This morning on the local NPR radio show Where We Live, Richard Blumenthal laid a velvet-gloved smack down on Ben Bernanke and pushed for financial refoms:
"I have immense respect for Chairman Bernanke, but my my feeling is that we need some new leadership at the federal reserve. He has opposed some of the financial regulatory reforms that the President himself has supported. I have supported creating a consumer finance protection agency that would, in effect, provide safeguards for consumers against some of the deceptive and risky loans that again, were at the core of our economic problems and the meltdown that occured. The chairman has opposed a number of reforms that I feel are necessary."
...but wait, there's more...
"The chairmen of the federal reserve have come from the culture and profession that really embodies Wall Street. And Wall Street can do many great things...provide exchanges where people’s money can buy stock in good companies, and they can provide liquidity to the nation’s financial system, and talent to run our corporations. But the kind of bailouts that we gave, and the lack of sufficient oversight against the bonuses, and some of the now repeated excesses I think is something that the federal reserve has to be held accountable for doing."
You can find WNPR's write up of these comments here: http://whereweblog.wordpress.com/... .
Meanwhile, the Hartford Courant covers Blumenthal's comments on the recent Supreme Court corporate give away decision on campaign finance reform:
"This split Supreme Court decision is sadly historic -- threatening to drown the voices of ordinary citizens during elections with a flood of unlimited corporate spending. Fortunately, it has no effect on the pending challenge to Connecticut's campaign finance law, now pending before the court of appeals,'' Blumenthal said.
"This decision will further entrench and empower special interests against reform and change in Washington that citizens deserve and demand.''
Blumenthal continued, "It rips apart restraints against powerful, money-rich corporations that will overpower, overwhelm and undermine the people's voice. For decades, our country has allowed healthy limitations against unregulated flow of corporate or union support of candidates for public office.
link: http://blogs.courant.com/...
The entire WNPR interview is here: http://www.cpbn.org/...
In other news, Joe "Low-Approval-Ratings" Lieberman just isn't sure whether or not he's comfortable backing someone like Richard Blumenthal for the US Senate:
Lieberman, an independent, tells WTNH-TV that "it’s possible" he could throw his support for a Republican, even though he has "high regard" for Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic front-runner in the race.
link: http://www.bostonherald.com/...
Say it ain't so, Joe.
Actually, considering Lieberman's dwindling job approval numbers and his recent and full throated support of Big Health Insurance, maybe not having Joe's support is a good thing for the Blumenthal campaign.
P.S. Blumenthal's front page is up on his website: http://www.richardblumenthal.com/ . Just the front page right now, but I'd expect it to be added to in the days ahead.