"Mad Money" is right...

It's not often that I get the chance to sit down in front of the TV these days, but since last week was FSU's spring break, I got to spend some much-needed quality time with my good friend Magnavox. And perfect timing too; for those of you who aren't familiar with the Jim Cramer vs. Jon Stewart feud, it came to a supernova-esque conclusion last week on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

If you still don't know what I'm talking about, this clip brought to you by MSNBC should bring you up to speed. About a week or so into the dispute, Cramer agreed to go on Jon Stewart's show, to straighten everything out. For anyone who hasn't watched it, I don't want to ruin it, so watch the full interview here before reading on.

I'm guessing that Cramer grew up with a pool, because this man is a master of the backstroke. It's hard to believe that the Cramer in that interview is the same man spewing financial advice with goofy sound effects on Mad Money. But I have respect for him and how he handled the situation. For one thing, he took the spotlight off of MSNBC. Stewart's original comments weren't directed at Cramer personally, but instead at MSNBC; which at the time touted itself as a great financial resource. Cramer (whether acting on his own behalf or being coerced by MSNBC, it's hard to tell) responded to the accusations as if they were a personal attack, successfully throwing the scent off MSNBC's trail. Doing so was a genius PR move (not on Cramer's part, of course, but for the good of the station). It wasn't easy, as anyone watching could obviously tell, but Cramer bit the bullet.

Another reason I respect Cramer is that he took responsibility. Why anyone would agree to go on the Daily Show and have their professional reputation ripped out of their chest on national TV is beyond me, but Cramer took it on the chin like a champ. The best moment in the interview was when Jon Stewart told him that he should be running an honest, candid show that illuminates the shenanigans going on in the financial world's backrooms, and Cramer immediately responded, "What if I start doing that?"

What if he did? What if all the financial advice shows began siding with the investors? If there ever was a time for transparency, it's yesterday. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with the "new" Jim Cramer, but there's no arguing that the lesson he learned from this situation is one that the entire financial market needs to hear.