"I thank him for a job well done, and I believe history will remember his chairmanship kindly."
-Tim Johnson (D., S.D.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee
On Friday Ben Bernanke rode off into the sunset, however, his legacy will still be up in the air for the foreseeable future. Even though, he leaves the office at the time Americans are split when assessing his achievements, he definitely deserves our appreciation.
A poll, conducted by Gallup, showed that around 40% of Americans approve the way "Helicopter" Ben handled his job as Fed's Chairman. At the same time, 35% disapproves him, while 25% or respondents refused to provide any opinion on the matter. Bernanke's predecessor, Alan Greenspan, was more popular when he stepped down in 2006, with 65% of population supporting him, while only 21% disapproved Greenspan. When speaking about political parties, Democrats, Republicans and even independents all supported Greenspan, while Democrats only praise Bernanke's work at the Fed.
The ultimate judgement of Bernanke's tenure is not in yet. While some blame Ben for creating a risk of another asset bubble, and some mention still weak inflationary pressure even despite trillions of dollars being injected into the economy, other experts believe the decision to keep interest rates at zero and pushing cash injections into the economy accomplished his goal of avoiding a repeat of another Great Recession.
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