Senate Democrats are circulating a letter urging President Barack Obama to appoint Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors vice chairman, to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the central bank.

美国民主党参议员们正在传播一封信，要求总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)任命美国联邦储备委员会(Federal Reserve Board of Governors)副主席耶伦(Janet Yellen)接替贝南克(Ben Bernanke)担任美联储主席。

The letter has been signed by roughly a third of the 54 Democratic and allied senators, Senate aides said. While the full list of signatories couldn't be learned, it appeared largely to represent the liberal wing of the Democratic caucus.

参议院助理们说，54位民主党参议员以及联合议员已经有三分之一的人在这封信上签了名。虽然无法得知全部签名者的名单，但看上去基本上代表了民主党骨干中的自由派阵营。

The letter supports Ms. Yellen, said people who have seen it, and doesn't mention Lawrence Summers, a former Treasury secretary who is considered the other leading candidate for the Fed post. Some Democrats said they signed because of concerns about Mr. Summers's views on financial regulation, rather than on monetary policy.

据看过这封信的人士说，信的内容是支持耶伦，没有提及萨默斯(Lawrence Summers)。萨默斯曾任美国财长，被认为是竞争美联储主席的另一个有力的候选人。一些民主党人说，他们签名的原因是担心萨默斯对于金融监管的观点，而非其货币政策观点。

'There's a lot of concern among a lot of Democrats about an appointment of Larry Summers to that long-term position as Fed chairman,' said Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa), who signed the letter. 'He was one of the architects of getting rid of Glass-Steagall, of getting rid of other regulations.'

在信上签了名的艾奥瓦州民主党参议员哈金(Tom Harkin)说，许多民主党人都非常担心萨默斯被任命为美联储主席这样一个长期职位。他是撤销《格拉斯-斯蒂格尔法案》(Glass-Steagall Act)以及其他监管措施的策划者之一。

Glass-Steagall was the Depression-era law that required the separation of commercial and investment banks. It was repealed in 1999, when Mr. Summers was serving as President Bill Clinton's Treasury secretary, sparking significant consolidation in the banking industry. Some observers cite Glass-Steagall's repeal as a factor behind the financial crisis.

《格拉斯-斯蒂格尔法案》是大萧条时期的法律，要求将商业银行和投资银行的业务分开。该法案于1999年被废止，引发了银行业的大规模整合，当时萨默斯正任克林顿政府财长。一些观察人士认为该法案的废止是引发金融危机的一个因素。

'I can't find any support for Larry Summers on the Democratic side of the aisle,' Mr. Harkin said.

哈金说，民主党这边没有任何人支持萨默斯。

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) said she had signed the letter, as did Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine, who described Ms. Yellen as an 'excellent candidate'' with 'a strong track record.''

加州民主党参议员费恩斯坦(Dianne Feinstein)说，她已经在信上签名。缅因州的独立参议员金(Angus King)也在信上签了名，他说耶伦是一位杰出的候选人，有着非常好的过往表现。

Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), the assistant majority leader, also confirmed the existence of the letter and said he also had signed it. He said the letter was being circulated by Sen. Sherrod Brown, a liberal Democrat from Ohio.

伊利诺伊州民主党参议员、多数党党鞭助理德宾(Dick Durbin)也证实有这样一封信，并说他也签署了这封信。他说，这封信是由俄亥俄州自由派民主党参议员布朗(Sherrod Brown)牵头的。

'I've read some things about her views on the role of Federal Reserve, and I think they're pretty close to what I'd like to see,' Mr. Durbin said of Ms. Yellen.

德宾说起耶伦时说：我看过一些有关她对于美联储职责看法的材料，我认为她的看法与我希望看到的相当接近。

Mr. Brown's office wouldn't confirm the existence of the letter, and a copy of the letter couldn't be obtained.

布朗的办公室没有确认有这样一封信，记者也无法获得这封信的副本。

In another boost for Ms. Yellen, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said in an interview with Bloomberg television, due to air this weekend, that while both Mr. Summers and Ms. Yellen were well qualified, 'it would be great to have a woman'' nominated to the post. If nominated and confirmed, Ms. Yellen would be the first female Fed chief.

加州民主党众议员、众议院民主党领袖佩洛西(Nancy Pelosi)在接受彭博(Bloomberg)电视采访时说，虽然萨默斯和耶伦都符合条件，但有一位女士被提名担任这个职位将是好事。该访谈定于本周末播出，这也是耶伦获得的又一个重大支持。如果获得提名并得以确认，耶伦将会是美联储首位女性主席。

Mr. Obama is almost certain to need the votes of most Senate Democrats to back whomever he ultimately nominates to the key economic post.

无论奥巴马最终选择谁担任这一重要经济职位，他都需要大多数民主党参议员的投票支持，这一点几乎是确定无疑的。