U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) sent out press release today saying she would vote to reconfirm Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke.

Bernanke's reconfirmation—he's been accused of failing to see the financial collapse coming and fueling it with naive lax oversight—has become a politically hot issue as President Obama, who supports the reconifirmation, and the Democrats try to navigate populist anger about the economy.

It's not surprising that Sen. Murray would vote to reconfirm. She has voted the status quo on President Obama's Wall Street program—as opposed  to her colleague Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who has been an outspoken critic.



Here is Sen. Murray's statement:

“The concern across our state and nation about the pace of our recovery is understandable.  I share that concern.  I have shared it with Ben Bernanke directly.  I told him I expect accountability and transparency from the Fed and a commitment to put the needs of American consumers ahead of Wall Street banks.  And while I hope to see a shakeup in the Administration’s economic policies and a true push for reform on Wall Street, I will vote to reconfirm Ben Bernanke because we need his experience to help maintain the stability of our financial systems in this challenging time.”

We're still waiting on Sen. Catwell's Bernanke decision.

The New York Times published an opinion piece today calling on the Senate to reconfirm. Populist liberals like Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have announced they will vote against Bernanke.