Billl4@
Billl4@ familiar face in Tennessee politics for the last 40 years is abo4@ut to step away
from public life.
Lamar Alexander burst4@ onto the
political scene as a candidate
in the 1970s serving two terms
as governor.
The Republican then entered the
nonpartisan role of president
of the University of Tennessee
.
President George H.W. Bush
appointed Alexander U.S.
Secretary education in his
signature plaid shirt.
These4@ Tennessee native even rn
for president twice in 19964@ ad
again in 2000.
Now at the age of 80 with only
a few weeks left in his 18
years of service in the U.S.
Senate4@, Lamar Alexander
reflects on that work in
Washington and what's next?4@
>>4@4@ Perhaps >> Mirabal High
School's most famous graduate4@
chose his alma mater as the
setting to reflect on almost
two decades of service in the
U.S. Senate.4@
Select4@ group of lawmakers abot
the size of Lamar Alexander's4@
high school graduating class in
58.
There were how many in your
graduating class >>?
There were 97.
Well, whatever values have I
learned here I mean I learned
at the new Providence Church4@
right across the street where I
was the scout troop I learned
from my4@4@ parents whose home
where I grew up is two blocks
away 18 >> years in the Senate
.
When you reflect on your career
,what immediately comes to
mind?
Well, what a privilege to spend@
.
I know for most people they
look at and say my gosh, what a
mess.
But you know, I'd suggest
looking at it like a split
screen4@ television on the one
side or the tweets and the
acrimony4@ and the and the
confirmation hearings on the
other side.
Senators working together on
the Great American Outdo4@ors At
on funding the supercomputing4@
at Oak R4@idge, rebuilding the
Chickamauga block, funding the
national defense that's on the
other side.
So it's4@ a great privilege to e
there >>.
You mentioned several signature
pieces of legislation4@ and
you've had a hand in this one
stand out that you're most >>
proud of4@.
Probably the one that makes the
most difference is either4@
fixing No Child Left Behind
because that affects 50 million@
schoolchildren and the Wall
Street Journal said that it
that it was the biggest
transfer of power from
Washington back to the states
in 25 years or the 21s4@t4@ Cen@
Cures Act.
Senator Mcconnell said that was
Cures Act. Senator Mcconnell said that was@ the most important bill of
Congress and it's done a lot to
speed4@ treatments and vaccines
to the doctor and to the4@
patient.
>> Two >> of his true passions
the piano in the Smokey's
represent two bills he
shepherded through the Senate
that4@ remain closest to his
heart >> the ones that are
closest to my heart are the
songwriters bill to help make
sure songwriters4@ get paid
fairly and the Great American
Outdoors Act which4@ people have
been trying to pass basically
for literally 50 years or will4@
do so much to help the Smokey's
Cherokee National Forest4@ are
their national monuments and
public lands >>.
The4@ East Tenne4@ssee Republicn
named Democrat Dianne Feinstein
of Califor4@nia one of the
political rivals he is closest4@
to in the Senate >> because she
and I were in charge of the
Appropriations Committee that
funds Oakridge and all the
national laboratories.
The inland waterways like the
Chickamauga Locke4@
Supercomputing which helps keep
the United States first4@ in the
world.
Those fast computers are in in
Oakridge also.
>> How about your greatest
Republican ally or friend in4@
the Senate?
Well >>, that be Mitch
Mcconnell for4@ friend because n
19694@ Senator Baker told me I
ought to get to know that smart
young legislative4@ assistant fr
the new Kentucky senator.
And that was Mitch Mcconnell.
So we've known each other 50
years.
Ella, because for example, if I
want to get a bill on the floor@
,it's up to him.
So he's always told me bring me
something that's good for the
country.
Bipartisan and I'll put it on
the floor and he did that this
year >> is that body is divided
as4@ leadership makes it sound r
Twitter makes it sound >>.
No, but it's more divided than
it should be.
I mean we we4@ we get a lot done
on a daily basis by working
together in order to get a
result.
You have to get 60 of the 100
senators which means you have4@
to work across party lines >>.
There is a book you mentioned4@
the late Howard Baker titled
The Other Fellow May Be Right.
Do you ever hear that in
Washington that phrase anymore
?
You hear >> it from me?
I mean I believe it.
I listen carefully.
Howard Baker also said the
success in being a senator
meant being an eloquent
listener.
Some always4@ listening to hear
what the others think you could@
spend 20 minutes answering this
question but I'm asking for
about t4@wenty seconds.
Sum up the Donald Trump
presidency >>.
4@New form of communication4@.
Supreme Court justices4@,
conservative judges, lower
taxes4@, fewer4@ regulations, vy
differnt behavior.
>> There are a handful of
Republican leaders who are
revered in the party4@4@ Lincol
Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt is
Donald Trump among those names
>> will let the historians4@
decide that.
What >> advice do you have4@ to
Bill Hagerty?
It's hard to get here.
The United States Senate it's
hard to stay here.
And so while4@ you're here you
might as well try to accomplish
some4@thing good for the countr@
.
That's what I've tried to do.
I've tried to leave some
footprints that are good for
the state and good f4@or t4@he
country.
So what >> is next for you?
>> I'm going to turn the page
on a book that's4@ been a very
good book and see what's in the
next chapter.
I'm not sure what that will be.
I'll be right here.
I'll live in Blunt County
within about 30 miles of six
generations.
Ancestors where they lived and
died4@ and are buried in4@ and
we'll see what comes
Tennessee's >> senior senator
left us with a nugget of
wisdom.
The former president of his4@
senior class offered in a
speech last year to