TIME's Person of the year: The protester

TIME's Person of the year: The protester

BLITZER: And joining us now, Rick Stengel, the managing editor of "TIME"

 magazine.

Congratulations, Rick. "The Protester," TIME's "Person of the Year." You've

 got some amazing articles, but really amazing pictures in the new issue as well.

Tell us about "The Protester," why "The Protester" is your "Person of the

 Year."

RICK STENGEL, MANAGING EDITOR, "TIME": Wolf, the protester from the

Arab Spring in the Middle East, to Europe and Madrid and Athens, to Occupy

 Wall Street, in America, and now to Russia, these are young men and women,

middle class men and women, people of education who have just had enough,

who have been frustrated. In the Middle East, they've tossed away dictators

in three countries. They are upsetting the entire political agenda, and they're

 bringing a new spirit of democracy and a sense of fairness all around the world.

BLITZER: And they're really changing the world. Not only North Africa and

the Middle East we've seen some dramatic changes, but is it fair to say that

 some of the changes have spilled over here in the United States, Occupy

Wall Street, the Tea Party movement. Which I think preceded the Arab Spring

 if you go back.

STENGEL: Right. No, it's a kind of what social network people call a contagion

 now.

The protest movement spread originally from the Middle East. It spread to

Europe and in America. Occupy Wall Street was both influenced by the Arab

 Spring, and also it was influenced by the Tea Party movement. The Tea Party

 movement did precede that. In some ways, the Tea Party movement was a

reflection of those folks who came out for Barack Obama.

So, it's something that is in the air that people feel fed up with the status quo,

they feel fed up with governments, whether it's an autocracy, like it was in the

 Middle East, or a democracy here in the U.S.

BLITZER: Now, you had some serious challengers to "The Protester" for your "

Person of the Year." Let's go through some of the runners up.

Admiral William McRaven, you call him "The Admiral." He's in charge of Special

 Operations Forces and was in charge of the Navy SEALs who killed Bin Laden.

STENGEL: Right. He is now a seminal figure in the U.S. military. He was in charge

 of SEAL Team 6. He was reporting in to the president that fateful day. But so

much of the American military, as you know, now is led by Special Operations,

and he really is the guru of that.

BLITZER: Ai Weiwei, the Chinese dissident, a lot of our viewers in the United

States may not be familiar. But give us the background.

STENGEL: Well, he's one of the great artists of our time, but he's also a freedom

 fighter. And he's been imprisoned and punished by the Chinese government. And

 he also, for our issue, did a piece of art representing "The Protester" and he did a self-portrait of himself. And in some ways, he complements the whole idea of "

The Protester" this year.

BLITZER: I've got to tell you I was a little surprised Republican Congressman

 Paul Ryan, the chairman of the Budget Committee, you call him "The Prophet."

He made the short list as well.

STENGEL: Yes. I really think Paul Ryan, in so many ways, has influenced the

debate this year not only in the Republican Party, but in American politics in

general.

He came out with an early plan for deficit reduction. In some ways, he took that

 issue off the table from the president. And I think so much of the template that

 he has set up is the discussion we've been having all year long and will have all

 next year.

BLITZER: Now, before I mention the next runner up, remind our viewer what

the definition of the "Person of the Year," the criteria to qualify for "Person of

 the Year" is.

STENGEL: The person who has most influenced the news during the past year

 for better or for worse.

BLITZER: All right. Kate Middleton is a runner up. Help us appreciate that.

STENGEL: Well, Kate Middleton was the darling of almost the entire world, and

 she's not only a style setter, but I would argue that she's given a new dignity

to royalty and kind of a new representation of royalty. And, of course, she herself

 is not royal. She is a commoner. So she captivated everybody's fancy this year.

BLITZER: It's a great issue.

"The Protester," TIME's "Person of the Year."

Rick Stengel, thanks very much for joining us.

STENGEL: Thank you, Wolf.