The Bernanke vote is different. It is not about Republican and Democrat.
It is a vote on whether a senator is listening to Wall Street or Main Street.
The vote on Bernanke lets us see which side each senator is on.
Nothing in Bernanke's background clued him in to Main Street. He has never met a payroll, never had to get a business loan and spent most of his life hanging in the faculty lounge at Princeton.
It's one thing to write a thesis. It's another to have to live with your decisions, like those of us on Main Street do.
They have a word for people who screw up on Main Street: bankrupt.
They have a word for people who screw up on Wall Street: bailout.
They have a word for people for screw up in Washington: re-appointment.
Thus, Wall Street and Washington is lining up to give Bernanke another shot.
It makes sense to get rid of Bernanke.
You don't rehire a football coach who keeps losing games. Bernanke's term as Federal Reserve Chair is like watching the Cincinnati Bengals for the decade of 1990's. They started in last place and they stayed in last place.
At least the Bengals changed coaches. President Obama needs to do the same at the Federal Reserve.
I would love to see a Federal Reserve Chair who was not a product of the Wall Street-Washington alliance -- someone from the heartland, who doesn't do power lunches at the Four Seasons or hang at the Harvard faculty club.
People are broke, frustrated and angry and want Washington to do something to help them.
The vote on Bernanke is a litmus test. Senators have a chance to show us whether they will continue to suck up to Wall Street or whether to find someone who is listening to the voice of Main Street.
We will be watching our senators and asking, "What side are you on?"
Don McNay, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CSSC is one of the world's leading authorities in helping people deal with "Big Money" issues. McNay is an award winning, syndicated financial columnist and Huffington Post Contributor. You can read more about Don at www.donmcnay.com McNay founded McNay Settlement Group, a structured settlement and financial consulting firm, in 1983 and Kentucky Guardianship Administrators LLC in 2000. You can read more about both at www.mcnay.com McNay has Master's Degrees from Vanderbilt and the American College and is in the Eastern Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni. McNay has written two books. Most recent is Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win The LotteryMcNay is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table and has four professional designations in the financial services field.