February 18, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
Former Governor and Democratic candidate for the United States Senate Phil Bredesen spoke at the DeKalb County Democratic Mass Meeting Saturday in Smithville.
Bredesen said he believes his experience as governor can draw leaders from both sides of the political aisle to work together in Washington.
“What I found in doing some research and in talking with people around the state is that people want to get beyond this standing on opposite sides of the room and shouting at each other and find some ways to move the ball down the field. There are many issues out there. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We can find ways to find compromises to get things done. Whether you are a super strong conservative and a strong supporter of the President or a super liberal on the other side of the spectrum or all in between, it seems to be universal. People are really hungry for that (compromise) and I can tell you in Washington they are not getting it,” said Bredesen.
“When I was Governor I worked really hard to try and make sure things we accomplished had some people from both sides on it to get good majorities out of the Democrats and good majorities out of the Republicans to support the important legislation because then I think it has staying power. That’s one of the things I want to take to Washington,” he continued.
Bredesen said he can help bring solutions on issues including the health care debate.
“Health care is such a huge issue. Everywhere I go in Tennessee it tops the list of things people want to talk about when they identify as problems. There are a lot of practical things that can be done without getting off into all the ideological arguments. It just takes a willingness to work together to make some of those things happen and that’s what I would very much like to bring, said Bredesen.
The former governor said he believes his entry into the race will help Democrats up and down the ballot.
“We have good tickets from top to bottom. One of the advantages of a Senate race like this is there will be a lot of money spent from the outside on voter turnout. That will help me and it will help people up and down the ticket to have that happen. That is one of the benefits I think I can help bring to the entire Democratic ticket as it goes through the months ahead,” said Bredesen.