Former Gov. Phil Bredesen shares insight into political past with newest “now that you ask…” conversation

by | Mar 5, 2014 | News Slider

Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has done it all. Tuesday night, Bredesen spoke at the most recent “now that you ask…” conversation series hosted by Tom Ingram. Lipscomb’s Shamblin Theatre was full of attentive students and community members listening to Bredesen talk about his early life and career. During his term as governor, Bredesen tackled education, finance and health care in Tennessee, establishing large financial reserves, a statewide Pre-K program and a children’s health insurance program. Bredesen was also mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999, during which he recruited the NFL Tennessee Titans and the NHL Nashville Predators. However, before Bredesen accomplished those tasks, he started out on a track quite far away from politics. “I wanted to be a forest ranger,” Bredesen said. “In high school, I had no interest in politics at all. But when JFK became president, I realized that politics was something that good people could do, and make it good.” Bredesen then recalled his interests shifting from forest ranger, to geology, to physics. “When Sputnik was launched, I thought it was a sign that I should go into the sciences,” Bredesen said. “The hard sciences are a good field to go into.” Bredesen got into Harvard College “almost on a whim,” where he studied physics. “Growing up near Cornell University and Columbia,  I always thought I’d go to one of those colleges, but I applied late to Harvard and ended up getting in,” Bredesen said. When Bredesen finally became involved in the political world, the losses seemed more than the wins at the beginning. “There were a lot of losses, but I learned a...

Lipscomb Dems plan to re-emerge on campus this semester

by | Aug 1, 2011 | News Slider

On the day after an agreement has finally been reached to extend the federal debt ceiling, both Republicans and Democrats can rejoice the government has avoided a possible default. While congressional approval is still required, America has seen bipartisanship win once again. And bipartisanship is exactly what Thomas Whisenant wants on Lipscomb’s campus. Resurrecting the Lipscomb Democrats club, Whisenant is ready to give democratic students a louder voice on campus. “I felt like there was an absence on campus for students with a more democratic political view,” Whisenant said. “Being a student who is a democrat, it is nice to have a group of people there to get your voice heard.” It’s not just about promoting democratic views for Whisenant, though. While that is high on the list, there are more important things. “We want to present to people that politics are not a bad thing,” he said. “Politics is something that we need to be involved in. Just because Washington seems hostile and difficult doesn’t mean they have to be here [on campus].” As far as the group’s formation goes, this is not something new. For those that are seniors this year, you may remember the 2008 election. During that time and during the campaign, there were groups for Republicans and Democrats. However, since then, both groups have disappeared. With the reformation of Lipscomb Dems, Whisenant hopes to reach out to different groups and help the community at the same time. “I think that it’s important that we make sure that Lipscomb comes before the Democrats,” Whisenant said. “We want to be a group that gives back and...