Time’s Person of the Year: Who will it be?
Iranian voters
Uninsured Americans
Steve Jobs (AAPL)
Michelle Obama
Nancy Pelosi
Google (GOOG)
The Taliban
Warren Buffett (BRKA)
Last evening, I sat in the audience here at Manhattan’s Time & Life Building (where Fortune is based) and watched a bunch of brainy, well-connected people help Time Managing Editor Rick Stengel decide who should be Time’s 2009 Person of the Year. The list above belongs to Barbara Walters, who came prepared and kicked off a lively discussion. At a dinner party earlier this week, Walters explained to last night’s audience of editors and advertisers, she went around the table and asked each guest, “Who do you think will be Time’s Person of the Year?”
So it went last evening as Stengel asked his guests the same question. Rudy Giuliani–Time’s Person of the Year in 2001–brought his own list too. On the former New York mayor’s menu of possibilities: General David Petraeus, Derek Jeter, Rush Limbaugh, Ben Bernanke, Sonia Sotomayor, Nancy Pelosi.
Gayle King and Dr. Mehmet Oz had another idea entirely–not a person but rather, a thing: Twitter. Said King: “Twitter feels very 2009 to me.”
Maybe. Time ’s criteria for Person of the Year is whoever or whatever most affected the events of the year, for better or for worse. So, who (or what) is your No. 1 choice for Time’s 2009 Person of the Year?
Although his influence has not exactly been positive, you honestly would have to make a case for Glenn Beck. If the anti-Obama backlash is the trend of the year, he’s the leader.
Yeah I’m sorry, what exactly has the First Lady done?!?
Definitely NOT a politician, they seem to get more incompetent and moronic as the years go by.
My choice would be Warren Buffett or Steve Jobs.
While I do think Steve Jobs would not be a bad choice (I use to work for him). I think this year it would recommend people look at Erik Buell. After 26 years, Harley Davidson decided to shut down the company he started. But this year has been a banner year for this American motorcycle company. They introduced truly innovative products and beat foreign motorcycles on the racing circuit, all while continuing to try to expand the American dream and American manufacturing, something that hasn’t been seen in the motorcycle sector in a long time. While HD has shut down his company, you can be sure he hasn’t stopped designing things, he’ll be back, and that’s what the American dream is all about.
It should be the greatest fighter of all time – Manny Pacquiao!
Person of the Year:
Barack Obama: He along with his staff, including Tim Geitner, SAVED CAPITALISM FROM DEMISE.
1234567 twitter is 2009!
John Ca.
Johnsnow75@live.com
snowjohn75@yahoo.com
Johnsnow75@gmail.com
Susan Boyle…what the world needs now…and also it’s confirmation of Time’s previous and prescient “YOU” Tube person of the year…a nod to global connections.
There’s really no contest. President Obama has turned the whole nation on a dime. And while some will argue that the direction he’s pointed us is wrong, there doesn’t appear much argument that it’s DIFFERENT!
Second place: I’d go with Steve Jobs. Apple has shown the way for business to exit the economic morass: Creativity, quality and sheer old-fashioned cussedness.
Muhammad Yunus and/or the Concept of Social Business
Twitter is “the” 2009 things although Social Networking” in general would be a more appropriate candidate.
My first Choice would be Ben Bernanke, second Choice would be Pres. Obama
Absolutely not Michelle Obama! She hasn’t done a thing!
Tory Burch: Helping women and families in the U.S.Co-founder and creative director of Tory Burch LLC
- Power Point: Heed the ham!
- Ex-White House Press Secretary: Straight talk on careers
- Portraits of Powerful Women
- Career advice in a minute–or 10
- Power Point: Oprah says, “Own yourself”
- Behind Oprah’s next big move
- NBCU’s “Trash TV”: the full view
- Power Point: How to pick a magazine cover
- NBCU gives new meaning to “Trash TV”
- Power Point: To friend or unfriend?
- In relation to Anns comment about sen... More
- As a former employee of vistakon in l... More
- Hope here again! There are more pe... More
- I would like to congratulate Hope for... More
- How about Capt Sully? The pilot on t... More
- Celebrate your advertising campaign! ... More
- Well said Hope.Yes bullying does go o... More
- Im Sure the polish and Ukranian mana... More
- Hello, this is the real Eddie here an... More
- Looking at Jim's retraction. To me it... More
Patricia Sellers has written some of Fortune's most talked-about cover stories, including "Can Meg Whitman Save California?", Melinda Gates ("The $100 Billion Woman"), "MySpace Cowboys," Martha Stewart ("I cannot be destroyed"), Ted Turner ("Gone with the Wind") and Oprah Winfrey ("Oprah Inc."). And she has broken ground with insightful pieces on career management issues such as ego ("Get Over Yourself!"), and "Charisma: Do You Need It? Can You Get It?" Pattie chairs the annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the preeminent gathering of women leaders in business, philanthropy, government, academia, and the arts. And she has helped oversee Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business" cover package since its launch in 1998. She started at Fortune in 1984, covering the big consumer brand companies.
Jessica Shambora started with Fortune as a reporter in June of 2008, following a stint as assistant editor at Travel+Leisure Golf. Shambora has written for Sports Illustrated, SI Latino, Women's Health, and Triathlete. She is a frequent contributor to Postcards. 
How about Capt Sully? The pilot on the Hudson