“You Might be Right”: Tennessee Governors Talk Bipartisanship

Photo via Georgetown University

JAMES LONG: Former Tennessee Governors Bill Haslam (R) and Phil Bredesen (D) discussed bipartisanship and political civility with Georgetown students at an event titled “You Might Be Right,” hosted by the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative on September 23. 

Since leaving the Governor’s Mansion, Haslam and Bredesen have partnered with the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs to create the You Might Be Right podcast. Continuing the bipartisan legacy of former Senate Majority Leader and Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, the You Might Be Right podcast follows Govs. Haslam and Bredesen in their search for common ground and civil disagreement. At the first signature event for the Georgetown Dialogues Initiative, Govs. Haslam and Bredesen participated in both moderated and unmoderated discussions of bipartisanship, interacted with students and answered questions. 

To start, both Haslam and Bredesen addressed their own party affiliation. “Howard Baker was very clear,” Haslam said, “Bipartisan is not the same as nonpartisan.” In this vein, both men discussed what aligned them with their respective parties. For Bredesen, it was the combination of his background in a working-class family in upstate New York and an education at Harvard and Cambridge that ushered him toward the Democratic Party from a young age. For Haslam, it was a mix of growing up in staunchly conservative East Tennessee, along with a background in his family’s business, Pilot Corporation, that instilled in him fiscally and socially conservative values. While both men reiterated their pride in their respective party affiliation, Haslam issued a warning against the dangers of blind political tribalism: “Be careful that you don’t just follow where your tribe goes,” he insisted. 

Next, the governors shared their differing perspectives on pressing current political issues. On immigration, the two agreed on the need to strike a balance between properly securing the border and maintaining respect for human dignity in the process. On education, Haslam reaffirmed his support for school choice, an initiative that he claimed introduced a much-needed sense of competition to the public school system. His predecessor disagreed, however, and Bredesen argued that the vast differences between school districts in rural and urban areas, particularly in Tennessee, prevent school choice from working in practice. In this unmoderated section of the discussion, the governors provided examples of common ground, but also showcased disagreement while maintaining a high degree of respect for the other’s position. 

In the next portion of the event, the governors were joined onstage by Professor Abigail Marsh, a faculty member in the Georgetown Psychology Department, to discuss the thought processes behind civil disagreements. Prof. Marsh asked the governors about personality traits they believe make disagreeing easier. Both governors suggested that humility is paramount to achieving any form of common ground. “The challenge is to solve the problem, not to beat the other guy,” Haslam claimed. Haslam and Bredesen also emphasized the importance of recognizing that good public servants often have to borrow ideas from the opposite party. Bredesen said that, from his experience as Governor and Mayor of Nashville, the best results are often achieved by “picking and choosing” policies proposed by both parties. Haslam added, “There’s usually a good argument on the other side.” 

Finally, the governors discussed the manners in which they manage respectful disagreements. “You have to see the other person,” Bredesen said, describing how an increasingly digital world has made it far too easy to turn political discourse rancorous. He added an anecdote about the difficulties of campaigning through the extremely rural portions of Tennessee as an Ivy League-educated businessman. Bredesen maintained that this experience of seeing life from the perspective of these voters made him a better governor. Haslam discussed the necessity of keeping conversations constructive and focusing on incremental change. “I’ve never argued somebody into believing what I believe,” he added, citing the arduous process of passing transportation infrastructure reform as governor. 

Governors Haslam and Bredesen provided a promising glimpse of how healthy bipartisan discussion can lead to tangible solutions without ruining relationships. In a political atmosphere as bitterly divisive as today’s, seeing the two former governors on stage, Republican and Democrat, willing to engage with each other and the diverse Georgetown community, provided a true breath of fresh air. 

James Long (he/him) is a staff writer for On the Record from Knoxville, Tennessee. A freshman in the School of Foreign Service, he plans to major in International Politics and pursue a career in the law or government.