I'm sorry, but Joe the Plumber was one depraved person.

[NJCher]

26. I remember this well

but not for the same reason as everyone else. Bear with me 'cuz this is a good story, even if it is a bit long:

Right before the "Joe the Plumber" encounter with Obama, I had a plumber in to deal with my infernal bathroom sink drainage problem. This guy had done work at my house before and his name was "Joe". Whenever a plumbing problem would arise around this house, we would say, "Call Joe the Plumber."

So on that particular occasion, Joe was working on the problem and running his mouth with this, that, and the other thing. He was kind of a philosopher/plumber. Always had a smartass remark for every situation.

After he fixed my problem he sat down where I was working to give me my bill. He knew I worked as a professor in media and that I taught advertising. He decided to hustle up some free advice, so just like a plumbing client would, he asked what I thought he should do about the fact that he was losing out on the Manhattan commuter market. The problem was, as he described it, that when someone from our town/area (Northern NJ suburbs) needs a plumber, they put off calling a plumber until they get to their office, where they do it on their employer's time (and let's face it, they have to because that's the only time during the business day that they have). Most of the people around here commute to Manhattan for their work. Thus he thought he was losing business because these people just did an internet search for a plumber and he wasn't being chosen because he had no "internet presence."

Besides SEO, I suggested he make an internet presence by starting a blog with his philosophical observations. Call it "Joe the Plumber." Have a few practical plumbing tips here and there, that sort of thing. Not that he really had anything that interesting to say, but I thought that people around here would be amused at their plumber having a blog, especially one called "Joe the Plumber."

So he got his free consultation, gave me his outrageous bill, and left.

About a week to 10 days later this whole thing with Obama and Joe the Plumber exploded. He called me up and asked me how I knew that was going to happen. I said did you start the blog? 'Cuz if you did you would have had a skazillion hits and you would go viral for being the "real" Joe the Plumber. This guy had such a distinctive personality, offbeat wit, and Jersey accent that he would have stolen the show from Wurzelwhatever. As a media/PR person I know I could have promoted this character to the media and they would have loved to tell the story of the real "Joe the Plumber."

But he never started the blog. Lost opportunity.

p.s. I guess it's a bit much to expect a plumber to start a blog on his own. I should have offered to help him but he wasn't paying me.