This is just awesome news.

Vice President Elect Joe Biden has picked Jared Bernstein to be his economic adviser.

Bernstein is from the Economic Policy Institute a Labor Centric Think Tank.

Of course having Bernstein be Obama's economic adviser would assuredly be better but something is better than nothing!

I honestly don't know what kind of influence he can have being on the VP team but at least he's got his foot through the White House Door and we sorely need Economists who are focused on working America, the middle class.

Finally Bernstein is just plain smart as hell. I've never seen him write or speak economic fiction.

Jared Bernstein, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, will serve as the chief economic adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden, providing a strong advocate for workers in the White House.

Biden announced the appointment today, calling Bernstein "an acclaimed economist, and a proven, passionate advocate for raising the incomes of middle class families." He will serve in a new position called Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser.

"His expertise and background in a wide range of domestic and international economic policies will be an invaluable asset to the Obama-Biden Administration," Biden said in a statement. "It's an honor to have him on my team and I look forward to his advice and
counsel."

Bernstein is a well-known skeptic on free trade and has worked for years as a senior official at EPI, a labor-funded think tank which advocates for low and middle-income workers.