Customer Reviews

Charlie Rose - Warren Buffett (October 1, 2008)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We are in the middle of the most serious economic crisis since the Depression. Charlie Rose brings on the man who is arguably the most successful business- person in America, the richest man in the world on the Fortune list of 2007. Buffett comes after a day in which he has made special deals with Goldman,Sachs, and GE buying into them and receiving preferential stock. He reportedly had a cash hoard of thirty billion dollars and is ready to pick up the bargains available at present market prices. However there is also an element of his wanting to support American business, including GE which is one of the great flagships. Nonetheless Buffett's personal considerations his career as investor are not at the heart of this interview.
Instead Buffett gives a lesson on the Economy and the Crisis it is in.. He talks about the present crisis, explaining the real-estate bubble, the credit- crunch and the need for passing the bailout package. He describes the Economy by likening it to a patient who has just had a serious heart attack. The patient demands immediate treatment. So he says the bailout package must be passed immediately. This is to keep the credit markets open for without them the capitalist economy cannot work and run.
Buffett speaks with encouragement about the American economy, its flexibility, its greatness. He does some boosterism, in a very patriotic way. He is trying to restore peoples' confidence and get them moving economically again.
He in the course of this displays a generosity of spirit, and says what is important is that all the world prosper, and the growth of the Chinese economy is seen by him as positive.
His thought seems confined to the economic, and not really move into the political realm. And this when it is mentioned in the course of the interview that he supports Obama.
Buffett does recognize the current balance problem the fact that each day America spends two billion dollars more than it sells to the world. This means America is slowly being bought up by those outside America. But his emphasis is on the strength and power of the American economy. He points out that incomes have risen to seven times in his lifetime.
However Buffett does seem troubled about the prospect of Inflation in the near future. So despite the joviality in the discussion( A joviality which seems at times a bit overdone , considering the circumstances) there is a certain worry projected through and by the whole interview. And this when the great knowledge and success of Buffet do also give throughout the interview, a sense that he really knows what he is talking about, and that the great American economy will continue to roll on, if not as unregulated and confident, as before.