Blunt, Carnahan agree: Bernanke must go

Dave Catanese hit the ground running with his new job at Politico. Today he posted a story quoting the two lead candidates for U. S. Senate, Robin Carnahan and Roy Blunt as saying it was time that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke exited stage right:

“Roy Blunt would not support his confirmation and has so stated to voters in Missouri when asked in his extensive, high-energy travels across our state,” Blunt campaign spokesman Rich Chrismer told POLITICO Wednesday.

But his likely Democratic opponent Robin Carnahan attempted to pin blame for the financial crisis on Blunt himself.

“Just like folks in Missouri, Mr. Bernanke – and everyone in Washington – should be judged on their job performance,” Carnahan said in a statement.

“But let’s be honest: Washington insiders, led by Congressman Roy Blunt, are the ones who spent us from a surplus to a trillion-plus dollar deficit, repealed regulations that led to the meltdown of the financial markets and then bailed out the big banks; so Washington needs a lot of change,” she added.

While Carnahan signaled she would also oppose Bernanke, her wording was less explicit.

“Someone working for a company who had that track record would probably be fired - or at least not given a new contract. Washington should take this opportunity to get some new leadership committed to setting a course that will protect Americans and our economy from the abuses of the past — and that means demanding more accountability and transparency across the board in our financial system,” Carnahan said.