On February 27th, former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam visited PSCI 3893: “American Democracy and Dissent” at Wilson Hall to answer questions about his term as governor and give his insights on democracy in a post-Trump era. Haslam served as the Republican governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019, when he was succeeded by the state’s current governor, Bill Lee. He won re-election in 2014 with the highest margin of any gubernatorial election in Tennessee history, gaining the additional distinction of winning every county in the state. A 2016 Vanderbilt poll found that his approval rating reached 68% in that year, despite his lack of support for Doland Trump. In addition to his term as governor, Haslam served as the mayor of Knoxville from 2003 to 2011, and is on the boards of Teach for America and Young Life.
Haslam began with some brief open remarks, then answered questions from students and the class’ professors, John Geer and Jon Meacham.
Echoing the sentiments of Vanderbilt’s current administration, Haslam spoke passionately about the need to defend free speech at private institutions from government intervention. He mentioned a bill he vetoed in 2012, which would have halted a Vanderbilt policy allowing any student to be on the board of faith-based organizations. At the time he argued, “as someone who strongly believes in limited government, I think it is inappropriate for [the] government to mandate the policies of a private institution.”
Haslam also spoke about faith and its role in American politics, stating that “the founders got it right” in defining the relationship between church and state. He emphasized the importance of the Establishment Clause—prohibiting the creation of a state religion—and the Free Exercise Clause—allowing citizens to exercise religious beliefs as they wish, in the Constitution. Haslam mentioned his 2016 veto of a bill that would have made the Bible Tennessee’s official state book. He quipped in class that some Tennesseeans still refer to him as “the guy who vetoed the Bible,” but defends his position that the bill was uncomfortably close to establishing a state religion. Haslam’s 2021 book, Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith, echoes the thoughts shared in class. He cautions that “all of us in politics and everywhere else should be careful to make sure we are being used by God, not using God for our own ends.”
The issue that Haslam grappled with the most, however, was education policy. He spoke at length about how Tennessee was the first state to implement free two-year community college during his tenure, a program which only made him more aware of the education gap present in the state, as 70% of the students taking advantage of free community college needed remedial work before continuing.
When asked about the politicization of K-12 curriculums, Haslam did not give a clear answer. He did, however, stress the importance of “age-appropriate” curricula for sex-ed, gender, and sexuality in the public school system. Although, when pressed, he declined to identify exactly what “age-appropriate” meant in the context of the subjects mentioned. He also argued that LGBTQ+ teachers should not have to leave their identities behind in the classroom, but still advocated for the restriction of gender and sexuality curricula in the classroom.
Haslam was also asked why polarization and the influence of the MAGA movement have grown in Tennessee. He argued that those who move to Tennessee often bring with them a radical Conservative ideology, perhaps one they believed would be more accepted in the state. In 2022, for example, “The fervor of the converted,” as Haslam put it, likely contributed to the state’s shift rightward in his mind. He also emphasized the strong hold the Republican party maintains over rural Tennessee, which had historically been held by the Democrats, as a reason why the Republican party has become so much more powerful in the state.
When confronted with the prospect of a second Trump presidency, Haslam seemed apprehensive. He said that a second Trump administration would test the Constitution in ways that it has never been tested before. To safeguard the Constitution, he argues, the most important thing citizens can do is to stay engaged in the political process. When faced with candidates who often drive people away from politics, Haslam argues we should run toward politics and make our voices heard. He echoed the sentiments of John F. Kennedy, encouraging students to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Haslam gave three pieces of advice for citizens living in a democracy which best encapsulated the spirit of his conversation. First, “Who we elect matters more than we think.” People should seek out politicians who are more interested in getting things done than their appearances on cable news, he argues. Second, “All of this [politics] is harder than it looks.” There is always another policy position to consider, no matter how hard you work to form a compromise. And third, “Surround yourself with people who think differently than you do.” Haslam argued that in an increasingly divided world, the words of a leader should be the beginning of the conversation, not the end.
Image by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture from Flickr
