Diary of a Mad Editor

If you thought you’d heard the last of Samuel “Joe The Plumber” Wurzelbacher, think again. Joe the Plumber is the lastest in a growing list of nitwit psuedo-celebrities to sign a book deal. Apparently, the book has already been ghostwritten, printed, packaged and is now available for sale from a so-called publisher of books with a neo-con/social conservative slant. PearlGate Publishing — an outfit I’ve never heard of before today, has only published one other book, as far as I can tell. It’s a novel — you know, one of those evangelical stories along the lines of Left Behind. Wurzelbacher’s book is allegedly a memoir of the true story of his sudden ascension into the spotlight. It’s called Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream. Here’s a peek at the jacket copy:

“Joe The Plumber” was catapulted into the media spotlight after asking, then Senator Barack Obama a simple question while campaigning in Joe’s neighborhood. Their famous exchange has been replayed for millions of viewers the world over. Joe has since become an American folk hero and the ultimate icon of the working class.

Joe The Plumber – Fighting for the American Dream follows Joe’s adventures in the media and along the campaign trail up to the 2008 Presidential Election. Discover the Real Story that hasn’t been told about his rendezvous with Obama, the real and personal impact of the illegal invasion of his privacy by Ohio State officials, his eye-opening experience with Governor Sarah Palin, and the tough question he asked John McCain while on his Straight Talk Express.

Hmm . . . is there really a market for this book? Did someone actually pay him for this book? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t claim to be a book marketing expert, but I’m really scratching my head on this one. I mean, a Miley Cyrus or a Paris Hilton at least have a wide base of fans who represent an actual market for their books. You can see a publishing company actually making money on those books regardless of the fact that such books lack substance or literary merit. But who the fuck is going to buy a book by Joe the Plumber? “Ultimate icon of the working class?” Huh? Get the fuck outta here! Honestly, I think I can speak for most people in saying that no one cares. And it’s not as if no one knows the story. It’s not even a very interesting story. So someone please explain to me (unless he has a saucey anecdote in the book about getting a blowjob from Sarah Palin) why anyone would shell out $24.95 to read about this douchebag. It’s not like he’s writing a manual for aspiring plumbers or anything that might actually have useful information in it. He has nothing to say and no one to say his nothing to.