July 14, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Former Nashville Congressman Bob Clement was the keynote speaker at Saturday’s DeKalb County Democratic Party Get Out the Vote Rally and Pot Luck Lunch held at the county complex.
Prior to his speech, Clement spoke with WJLE and talked about the 2018 elections and the Democrats chances at the state level.
“I think we have a real good chance. Phil Bredesen, who is running for the U.S. Senate and Karl Dean, who is in the race for Governor, are exceptionally good candidates. They are very qualified and have a lot of experience,” he said.
Many Democratic candidates, Clement said have had a hard time getting their message across in previous campaigns and that needs to change this year.
“It’s not easy these days for a Democrat. A Democrat often starts out behind and you’re an underdog the first day. You really have to fight hard to overcome the deficit to get ahead. I don’t think the Democrats have done a very good job getting their message across. That needs to change. We do have a big umbrella with conservative, moderate, and liberal Democrats and we need to unite after the primary and make some good things happen. I really believe the candidates need to spend some time and attention on rural needs and rural concerns. If we do that I think we will have a winning year in 2018,” Clement continued.
The former Congressman said he enjoyed his years in public life and felt like he helped make a difference.
“I miss being in the political arena. I always felt like I had a special gift when it comes to working with people to solve problems and break through the bureaucracy to get things done. Even as a Congressman I always attacked the issue. I never attacked my fellow colleagues, Democrat or Republican. I always tried to build bridges,” he said.
Clement said while he has considered getting back into politics, he is currently involved with a group working toward campaign spending reform.
“I have been tempted several times to get back into politics but they have about priced me out of the market. It has gotten so expensive. A lot of these characters try to buy the election rather than earn it. I am part of a group in Washington D.C. called “Issue One” and what we are trying to do is place a limit on campaign spending. I consider it to be a threat to our democracy. A lot of good qualified people are not running for public office anymore because they don’t have the money and feel like they can’t compete. It used to be if you had a good message and could articulate that message, organize, shake enough hands, and make enough speeches, you won elections. Now it’s how big your check book is. We’ve got our priorities out of order,” he said.
Clement represented Cheatham, Dickson and Davidson Counties in Washington as Congressman from 1987 to 2002. He served in the National Guard from 1969 to 1971, and remained in the reserves until 2001. In 1978 he ran unsuccessfully for Governor in the Democratic Primary but later served on the TVA Board of Directors and was elected to the Tennessee Public Service Commission. He came on as President of Cumberland University in 1983. Clement lost his first bid for a Congressional seat in 1982 but was elected to the U.S House of Representatives in 1988. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 2002 and ended his career in politics after a narrow loss to Karl Dean for the office Mayor of Nashville in 2007. He is now a business consultant. His father is the late Tennessee Governor Frank Clement.
Clement co-authored a book, “Presidents, Kings and Convicts: My Journey from the Tennessee Governor’s Residence to the Halls of Congress,” which was published in October 2016. The book chronicles Clement’s years of being in Congress, serving in the military, and being President of Cumberland University.
“The book is about my life and career and growing up in the Governor’s residence but then I get heavy into US policy, the US Congress, and politics. I wanted to tell a story about my life and career and what I accomplished and the challenges ahead for this country and world,” Clement concluded.
While Democrats were conducting their rally at the county complex Saturday, the DeKalb County Republican Party held their own Get-Out the Vote rally with a picnic at Greenbrook Park featuring remarks from local and state candidates.