Bredesen, Blackburn disagreed from the start of Senate debate

NASHVILLE — Small wonder that Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen slugged it out on stage for 60 minutes Tuesday night during the first debate in their U.S. Senate race.

From the get go, Blackburn, a Brentwood congressman, and former Gov. Bredesen couldn’t even agree on the answer to the first question posed to them by moderators at the Cumberland University dust up. That was, what is the single most pressing issue for Tennesseans in the Nov. 6 election?

“The No. 1 thing that they talk about is making certain we keep the jobs and the economy growing as it is,” said Blackburn, a Brentwood congress member, who quickly hailed the GOP-run Congress’ 2017 tax overhaul.

“Tax cuts are working,” she continued. “And we hear story after story from people about about how very important it is. Now, I know Phil said he would have voted against the tax cuts — he called them ‘crumbs’ — but I got to tell you, when you’re out and about in our communities and you see the economic growth and development. This is what they’re talking about.”

Bredesen, a former governor and Nashville mayor, said the most pressing issue for Tennesseans “has got to be the overarching issue of how dysfunctional Washington has become. So many issues that affect Tennesseans, economically and in every other way are stalled in many ways because of the lack of ability for Washington to engage in issues.

“It’s become hyperpartisan,” he added. “It’s become almost impossible to get things done and move forward. You know, relative to that, is this idea that somehow your party affiliation, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, ought to determine everything about how you think about things and approach things.”