Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have both turned their sites onto to Federal Reserve and its leader, Ben Bernanke. Both Palin and Gingrich have started taking their shots via Twitter. The 2012 Wannabes are expected to follow suit. Attacks on The Fed, before September 2008, were pretty much confined to the gold bugs, conspiracy theorists, and the financial press.
Post election 2010 much has changed. According to the Huffington Post:
The tea party itself — judging from its 10-point “Contract From America,” at least — did not make the Fed a top concern; they were focused on spending issues.
But the tea party tide also swept in numerous libertarian hard-money types and fellow travelers, a cadre soon to grow. They hate the very idea of the Fed, not to mention Bernanke’s activism in running the place.
Hopefully Benanke will put on earplugs and blinders and do what he has to do. The Fed is an independent agency. Bernanke is appointed. He will not run for election or re-election. And meanwhile, Sarah Palin, the eternally ill-informed candidate who should not have run, continues to be mean as a snake. Maybe she will put a sock in it. I can’t imagine anyone whose advice I would be less likely to take. Palin witch hunts just about everything. She Ben Bashes but offers nothing positive.