Sam Wurzelbacher looking to make as much money has he possibly can out of McCain's use of him. I tore my Achilles Tendon back in August while canvassing for Obama, and I tried to get tickets to the Inauguration because of my injury (I did not get the tickets, but I really did not push the issue, just put in a request with my senator).

However, Wurzelbacher has become a pundit, so I really do not expect that he will suddenly dig deep to find the journalist within. He was in the media spotlight and actually asked his ill-informed opinion as if it held any merit. He is also trying to make himself the "Average Joe American," which suggests Joe American is an asshole. I think that we will just see more of the same shit he has been spewing since he found himself on our TV sets.

No wonder he is John McCain's role model...

The left continues to victimize Samuel Wurzelbacher, who committed the heinous crime of asking The One a direct question about a hypothetical tax situation, and who is trying to live a quiet and modest life but can't get a moment's peace from the press and vicious partisans.

Yes, I know that we vicious partisans forced that book deal on him.

You people really are too stupid to breathe without constant reminders.

I'm no fan of the guy, but I can't help but think that the entire tone of "liberal" criticism of him would be completely different if he was "Joe the Software Engineer" or "Joe the Marketing guy".

He's going off to Israel to be a "war correspondent" for "Pajamas Television".

It wouldn't matter if he were a not-Software Engineer or a not-Marketing guy instead of a not-Plumber - it wouldn't make the situation any less ludicrous. He's a side-show clown, and he continues to be a side-show clown, and Pajamas Media is using this sideshow clown for their own weird reasons. I don't have any respect for him because, in his position, I would choose not to be a sideshow clown.

So yeah, I'm going to continue to point and laugh at the guy who chooses to clown it up for the rest of us. Because that's what you do with clowns - you laugh at them. Anything less would be an insult to the clown.

This reminds me of the "truth tour" when a bunch of radio talk show hosts went to Iraq in 2005. Nothing much was ever heard from them. I think that outcome is the best Joe can hope for. The republican are getting nuttier all the time. I going to quit the Democrats and join the Green party just to keep the Dems between me and the Republicans.

This is one of those pitiful situations where an ordinary Joe (no pun intended) suddenly gets a surge of attention that he probably doesn't merit, and discovers he loves it. Once the reason for this attention fades, he realizes he must do something else to keep it.

I doubt Joe the Plumber/War Correspondent/Software Engineer/Marketing Guy really gives a rip about what's happening in Gaza beyond how it can refocus attention on him, but he's going to ride it for all its worth.

This post (and the comments above) remind me of what pisses me off many times about my fellow-liberals. Newsflash: Being a journalist is not a whole hell of a lot more complicated than being a plumber. It ain't quantum mechanics. When's the last time Greg Sargent sweated a joint...?

And who here is claiming that journalism is a tough gig?

At least Wurzelbacher's got the balls to give it a shot. When opportunity knocks, you gotta take it. The guys a conservative, idiot McCain gave him the most visibility and leverage he'll have in his entire life, and he's trying to ride it. I'd do the fucking same in his position.

Congrats for you. Wanna cookie?

And how the hell does any of that make this whole "Joe the Plumber Goes to Gaza" anything more than a publicity stunt for a failing Web site?

Nobody on this board has any idea what the guy's gonna write once/if he gets into Gaza.

Congrats! You just defeated another strawman! Your mom must be so proud ...

It's his life, it's likely the best money he's ever made, and so what if he's relying on the grace of god to keep him safe.

Well, other than managing to imply that those who have died in Iraq or in other military actions aren't as good of Christians as he is, you're right. So what?

I'm no fan of the guy,

Yet here you are defending him ...

but I can't help but think that the entire tone of "liberal" criticism of him would be completely different if he was "Joe the Software Engineer" or "Joe the Marketing guy".

So you think we're mocking the guy simply because he's a plumber? And your proof of that is ... what, exactly? Or is your actual stereotyping of liberals better than our never-actually-stereotyping of plumbers for some reason?

Next time, perhaps you could provide a few facts and address some real comments made here, instead of going after comments made only in your head and facts yanked directly from your ass.

That damned IFP appears to have now resorted to namejacking shortstop! :)

Methinks shortstop @ 4:33 p.m. was being sarcastic. But I could be wrong ...

Wurzelbacher isn't a journalist, has no background in reporting, and has no background in foreign policy.
===================
None of these considerations troubled the White House press corps.

Just a thought.

Mark D:

You know, you are probably right. Still, it sounds like crap folks from the Right say, so I pushed back.

If he is just playing reindeer games, I am sorry to have been so harsh.

Still, I hope that he will know the peace that comes from accepting The One...

That damned IFP appears to have now resorted to namejacking shortstop! :)

Bwa ha ha. I don't know what came over me. It's like staring at the spinning fan blades and having a sudden impulse to stick your finger in.

Join us, shortstop. Let The One give you peace...

Join us, shortstop. Let The One give you peace...

Please. I already have the rising sun tea cozy and "Change You Can Believe In" diaper pail, and have traded my Cubs cap for White Sox headgear*. You, sir, are an amateur.

*Not as painful as it might have been after that boneheaded DeRo trade.

Too bad the real IFP isn't here. Mary is upstairs in the Feinstein Room.

I dunno if that's the real Mary or not. But does it really matter? There's such a thing as Essence of Mary, and as long as it's widespread, there will be IFPs.

"Being a Christian, I'm pretty well protected by God."

Apparently God's not protecting him from being an idiot.

Remember what Colbert said, the truth has a liberal bias. They want no part of it. Making shit up and getting all blue in the face about it is way more satisfying for them.

shortstop -

could you drop me a line at badzeitgeist at hotmail dot com?

Does AP suddenly think their audience is a bunch of linguists or lexicogrophers ?

Not at all. If they did, they'd run their pronunciation hints in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

I am eating crow for lunch and dinner. I thought that initially Joe did not seek out the limelight, but he has certainly been seeking assiduously ever since it was cast on him.

Do you suppose he can write? Can he discover a good story? Who can stop laughing?

shortstop on January 7, 2009 at 4:33 PM

I couldn't have put it better myself. Even when I tried.

I am eating crow for lunch and dinner.

Well, you might have said so several days ago when you were initially corrected on your creative take on Joe the Plumbereality, rather than waiting until Joe's latest adventures made him such a farce that even you couldn't continue arguing for his self-effacing modesty. But we all knew you were wrong again, so I s'pose it doesn't matter.

Andrew on January 7, 2009 at 4:40 PM

Shortstop was just pulling my chain.

Andrew's way ahead of you, Matt. It was all resolved ages ago.

Maybe he will have another "McCain bus" moment and actually learn something. Would that be grand - he goes there and discovers reality is not like his fantasy.

(OK, OK, I just had a little burst of optimism. It will go away soon.)

From not-plumber, to wannabe entrepeneur, to instant right wing media celeb, to country western singer, to author, and now to war correspondent. Well, it just goes to prove cream rises to the top, right? Just like with all those "smartest guys in the room" on Wall Street.

Joe went about this all wrong if it was the money he was after. He should of set up a web site that for every $25 donated, he'd stay another day beyond his scheduled 10 days. Ka-ching!

He's unlikely to be any stupider than Geraldo mapping attack plans in the Iraqi dust.

I think everyone is overlooking the incredible sacrifice being made here as Joe gives up his love of plumbing and ambitions of owning a plumbing company for the greater good of the nation.

The real question is whether he gets anywhere near a real war zone. It would probably do him some good to witness what an actual war looks like up close.

Perhaps he can also see for himself what the effects of folks in Gaza are. If he's counting on God to protect him, maybe he will. But the price may be some painfully bought experience. That seems to be the way things go when people get too big for their britches.

Last post on this, because WhiskeyFire had the best line about Sam:

And, really - what kind of "news organization" would spend money to send a fucking plumber half way around the world to deliver poignant, insightful commentary on a decades long political, and centuries long cultural, struggle? What can we expect from this joker, some kind of Ollie Williams "Shit's blowing up!" reports?

Tom Tucker: Thanks, Ollie!

Just another right wing blowhard, such as Bill O'Reilly going somewhere near the Falklands and the mean streets of El Salvador, to play war correspondent, although, when they had a chance to serve their nation by actually enlisting, they had other plans.