During his time as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke failed to identify, prevent and adequately respond to the financial crisis. This week, the Senate will vote on whether to reconfirm Ben Bernanke to a second, four-year term as chair of the Federal Reserve.
The Senate should not confirm Bernanke without:
Demanding a job plan from the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is required by law to work to achieve full employment in America. However, even as he gave two trillion dollars to Wall Street, Ben Bernanke says there is nothing he can do for Main Street.
Launching a comprehensive investigation into the Fed's role in the bailout of insurance giant A.I.G. and the big banks. Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of billions for AIG; big banks got paid off dollar for dollar. How does that make sense?
Requiring an audit of the Fed. Trillions were used to backstop American and foreign financial institutions. What were the terms? Who got helped and who got shafted and why? The Fed can't commit literally trillions with no accountability whatsoever.
Demanding a detailed admission of responsibility from Bernanke showing he understands how he missed the housing bubble, and how he will change his approach to managing the economy.
Probing Bernanke's views on reform. Bernanke has opposed the administration's reform package, including the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, crucial to protecting consumers from credit card and bank abuse.
Is your Senator going to vote this week to re-appoint Ben Bernanke to run the Federal Reserve, without demanding any accountability for actions before and during the financial crisis?
You can find out TODAY by joining the "Bernanke Whip Count!"
Campaign for America's Future is partnering with OpenLeft.com on the "Bernanke Whip Count," finding out who is blindly supporting the Fed Chairman, so we can maximize grassroots pressure for accountability.
In the extended entry, you will find a list of all 100 Senators, and the phone numbers for their Washington, D.C. offices. Call your Senators and find out where they stand on Ben Bernanke. If your Senators have already made their position clear, you can call other Senators, too.
When you get a response from an office, either post a comment or email me at christopher_j_bowers@yahoo.com, and I will update the chart.
Call your Senators now! A complete list of phone numbers can be found in the extended entry.
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