Naysayers

30 Voted Against Bernanke

Opposition disapproved of bailouts.

Despite early talk that Ben Bernanke's reconfirmation was in peril, the Fed chairman squeezed through the Senate vote Thursday. The 30 senators in opposition included Republican Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who said, "A vote for Ben Bernanke is a vote for bailouts," and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who accused Bernanke of not applying the same urgency of bailing out Wall Street to helping Main Street. Others said their 'no' vote was meant to show their disapproval of the chairman's term and the notion of "too big to fail." Bernanke's naysayers said they hope that their strength of opposition will compel the Fed to "conduct itself at a better level, at a higher level, than in the past."