Bredesen and Clinton aim to reinvent Dems

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 7/31/7 | Tom Humphrey

[SmithL]

NASHVILLE — Gov. Phil Bredesen suggested himself as a model for Democratic presidential nominees Monday, though disavowing any interest in a national position and declining to state a preference for any of his party’s presidential candidates.

“If one of those presidential candidates who chose not to come here today can sell themselves in Tennessee, they can sell themselves in mainstream America,” Bredesen told the Democratic Leadership Council.

None of the Democratic presidential candidates spoke at the DLC gathering, though they were invited.

Still, presidential politics was a topic in speeches by former President Clinton, Bredesen and three other Democratic governors — Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Martin O’Malley of Maryland. All four governors succeeded Republicans.

Only Bredesen and Clinton got standing ovations, though Bredesen’s warm reception may have been enhanced by the presence of multiple Tennessee political figures in the crowd.

Clinton made several references to his candidate wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, including a dispute with Sen. Barak Obama over the Illinois senator’s statement that he would, as president, hold direct talks with leaders of such nations as Iran, North Korea and Syria.

“I don’t want to get in the middle of that little spat Hillary and Obama had,” he said, and then added that there is general agreement among Democrats that “more diplomacy” is needed in international relations.

He said “no fewer than four” candidates have reminded voters that “in the middle of the Cold War, in the darkest hours, we never stopped talking to the Soviets at some level.”

Otherwise, Clinton devoted most of his speech to hailing accomplishments of his administration and declaring the DLC, which supported his candidacy, is still relevant in today’s politics. Former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is now chairman of the group.

“We got to get our country back in the solutions business,” Clinton said, declaring the centrist-oriented DLC will play a key role in doing so.

Bredesen was introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper of Nashville, who described Bredesen as “the greatest governor in the United States” and the “most popular governor in Tennessee history.”

“Even Jesus would have had a hard time carrying 95 counties,” said Cooper after hailing Bredesen for winning every county in the state in his re-election last year.

“We need him not only here but nationwide,” said Cooper.

Bredesen, in his speech, said Tennessee is a “microcosm of America” that has voted for the winning presidential candidate “since the modern Democratic Party was created in 1932” with the exception of 1960, when it went for Richard Nixon over John F. Kennedy.

For that reason, he said Tennessee makes a good focal point for a conversation on the direction of the Democratic Party, which he depicted as “at one of those forks in the road that comes along for all of us from time to time.

“We need to take the fork of passion and big dreams and connection with very deeply held values,” he said. “I’m concerned that too many of us are looking down the superficial one instead.”

Bredesen said he feels “a connection” with President Jackson, who lived outside of Nashville and who “reinvigorated a drifting Democratic Party in his own time” by “focusing on the common man.”

Bredesen said he grew up in the small town of Shortsville, N.Y., then went to college at Harvard and “spent a decade of my life trying to leave Shortsville behind to reinvent myself to be more like others whose lives I envied.”

“I acquired a tweedy sport coat with leather patches, some new political views, a floppier haircut and tried my best to be more like those other young men,” he said.

Then, in “an epiphany for me” his wife-to-be, Andrea Conte, gave him a piece of driftwood carved with the words “Life is discovering yourself.” That made him realize that “those values and beliefs that I found unsophisticated yesterday were in fact vastly stronger and more reliable than anything I could invent.

“I tell you that story of personal discovery because I believe that, in a much larger and more important way, that is exactly what our party needs to do; to stop measuring ourselves by others, to shut out a bit of the noise and to look inside ourselves for enduring values and for the strength that comes from them.

“We’ll find that a much richer world than just being against whatever the Republicans have failed at recently,” he said.

After the speech, Cooper said that Bredesen should be considered by the Democratic nominee “at least for the cabinet” if not as vice presidential nominee. Asked about such a possibility, Bredesen said, “I love the job I have now” and has no interest in a national position, though he did not ruling anything out.

[massgopguy]

“How can we fool them today?”

[TexasRepublic]

Re-invent Democrats? A turd by any other name is still a turd. Democrats, socialists, communists, Marxists, progressives, etc. are all virutally the same.

[darkangel82]

If Bredesen wants to “reinvent” himself, hanging around Hillary won’t help.

[BenLurkin]

“We need to take the fork of passion and big dreams and connection with very deeply held values,”

TRANSLATION: “We need to find a new way of fooling people into falling for our same failed Big Government approach.”

[SmithL]

Democrats look to Bredesen again

Governor won't be running for president, but leaders hope he would consider an offer for vice president

By Richard Locker
July 31, 2007

NASHVILLE -- In 2005, a leading independent Democratic magazine put Gov. Phil Bredesen on its cover and said his successes in a Republican-leaning state made him a potential presidential candidate in 2008.

Despite The New Republic's favorable review, the governor is sitting out the current race for the White House. But his performance at the Democratic Leadership Council's national conference in Nashville Sunday and Monday may have revived talk of Bredesen as a potential vice presidential candidate.

In introducing him for Monday's keynote address, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper of Nashville told the 350 conference attendees from 45 states -- most of them state and local elected officials -- that Bredesen is the "greatest governor in America," the greatest in Tennessee history (even though Cooper's father was once governor) and that he should be "shared" nationally. Cooper later confirmed that he was speaking in terms of a national office, vice president or at least a Cabinet member.

Bredesen's moderate "Third Way" approach to governing is in sync with the centrist DLC, although some attendees were troubled by his assertion that costs have to be taken into account when discussing universal health care. Bredesen didn't win the stand-on-the-chair, rock-star acclaim given former President Bill Clinton later Monday, but did win an enthusiastic ovation after his speech.

"His speech reminded us that we need to not only reflect on ideas but the values that our party brings -- how we are a nation of big ideas and the values play such a critical role in that," said state Sen. Ross Romero of Utah. "It's very easy for me to see from Utah how this state has warmed to him and his leadership."

Romero said he could "absolutely" see Bredesen as a vice presidential candidate next year. "Tennessee has been a good bellwether of how candidates come across to the rest of the nation. His leadership and popularity here, in a state that usually picks the winner in presidential elections, I think would lend to the credibility of him as a vice presidential candidate."

Bredesen, re-elected last year by sweeping all 95 counties, eschewed such talk but wouldn't rule it out. "I have a job. I love being governor," he said, and added that no one had mentioned a potential vice presidential candidacy to him.

Memphis Commercial Appeal:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_5652059,00.html

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

What about the Fairness dcotrine?

For balance they should have had Mary Landrieux and Jennifer Granholm speak about their states’ experiences under a D governor.

[Coldwater Creek]

I guess that Bresnden has forgotten that Tennessee votes Republican in National elections.

[massgopguy]

I bet Algore hasn’t forgotten.

[agere_contra]

in the middle of the Cold War, in the darkest hours, we never stopped talking to the Soviets at some level.

The Cold War was only finally won after Reagan stopped talking to them at Rekiyavik (sp)

[fieldmarshaldj]

Bredesen is a buffoon with an epidemic of rodentry corruption on his watch (yessirree, nearly one THIRD of the State Senate rodents have either been indicted, are on trial, or are in prison right now). His opponent last year hardly campaigned at all and was a virtual non-entity. Pharoah Phil was of almost no help getting more of his rodents elected to the legislature (you’ve heard of “mile wide, inch deep” support ? That’s Pharoah Phil).

This asshat, just to show his regards to the people of Tennessee, for a Christmas card last year sent a portrait of an ISLAMIC girl. Add to that, his “portrait” was almost a completely plagarized copy of the famous National Geographic cover of 20+ years ago of the girl with the intense blue-green eyes. Beyond despicable. And as for my Rep., Jim Cooper’s disgusting and blasphemous comments about the son of the Lord and politics, he’s gonna find himself on the receiving end of a pitchfork before long with the votes he’s casting. Nashville may be rodent, but it ain’t FAR left... yet.

[darkangel82]

It just shows you how out of touch they really are, doesn’t it.

[dfwgator]

Pig, meet lipstick.

[depressed in 06]

Phil could make Bubba a state trooper, he has the experience.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Yup. But rodents have never much had to worry about Republicans in Nashville, anyhow. I wonder how much the media would illustrate the fact that Bredesen flagrantly violated campaign laws to buy the Governorship in 2002 (aided and abetted by a rodent hack state Attorney-General) ? Naah, nothing to see there. Only Republicans break laws according to them. If Democrats break laws, then their party affiliation disappears, and we’re to presume they’re Republicans.

[ripley]

“bredesen and clinton aim to re-invent dems.”

the dems always characterize themselves as brilliant, all-knowing, exceptional, intellectual, without flaws, perfect, compassionate, all good, not to mention god-like......so, why should they mess with perfection?

/sarcasm off/

[DustyMoment]

The Dems need to do something. I don’t know Bredeson (sp?) but Clinton is hardly the choice for this.

Her only contribution will be to drive the Dems deeper into the socialist, anti-American rat hole!!

They can do that by themselves without help - they need a better image, message, and PHILOSOPHY that isn’t based on hating America and bankrupting us - morally and financially!!

[GFritsch]

[Clintonfatigued]

You’ve read “Hell To Pay” by the late Barbara Olsen, obviously.

[beckysueb]

Jim Cooper just got out of a lot of hot water he was in and for the life of me I don’t know how he did it! Drunk driving, campaign fraud, mail fraud just for a few examples. Got off scot free.