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[Beginning of
Cramer's
verbatim
comments for
this segment...]
Jim:
Today, I heard
it all... today,
I heard an
attack on Ben
Bernanke's
integrity. Some
congressman,
Darryl Issa,
suggested that
Fed Chairman
basically
engaged in a
cover up and, I
quote,
"deliberately
hid concerns and
pertinent
details of the
Bank of America,
Merrill Lynch
deal."
I think the
implication of
this
congressman's
charges, that
Ben Bernanke
made an offer to
Ken Lewis (CEO
of Bank of
America)... that
he couldn't
refuse... that
he had to buy
Merrill no
matter what...
Ben Bernanke is
someone who
strong armed Ken
Lewis into
buying a bank
that Ken Lewis
at Bank of
America had
coveted for
years? What are
we going to hear
next? That Ben
Bernanke put a
horse head in
Lewis' bed?...
Did Bernanke
treat Lewis like
he was Hyman
Roth?...
Bernanke, leave
the gun... take
the cannoli.
I am appalled at
this charge...
I know, I
criticized Ben
Bernanke for not
cutting rates
quickly... Come
on, that's a
YouTube thing...
"They Know
Nothing!"...
That's when I
ranted and raved
about how bad
things really
were back in
2007... I know
Bernanke totally
dismissed my
idea that he
would need to
buy mortgage
bonds a year
ago. I think he
thought I was
nuts... Ha,
ha... get in
line.
Well now,
Bernanke's
bought back more
bonds than I
ever thought
possible... No
one... no one in
this country
criticized
Bernanke harder,
and more often,
than I did... I
mean, come on...
But not once,
not once did I
ever criticize
this man's
integrity,
because it's
ludicrous! This
man is
completely and
utterly
incapable of
doing what Issa
described...
I cannot believe
that anyone -
even a
congressman -
would level such
a serious charge
at Bernanke.
When you think
of a cover up
charge, and
you're in
congress, you're
saying that
Bernanke belongs
with the
Watergate
burglars in the
Nixon White
House.
Look, we were in
a tough moment.
Ken Lewis wanted
Merrill Lynch.
How much simpler
could it get
than that? He
wanted Merrill
Lynch. I'll
repeat that...
he wanted
Merrill Lynch!
There was no
gun, nor a
cannoli, to
Lewis' head!
Why does all of
this matter to
you? Why do I
even care? Am I
some sort of
moralizer?...
Because Issa's
charge that
Bernanke didn't
just play
politics, but
treated Ken
Lewis like
Michael Corleone
treated Senator
Geary... is
nuts. It's
preposterous.
Ben Bernanke is
the single-most
honest and
independent man
I've come across
in 30 years on
Wall Street...
Of course, he
wasn't from Wall
Street... he is
from Dillon,
South
Carolina...
The charge will
be proven
baseless even,
as you listen to
Issa, you
probably expect
that Bernanke
said to Lewis,
"you have my
answer now"...
or, if you like
"my final offer
is this...
nothing"... not
even the merger
fees for the
deal.
It's pretty
clear then that,
if Issa presses
his case
though... If he
doesn't turn
around and say,
look, I didn't
mean to imply
that Bernanke
put a gun to the
head of Lewis...
or a horse in
the bed of Lewis
for that
matter... then
the man who
rescued this
market is going
to be tarnished,
and we need this
guy.
The charge is
outrageous, but
the chances of
Ben Bernanke
being
re-appointed in
January could be
dashed, if Issa
presses this
ridiculous
attack.
The man who
navigated us out
of the second
Great
Depression, when
all of us were
scurrying for
cover... the man
who saved this
market... he
could be
history? And for
what? For a
ridiculous
charge of cover
up like he's
Nixon
himself?...
Alright, let's
be clear about
what this meant
today...
The baseless
charges of Issa
came out right
when the Fed
made its move,
which left us in
a situation
where stocks
could have
resumed their
upward climb,
because there
was a statement
which said we're
okay... we're
actually getting
a little bit
better... We're
going to stay
vigilant...
maybe things
aren't that bad.
Hey, it was all
the things that
you wanted to
hear... it was
all the things
that would have
sent the market
up... but it
came right at
the time of this
charge.
And, by the way,
in the absence
of Issa's
ridiculous
accusations, I
think we could
have had a great
rally,
predicated on
Oracle's
terrific
quarter...
terrific
quarter...
something you
would have never
guessed, if you
read a headline
like this one...
This is a major
paper... "Tech
Slump Finally
Catches
Oracle"...
Um, okay...
Oracle's
quarter, of
course, was a
barn burner,
with great
growth... much
better than
expected... an
amazing return
to a much better
business. By the
way, it is
what's known as
the enterprise,
the
corporation...
which is now
spending on
information
technology
again... a huge,
huge change...
Tech slump
didn't catch
Oracle... Oops,
that's my
rewrite... It
moved
the Nasdaq
up more than a
percent and a
half... yet,
neither the Wall
Street Journal's
misdirected
Oracle story,
nor even Issa's
malicious slur,
could hurt the
Nasdaq...
I was laughing,
because I
actually had to
go listen to the
conference
call... and it
was like the
greatest
quarter. I
couldn't believe
it... and I pick
up (The Wall
Street Journal,
which
headlined...)
"Tech Slump
Finally Catches
Oracle"... uh...
You must realize
that, in this
market, it's all
about, "In
Bernanke, we
trust"... It
ain't about "Bengate!"
Will you give me
a break?...
Does Issa think
that Bernanke's
part of the same
political
hypocrisy that
he is?... I've
got news for
him... It's not
Nixon, it's not
Watergate, it's
not Corleone,
not Godfather...
It's about a man
who is the
single-most
important, least
political, and
most honest guy
in the
government
today... someone
who is doing his
best to save
this economy,
and I can't
stand by on Mad
Money without
defending this
Fed Chairman,
and wondering...
as Joseph Welch
said about a
different
smearing
politician,
Senator Joe
McCarthy...
Mr. Issa, have
you no sense of
decency sir?...
Because, if you
do, you will
recognize the
gravity of the
charge, and
understand that
Ben Bernanke is
a great man who
deserves
better...
As Welch
continued, "Let
us not
assassinate"...
Well, my own
paraphrase...
"Let us not
assassinate this
Fed Chairman
further, Darryl
Issa. You've
done enough."
The bottom
line...
▼ ▼
▼ ▼
▼
The
Bottom Line!:
Ben Bernanke should
be regarded as a
hero, and this is
from one of his
biggest critics at a
time... not a
borderline crook.
And anything that
derails his chances
from being
reappointed in
January as Fed
Chairman, will
indeed derail this
stock market.
[verbatim recap]
[end of segment]
Read Jim's next Segment
here
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