Time Names Bernanke "Person of the Year"

(CBS/ AP)  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has been named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2009.

House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was a finalist for the award.

"The recession was the story of the year. Without Ben Bernanke," Time managing editor Richard Stengel said in a statement, "it would have been a lot worse."

CBS News Special Report: Year in Review

"We've rarely had such a perfect revision of the cliche that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Bernanke didn't just learn from history; he wrote it himself and was damned if he was going to repeat it."

Last year's winner was then-President-elect Barack Obama. The 2007 winner was Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Other previous winners have included Bono, President George W. Bush, and Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos.

[cbsblogger]

Yeah the Federal Reserve has been good at helping Wall Street and those rich bankers who caused the collapse that cost retirements and foreclosures for millions.

[billpl-2009]

"House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was a finalist for the award."

...excuse me while I puke

has this country really gotten that bad?

[SamTCat]

Oh shoot - sorry for the double post. I thought they fixed that!

[rykatspop]

This is almost comical if it wasn't so insulting. Is it really possible that no one else is more worthy than a guardian of the evil empire of banking? Who was the runner up, Sarah Palin? Apple's Steve Jobs has done more to sustain our economy through retail, technology and innovation, than this guy. Granted, Jobs is all about the money too, but at least you're getting something for it--even if overpriced.

[SamTCat]

I love that idea - they should have named person of the year America's innovators (big and small). That would have been very inspiring.

Time really missed the boat on that one - so out of touch.

[bradkt1]

Better than Nancy Pelosi. She was a finalist, too....why, I have no idea.

[quarktoo]

Maybe because the media is controlled by 7 Jews and Pelosi and Bernanki are Jews. In fact, Obama's mother was Jew so by Jewish law Obama is a Jew and nobody has done more to give the Jews that own the central banks in the US more than... well... the Jews.

Anyone see a pattern here? CBS censors this type of factual information by banning anyone that points it out but then CBS is owned by the Jews.

Where did they get the money to buy nearly everything in the US?

[bradkt1]

Quarktoo:

This may be a free country, but if you want to spew your anti-semitism, do it somewhere else. Decent people don't need to be associated with your nonsense.

[SamTCat]

All Bernanke did was keep interest rates low and print money - that's Econ 101.

I don't think powerful people should be given accolades just for being powerful unless you can prove that they've actually done something noteworthy to demonstrate that they're exceptional in comparison to their peers. Because when the decision on whether or not to raise or lower interest rates was actually an issue (unlike it is now) because of the housing bubble, Bernanke decided to keep interest rates low and may have actually CAUSED this recession in the first place.

The difference between low-interest-rate-Bernanke pre-crash and low-interest-rate-Bernanke post-crash is that there's a different fiscal policy in place. If Time wanted to honor the most powerful person that's affected the economy, that would be President Obama.

I grew up thinking Time was such a great magazine for making people think - and I could swear that it used to be. Not it seems like they're so desperate to sell magazines, that they deliberately chose to reward somebody less obvious just to generate buzz.

Lame!

This isn't very popular to admit, but I still think President Obama's doing a great job in the big picture - as in, could anybody else in his shoes do a better job? Tough circumstances.

[bubbadubba]

All I can say about Bernanke being person of the year is....
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Time is such a joke.
Well to the wealthy that control the media I guess Bernanke is their hero since he has made sure all of our money was transferred to the wealthy and that they continue to give us the shaft and take over the country.
One Senator has Bernanke pegged for what he is but that one vote will not keep Bernanke from being re-appointed to continue the plan to give our country to the wealthy and make us slaves.

[th9876]

Bernanke is man of the year and Tiger Woods is athelete of the decade. . . seems you have to be a low life to win awards in this country.

[infantryman1968]

Time Names Bernanke "Person of the Year"
Federal Reserve Chairman Chosen on Heels of Historic U.S. Economic Meltdown

does Obama know about this yet?

[lovegetspeace]

Folks,

Finally, Oh my god, I can sleep in peace. They did not pick Sarah Palin.

[stn_sage]

SHE would have been a better selection than Bernanke...and I'm not a Palin supporter, either! So, the standard was pretty low this year!

[bubbadubba]

I'm thinking Palin in a skimpy bikini, I would not mind if they picked her and put that picture on the cover I might even buy the magazine.
Hey as a normal man I can't help noticing that Palin is not bad looking and would look great in a bikini but as far as her having a brain, that is doubtful.
Yea, I guess Palin would not have been as idiotic as Berananke but idiotic none the less.