Well, maybe this audience will be more informed:
After his semi-annual testimony in front of Congress — with notably uninformed commentary from House and Senate members — the Fed chief tries a new tact, taking it to the public.
Excerpt:
“The Federal Reserve chairman is in Kansas City, Mo., for a town-hall forum hosted by The NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer. The taped program will appear this week on PBS stations. But we’re here at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to bring it to you live on Real Time Economics.
It’s pretty good timing for Mr. Bernanke. He has six months and five days left in his four-year term as chairman. In the coming months, President Obama will decide whether to reappoint Mr. Bernanke or choose someone else (that is, someone with Democratic credentials) to lead the central bank.
The Fed chairman’s public standing is bruised from the deep recession and his decisions ahead of it. At the same time, the Fed is under attack from a growing number of lawmakers who want the central bank’s power reined in after its extraordinary actions to keep the economy from falling into another depression. So the former professor has spent this year moving beyond the Fed’s usual forums. He appeared before the National Press Club in February, sat down for a lengthy “60 Minutes” piece in March and lectured at Morehouse College in April to explain his actions and show he’s not afraid to take on public criticism.”
This is obviously part of his re-election campaign.
The full forum will be aired on the PBS NewsHour during the week of July 27.
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Sources:
Bernanke Live: Fed Chairman Faces PBS Viewers
Sudeep Reddy
Real Time Economics JULY 26, 2009
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/07/26/bernanke-live-fed-chairman-faces-pbs-viewers/
Bernanke on the Record
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/insider/
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