Former U.S. Senator and Governor Lamar Alexander lamented the decline of political competition in Tennessee during a conversation at last week’s Rotary Club of Nashville meeting.¶
Alexander told the group of business and community leaders that Tennessee was the third poorest state in the country when he became governor in 1978. He said that changed in the 80s and 90s, when research by the University of Tennessee found family incomes here grew more rapidly than in any other southern state.¶
Alexander argues that change came largely due to the two-party competition that emerged during those years, following decades of Democratic Party control.¶
“I’ll give a lot of that credit, not to any individual, but to the competition that produced better, stronger leadership,” Alexander said.¶
During his more than 40-minute conversation at the Rotary Club, Alexander discussed his initial decision to run for political office and provided the crowd with a few stories he’s collected in a new book called “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.”¶
Alexander also outlined his views on the current state of politics in Tennessee.¶
“People ask me what’s wrong with Republicans, and I say the Democrats, because they can’t elect anybody,” Alexander said.¶
Local Responsibility for Education
Alexander’s political career also included serving as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education in the early 90s under former President George Bush.¶
He told the Tennessee Firefly that he supports efforts to move power from his former department to the states. He said he recommended doing exactly that to former President Ronald Reagan in the 80s.¶
“I’ve never thought we needed a federal department of education, and that’s been my position ever since it was created. I think the responsibility for schools should be in the hands of classroom teachers, parents, local school boards, and communities,” Alexander said. “I’ve worked hard to try to move decisions out of Washington and back into communities.”¶
