Rep. Hodes on Bernanke: Supporting Him ‘So Far’

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: With Democratic support slipping for Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s re-confirmation, we asked Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., who’s running for Senate in New Hampshire, whether he continues to support Bernanke. On ABC’s “Top Line” today, Hodes, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, at first pointed out that he won’t have to make that vote, since he wouldn’t be in the Senate until the matter is resolved. “I’m not going to be able to take that vote,” he told us. “I will tell you that there are a number of people who have advanced policies which have favored Wall Street. We need to pay attention to what regular people are going through.” We asked whether Bernanke is among those people who have “favored Wall Street.” “Well, he — you know, in the run-up he had a really tough time. I don’t think he saw what was coming and he probably should have. Since that time some people have favored what he’s done because they’ve said it saved us from a depression. But what we’ve gotta do is look forward and make sure that we are connected, and that’s what I’m doing every day. I want people in New Hampshire to know that I care about their jobs and fiscal responsibility and I think that folks ought to pay a lot more attention to what’s going on around kitchen tables and not what’s going on around the boardroom in Wall Street.” We pressed further: Yes or no on Bernanke? “So far, I’ve supported Mr. Bernanke,” Hodes said. It’s a sentiment worth watching. Hodes is banking on an economic populist message in his campaign; he’s already using President Obama’s proposed bank tax to blast his potential GOP opponents. To watch our full discussion with Hodes, click HERE.