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Voting continues in our Best & Worst in Money 2008 feature, and it looks like early favorites include falling gasoline prices, Wal-Mart, Joe the Plumber, and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Did they get your vote?

Close races include the Breakout Person of the Year, in which vice presidential contender Sarah Palin and Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps duke it out for first place, while poor Neel Kashkari, who is in charge of the U.S. Treasury's financial relief funds, is in last place with only about 6% of the vote.

The Most Disturbing Consumer Trend is another close race, with plunging retirement accounts and falling home values virtually a tie. It's also a very close race between Wall Street and Kmart for Most in Need of a Makeover. Not much interest in making over Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), however, as it has only about 4% of the vote in that category.

Lower fuel prices are clearly the most popular Silver Lining to the Recession with about 62% of the vote so far. Joe the Plumber, with 57% of the vote, has a clear lead over distant second place Rev. Jeremiah Wright as the Most Notable 15 Minutes of Fame. And disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer leads the Biggest Fall from Grace category with about 56% of the vote.

Continue reading Best & Worst in Money 2008: Early voting results

Best & Worst in Money 2008: Early voting results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AmgenAMGNBest and Worst 2008Eliot SpitzerfeaturedFordgasoline pricesGeneral MotorsGMhome pricesJeremiah WrightJoe the PlumberKmartLinens n ThingsMCDMcDonaldsMichael PhelpsNeel Kashkarirecessionretirement accountsReverend WrightSarah PalinSBUXSearsSharper ImageSHLDSIRISiriusStarbucksWal-MartWall StreetWalmartWMTTue, 16 Dec 2008 16:36:00 EST<![CDATA[Best & Worst in Money 2008: Most notable 15 minutes of fame in 2008]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/06/best-and-worst-in-money-2008-most-notable-15-minutes-of-fame-in/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/06/best-and-worst-in-money-2008-most-notable-15-minutes-of-fame-in/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/12/06/best-and-worst-in-money-2008-most-notable-15-minutes-of-fame-in/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This post is part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst in Money 2008 feature.

I am not familiar with Vince Offer so this is not a fair ranking; however, based on who got the biggest 15 minutes of fame and is most likely to fade from memory the most permanently, here's my ranking of the most notable 15 minutes of fame:

  1. "Joe the Plumber" (Sam Wurzelbach) -- a "representative of the middle class" frequently referenced by Senator McCain late in the 2008 presidential campaign
  2. the Reverend Jeremiah Wright -- excerpts of this former pastor's sermons received intense media scrutiny during the presidential campaign
  3. Vince Offer -- ShamWow pitchman who has been compared to renowned pitchmen Billy Mays and Ron Popeil
  4. Ashley Alexandra Dupre -- the high-priced call girl at the center of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal
  5. Katy Perry -- the singer-songwriter whose "I Kissed a Girl" became a controversial worldwide hit

I think Ashley and Katy are not going to fade from memory because they'll still be around. Ashley will probably come out with a book and try to sell her music, and Katy has other popular songs -- like "Hot 'N Cold" -- that will keep her on the radio. Joe the Plumber will be history and so will Reverend Wright -- both share a distinction of being props in the failed Republican effort to demonize Barack Obama this year.

Do you agree?

Share the reasons for your pick in the comments, or let us know about any contenders we overlooked. Also be sure to see the rest of the Best & Worst in Money 2008.

Best & Worst in Money 2008: Most notable 15 minutes of fame in 2008 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Ashley DupreBarack ObamaBest and Worst 2008Eliot SpitzerfeaturedI Kissed a GirlJoe the PlumberKaty PerryMcCainObamaReverend WrightSam WurzelbachShamWowVince OfferSat, 06 Dec 2008 14:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Joe the Plumber: He's not a plumber]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/16/joe-the-plumber-hes-not-a-plumber/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/16/joe-the-plumber-hes-not-a-plumber/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2008/10/16/joe-the-plumber-hes-not-a-plumber/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It was fun watching, as an NPR correspondent said last night, Joe the Plumber becoming a third man in the Presidential debates last night. I didn't realize (as I missed the first few minutes) that Joe is actually a real man -- Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, of Toledo, Ohio.

Unfortunately, he's not really a plumber (though initial reports of him not being registered to vote are untrue; the registrar has his name spelled incorrectly). The Toledo Blade investigated and discovered that he's not licensed or registered to operate as a plumber in Ohio. As small businessmen and homeowners everywhere [update: everywhere I've been a homeowner, and in Toledo where Joe lives, evidently not true everywhere] know, each plumber, electrician and other specialty contractors must be licensed under their own name in their locality, with most areas requiring plumbers and electricians to go through union-approved apprenticeship programs. The only exception to this rule [in Toledo and many localities, like Portland, Oregon] is if you are a homeowner doing your own work; technically, I'm not even allowed to have my dad, a licensed general contractor, work on the plumbing and electricity in my home (he's a stickler for the rules so he had my husband do the work under his counsel). Joe says he does plumbing work under someone else's license; though this is, of course, against local statutes.

So, though he does (with questionable legality) do plumbing work under W. Newell Corp.'s license, he's definitely not a plumber. Joe the unwitting victim of a debater's technique? Joe the regular guy working unethically to feed his family? Joe the symbol of our economy: Thousands of guys pretending they don't understand the rules so they can make a great living (Joe's hypothetical revenue -- not his real income -- was $250,000 a year), and getting away with it.

Reminds me of a couple hundred corporate executives in the news these days.

Joe the Plumber: He's not a plumber originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>debatesfeaturedjoejoe the plumberJoeThePlumberplumberwurzelbacherThu, 16 Oct 2008 15:03:00 EST