All posts tagged "james carville"

James Carville calls for 'aggressive party-switching operation' to crack the solid South

Democratic political strategist James Carville said that now is the time for Democrats to launch an "aggressive party-switching operation" that could crack the solidly Republican South.

"I'm calling for a new Democratic Southern strategy," Carville said on the latest episode of his Politicon podcast. "Southern Democrats, particularly in places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, probably Texas, should go after party switchers."

Carville said the latest polling numbers he had seen estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of Republicans oppose Trump, and about 95 percent of Democrats do.

Democrats should have an easy sales pitch because "20 percent of Republicans in the deep south are Republicans of convenience. They don't seem really into it that much," Carville said.

"You go find a highly competent DA ... pick out a guy or her or whatever, and say, 'Look, if you're in the Republican Party, you're never going to have a chance to get anything,'" Carville laid out. "'You'll be lucky if you get to run for state registrar of lands after you're sixty years old.'"

Once Democrats spell out the doom facing them in the GOP, Carville said that they should offer to build around these potential ex-Republicans.

He said Democrats should tell them, "'You come in now, we're going to give you the keys to the car. You're going to have a base vote of 45 percent. You're going to be able to rebuild it in your name. We're going to raise money for you."

Democrats can promise to "give you a lot more than Republicans can give you right now," Carville said. "We got to start doing what they did back in the '70s, '80s, and we need to start going after party switchers."

He's already hearing from "a lot of people" who "will tell me, even Republicans in Louisiana, 'I don't like this sh—, James. If I don't run as a Republican, I'm doomed,'" Carville said. "Well, start changing that part."

'Give him a nice burial': James Carville drops bold prediction for GOP leader

Democratic political strategist James Carville sounded reluctantly sympathetic as he declared that one of the GOP's top leaders is "dead" and losing power.

Carville was reacting to a clip of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defending Trump's shocking "I don't think about Americans' financial situations" comment from earlier in the week.

"I don't much care for Mike Johnson. We're both from the same state, different parts. Our politics are really different," Carville said in the latest episode of The Jim Acosta Show, before confessing that, "At some point, I feel sorry for the guy."

Carville predicted that Johnson would lose his speakership following a Democratic takeover in November's midterms.

"He's trying to just cobble together something and just keep himself from being humiliated in public, and he's not going to be able to stop it," Carville went on. "He's kind of a tragic figure in all of this. I really believe that."

Although Carville has "attacked him numerous times before," he felt bad about going after a weakened and embarrassed Johnson this time.

"I don't think it's what he would say is the Christian thing to do here," Carville added. "I think we should give him a nice burial 'cause he's dead."

Carville predicts one thing Trump will remember when 'he can't recognize his own children'

Democratic political strategist James Carville joked about Trump's cognitive decline but predicted that he'll never be able to forget one thing.

Journalist Al Hunt, host of the Politicon podcast, was interviewing Carville in a Wednesday episode when he mentioned how Trump's "cognitive decline is so apparent." Hunt pointed to Trump's late-night Truth Social firestorm earlier in the week.

"He's slipping more than we've said," Hunt said. "He put out 55 messages, most of them bizarre."

Carville remembered how "there's an old joke about Italian Alzheimer's. You forget everything but the grudge," but he said Trump will experience a different version.

"The last thing he will remember is how to steal," Carville said. "He can't tell you what two plus two equals when he can't recognize his own children. The one thing he will remember is how to steal."

'The executioner comes': James Carville sees no path for GOP senator who wronged Trump

Political strategist James Carville is already writing off a GOP senator who wronged President Donald Trump and is now campaigning for reelection.

"Magic Seldom happens this close to an election," Carville told The New York Post in a Saturday article while talking about Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

Cassidy voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection in 2021, and since then, has been on the president's hit list. Last month, Trump called Cassidy "very disloyal" and endorsed Cassidy's challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA). Carville signaled that what happened in the Hoosier state could be a bad sign for Cassidy's reelection bid.

"The Indiana result said you try any wiggle room — the executioner comes," Carville explained, referring to the results in the Indiana primary last week.

Trump was able to oust five GOP state lawmakers from Indiana who opposed his redistricting demands.

"It's pretty clear that Cassidy is not going to win," Carville said.

'He can get crazier': James Carville's chilling warning about Trump's coming decline

Democratic political strategist James Carville warned about how Trump will try to hold on to power as it begins to dwindle in the coming elections.

"He's going really down in November, and he's going to get crazier," Carville said during a Thursday episode of Politicon. "You think he can't get any crazier. Let me assure you, he can get crazier."

Trump's demands for "allegiance and grandeur are signs of slipping relevance," Carville explained, and warned about how Trump will combat that decline.

"What he may try to do is start another godd--- war," Carville said. "People are so mortified about what he's going to pull off between now and election day. That, and you got to worry about what he's going to do in a foreign policy arena between now and election day because his swift and impending doom is coming."

Carville spoke about "real buyer's remorse" among voters who put Trump back in the White House, including among young men, blue-collar workers and Hispanics.

"It's not just the polling is bad. You can feel it," Carville said. "You walk around and you can just see the anger, and the anger coming from people that you would never expect. You would look at them and think they were Republicans."

Although Trump touted success in the Indiana primaries, where candidates he endorsed ousted the ones who opposed his redistricting demands, Carville said "it came out perfectly" for Democrats.

"Because if you're thinking about breaking with Trump for the general election, this will scare the hell out of you," Carville explained. "But you can't win unless you break with him partially. I think, Indiana, I wouldn't call it good news or bad news."

If Trump GOP critic Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) holds onto his seat in Kentucky, "that would be a bigger blow," Carville said.

James Carville loses it on 'clown' John Roberts in vulgar takedown

Political strategist James Carville didn't pull any punches when weighing in on the Supreme Court's latest decision on redistricting and targeted one justice in particular.

"Way to go, John Roberts. What a [expletive] clown," Carville said on the Politicon podcast this week. "What a partisan hack clown."

Carville reacted harshly to the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision that weakened protections in the Voting Rights Act against racial gerrymandering and described the whole bench as "corrupt" in a curse-filled tirade.

"There is no reason, none, that you should have any respect or any admiration for this pack of people who take money from anybody, don't report anything, are the only nine people in the entire [expletive] federal government that operate under no ethic rule," he fumed. "A private in the army is subject to more ethics regulations than the nine justices on the Supreme Court."

He warned that "you have to obey because they'll throw your ass in jail, but you don't have to respect them."

He had more ire reserved for the conservative justices in particular, calling Justice Samuel Alito "a political hack" and reminding people about his luxury fishing vacations.

"These sons of [expletive] were so political, so happy to help the Republican Party any way they could," Carville said. "They wrote a convoluted decision that legal scholars are still trying to wander through to think what the [expletive] was the rationale for this."

'Anti-Christ would be smarter': James Carville mocks rebel Republicans' attack on Trump

Republican critics of Trump are missing the mark by labeling the president the "Antichrist," Democratic political strategist James Carville said.

"I've called Trump the MF word, and I've called him worse than that. I've called him a sack of [expletive]," Carville said Tuesday on Politicon. "Rod [Dreher], who is Vance's spiritual mentor and Tucker Carlson, who is a person of some substance in the Republican Party, have both called Trump the Antichrist. Well, even I haven't gotten there."

Carville said that "even I haven't gotten there," but not because he thinks they're too soft. Rather, Carville thinks that Trump's right-wing critics are simply giving him too much credit by calling him the Antichrist.

"All of the people that fight in the street about my name calling, understand this. I have not yet referred to Donald John Trump as the Antichrist. All right? Because I think the Antichrist would be smarter," Carville said.

Carville stressed that the Antichrist comments are significant because Dreher "is a much much much much bigger deal than anybody realizes" and Carlson is also "a big deal," he said.

However, "I'm just going to keep calling him a [expletive] and not even worry about," Carville concluded.

James Carville flags 'only way' to flip red state's Senate seat blue: 'Listen up!'

Legendary Democratic strategist James Carville on Monday highlighted a Senate seat in Florida he thinks can turn blue.

Carville, who recently hit Trump with a history lesson, sent an email to supporters in which he hailed Alex Vindman, the retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and former National Security Council (NSC) official who was a prominent figure in the first impeachment of Donald Trump, as the best chance to take Florida from Republicans.

"It’s James Carville, and I need all Democrats to LISTEN UP! I have a reputation for saying it like it is, folks — and Florida’s Senate race has me on the edge of my seat," he wrote in the email. "If Alex Vindman wins, then Democrats are virtually GUARANTEED to take back the majority!"

He added a personal endorsement of the candidate, writing, "I am so impressed with Alex. As an Army veteran, he’s put his life on the line to defend our country and its values. Now, he’s taking the fight straight to MAGA and has a real chance to flip Florida blue…but this won’t be an easy race."

The strategist continued:

"The same far-right billionaires who helped elect Trump are going to spend WHATEVER it takes to help protect Ashley Moody."

Concluding, Carville begged voters to support Vindman and propel Dems forward.

"The only way Alex can win this race — and flip the Senate majority for Democrats — is with your help," the email states.

'Dynamite': James Carville makes shock prediction — and warns of terrifying Trump reaction

A wildcard strategy from Donald Trump in the lead-up to the midterm elections will not work, according to political strategist James Carville.

Carville, who has worked as a longtime Democratic Party strategist, believes Trump will likely ruin what little chance the Republican Party has of maintaining its majority in the House of Representatives. Not only will the Democratic Party win the House and Senate, according to Carville, but the GOP will have a disastrous time at the polls.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Carville said he believes the Dems will find themselves with major gains over the GOP. "I mean, I’m talking about eight Senate seats or something like that. But if you look at where we are at this moment, I don’t know how a person could honestly draw another conclusion… Right now, all of the evidence would have pointed to 55.”

Whether the Democratic Party turns out so well come November is yet to be seen, but Carville believes there is reason to be confident.

But he warned Trump knows it, and is likely to react furiously in an effort to stop it — possibly seizing ballots and putting federal forces on the streets.

"He’s just literally playing with more than dynamite here," he said. "He’s playing with napalm. And what really keeps me up at night is that he tries this, and then there’s some flashpoint, there’s some incident.

"And the next thing you know—and of course that’s exactly what he wants—so then he can claim, ‘It’s too violent out there, I’m playing harsh.’”

Trump's tactics leading up to the election could be bolstered by close ally Steve Bannon, with Carville suggesting the former White House Chief Strategist is sounding out possible strategies involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at polling booths.

He said, "Bannon knows—and even Trump in his own primitive way knows—the Republican Party will get slaughtered in November. So he’s trying to lay the groundwork to have something like this.

"What they do know, what scares me, is they can’t have a free and fair election. That is a disaster for them. They know that. They’re going to do everything they can to stop it... That’s where we are. And expect the worst. Expect the worst.”

James Carville 'rattled' by one 'tied' race: 'Should scare the hell out of every Democrat'

Famed political strategist James Carville sounded the alarm on Saturday, admitting he's "rattled" by one key political contest.

Carville, known for his work on Bill Clinton's team, said over the weekend, "I’ve worked on more campaigns than I can count, and let me tell you: I don’t rattle easily." He went on to note that, "But this race in New Hampshire? It’s TIED. In a dead heat. And that should scare the hell out of every Democrat in the country."

The fear surrounds a "wide open" seat, according to the legendary politico.

"Here’s the deal: Jeanne Shaheen is retiring. That means this seat is wide open. And now John Sununu — yes, one of those Sununus, the long-time New Hampshire political dynasty — is running to flip it red," he added Saturday. "He’s got the name, he’s got the money, and he’s got the full weight of the Republican donor class behind him — from Wall Street to the far-right Super PACs. They see New Hampshire as their ticket to locking down the Senate for another decade."

He went on to characterize the race as "neck-and-neck."

"And right now? This race is neck-and-neck. It could go either way," the strategist claimed. "Chris Pappas is our guy. He’s won the toughest district in New Hampshire four times. He knows how to reach voters across the aisle and build a coalition that wins. But he cannot — CANNOT — do this alone."

He also explained the high stakes of this race.

"The GOP knows if they take New Hampshire, Democrats don’t have a shot at retaking the Senate. And they’re ready to bury us in negative ads and dark money," he further noted. "We’ve got to fight smarter, faster, and harder. We’ve got to help Chris Pappas build the campaign we need to win. Let’s show these Republican bigshots that they can’t buy another Senate seat. Not on our watch."

Carville concluded with, "Let’s win this damn thing and flip control of the Senate."