Gordon Ball and Lamar Alexander are seen in this composite photo.COOKEVILLE - Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Democrat Gordon Ball repeatedly attacked each other on both political and personal fronts this morning as the two candidates met in their first and last joint appearance.
Alexander took the offensive from the start of the 60-minute forum, sponsored by the Tennessee Farm Bureau and held at the Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.
The two-term incumbent charged that Ball, a class-action lawsuit lawyer, would be "one more vote for the Obama agenda" as well as for Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid if he wins.
Along the way, Alexander attacked Ball for plagiarizing Democratic senators' websites for talking points, charged he had once represented a "cocaine smuggler" and hit Ball for his "F" rating from the National Rifle Association.
Ball, Alexander warned Farm Bureau leaders, "will try to fool you today."
Ball momentarily appeared taken aback at a forum which the Farm Bureau said intended to be focused largely on largely economic, agricultural and environmental issues of interest to their members.
But he later recovered and slammed Alexander for being part of the problem in Washington.
"I know one thing," Ball said. "If you want to change what's gone on during my opponent's watch, if you want to change things in Washington, you got to change the people in Washington."
He pledged that if elected he would not vote for Reid as majority leader. Ball also lambasted Alexander's refusal to support increases in the federal minimum wage
Alexander sought to portray himself as the agent of change, saying a Repubican majority will "replace Harry Reid, end gridlock."
Retorted Ball: "If gridlock is Harry Reid, then why does Lamar vote with Harry Reid and President Obama 62 percent of the time?"
Ball also criticized Alexander's votes for "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. But Alexander, who rejected that, later noted Ball's own position on immigration falls short of a Senate bill in that it would have required illegal immigrants to pay a civil fine to remain in the country.
He also lumped Alexander in with "career politicians who've made millions of dollars through deals with their buddies and who'll make millions of dollars after they heave office by lobbying."