EPI Senior Economist to be Chief Economic Advisor to Biden

A leading economist who has been a tireless advocate for working families and unions has been appointed by Vice President-elect Joe Biden as his chief economist and economic policy advisor.

Jared Bernstein had been at the Economic Policy Institute for 16 years, reporting and analyzing a wide range of economic developments and their affect on America's middle class and workers.

Bernstein frequently slammed Bush economic policies in articles posted on popular blogs that include Huffington Post and Daily Kos. During the campaign he wrote about why John McCain's wealth and his attitude toward it matters:

"I don't care how much money our president has (though the seven homes thing really does seem beyond the pale given today's housing climate). But I deeply want him or her to understand the economic plight of those with less, and the evidence regarding the policies allegedly designed to help," he wrote last August. "To listen to McCain, and to do so while poring over his policy agenda, really does suggest the dangerous degree to which he's out-of-touch."