Advice from James Carville

[anamnua]

(who masterminded Bill Clinton's two successful presidential campaigns):
With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead. Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight, and make the American people miss us. Only until the Trump administration has spiraled into the low 40s or high 30s in public approval polling percentages should we make like a pack of hyenas and go for the jugular.

[Ocelot II]

1. Sorry, James, that's bullshit.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. No way.

[FoxNewsSucks]

3. Jesus fucking CHRIST!!! That may be one of the stupidest

things I've ever heard.

Yeah, roll over, shut up, and let the other side control all the messaging. Who is paying him, anyway????

The corporate media is bad enough without Democrats giving up completely, how the hell does he think "the American people" will ever know who they should miss????

[niyad]

4. You were relevant in the last millenium, jimmy. Now just shut up and

go fishing, or whatever that hat indicates.

[ms liberty]

5. His approval's at 43 now and we can't wait much longer.

But it might be down to the high 30's by the weekend at this rate.

[ILikePie92]

6. Schumer

I guess Carville and Schumer are reading from the same playbook

[CrispyQ]

30. Great minds.

My first thought was, "At least Carville's not minority leader."

Welcome to DU, ILikePie92. So with a screen name like that you have to tell us...what's your favorite pie? Pecan for me.

[ILikePie92]

31. Thank you!

I think I may not have just 1 favorite. Pretty much love all pie. A few favorites are Key Lime, pumpkin, sweet potato, any berry, peach, rhubarb, apple, ha ha just about all. Pecan too, lol. I have the big round belly to show for it too!

[stopdiggin]

7. wrong - on at least a couple different levels

But Carville has been at least consistent in pushing this 'passive aggressive' nostrum.

(there really isn't any question that Ds don't have any significant levers or power right at the moment - but that doesn't preclude us from highlighting gross INSANITY as it rears its head - and contrasting that against what 'responsible' policy and government looks like ... "Remember not so long ago ... When people actually thought that school children were worth investing in - and those that lived in crumbling areas, might actually deserve a break .. ?" )

[Scrivener7]

8. Asinine.

[Phoenix61]

9. Proves he is absolutely clueless about where we are

as a country or what people want. No one will vote for a Dem if we lay down and play dead now. They will never trust us again… and they shouldn’t.

[Skittles]

10. easy for a person of means to say

terrifying to the folk who will be severely harmed by these fascist fucks

[Bettie]

32. That is a great point

all of these "consultants" enjoy having lots of money thrown at them for their "wisdom", but they also generally aren't of a social class to actually know what things are like among anything other than maybe, possibly, among the upper edge of the middle class, if they have some relatives or friends who are at that level.

I doubt Carville has talked to a poor person in 40 years, heck, I doubt he speaks to anyone under 50 on a regular basis about any of this.

[Skittles]

33. I know some wealthy folk

I tell them, you don't KNOW people who live paycheck to paycheck so stop judging them!

[MayReasonRule]

11. Wholly Disagree

Lame

[Paladin]

12. We don't need your advice, Carville.

You're wasting valuable time in which you should be fucking yourself.

[CTyankee]

13. Is he a hard drinker? If so, his brain might be soaked with alcohol so long it's not working right.

It takes a while to recover I guess.....

[AllyCat]

14. Of course he would say this. What a coward.

[mdmc]

15. I can't say that I have a more politically suitable action plan to counter Carville

Perhaps doing nothing except townhalls and townhalls and townhalls

Keep Bernie doing what he is doing..

[Passages]

16. What he is saying imo, is the Democratic Party does not need to stake out a policy platform.

They can just ride out the horror of Trump and by default, accept what the Dems are offering and win. Presidency gone, Congress gone, Senate gone.

Now, if he said something like what Walz is saying, then I would listen.

They're going to expect universal healthcare,": Walz says ...

Salon.com
https://www.salon.com › ... › Griffin Eckstein's Articles
Feb 27, 2025 — The Minnesota governor thinks Democrats can afford to offer a bolder vision when they return to power.


Carville is a centrist coward and should have no role in the party whatsoever.

[anamnua]

17. I can see where Carville is coming from.

Trump feeds off attacks. He is the past master of shifting the agenda and turning the heat on his opponents via brazen counterattacks. It is better to let him flounder in his own self-generated cesspool and then move in for the kill when the time is right.

[delisen]

18. Safe on the sidelines, the former player stands...

I understand the old wisdom but I think we are in a new game with new rules and stakes.higher than they have ever been.

In order to survive as a democracy we need to bring an end to the party formerly known as Republican.

[cadoman]

19. part of Democracy is sometimes the majority makes a bad move

And needs time to understand and correct it. We'll be proven right and ready to rebuild once they do.

[samnsara]

20. i think the gop has a limit as well before they pounce..

Last edited Tue Apr 8, 2025, 08:20 PM - Edit history (1)

..they know when hes too weak to attack back.. we should coordinate.

[lees1975]

21. Approval is already below 45%, 41-43 in the best polls, and disapproval over 55%.

I don't think that's good advice. We are already rolling over and playing dead and Trump simply ignores it and moves on unchecked.

Democrats are making themselves irrelevant. The resistance to Trump is moving well past their hang-ups and continued blunders. Several individuals need to step away and help the party get out of its traditional, old-school politics mode that cost it the 2024 election, and get with the program.

[Old Testament Libera]

22. It's time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party...

...Ignore everything that James Carville says. Please!

[markpkessinger]

23. Carville loves to hear himself talk . . .

. . . and yes, he was part of Bill Clinton's successful campaigns 30 years ago. But it isn't 1992 or 1996 anymore, and this is a very different country from what it was back then.

What's more, one could argue -- and indeed I have argued -- that while Carville's strategy may have worked in securing presidency for Bill Clinton, the party paid a huge, long-term price for it. Carville was among those who pushed Clinton to effectively begin dismantling the social safety net (welfare "reform," anyone?), with Clinton proclaiming publicly that "The era of big government is over!" The Clinton presidency was when the party abandoned the working class, and many working class voters never forgot that.

I don't think Carville has anything to offer in the present moment. I wish he'd just get lost in the Louisiana swamps!

[Paladin]

24. I stopped listening to Carville some time ago.

I recommend that all Democrats do the same, immediately.

[anamnua]

25. Before people dismiss James Carville

it must be remembered that he engineered an end to 12 years of Repub rule and ushered in an two term Clinton presidency.

[Scrivener7]

26. If you read between the lines of that, he's really saying the best thing would be to

get a strong voice of opposition going and actually do stuff. But since we don't seem to be able to put that together, the only thing left is for us to do nothing and call it "daring."

I guess I agree.

[NoMoreRepugs]

27. Carville is a relic from another time.

[BoRaGard]

28. Carville should take his own advice

what a pathetic weenie. He sounds like a republicon.

Must have gone SUBMISSIVE TO THE MISSUS.

Tragic.

[mahina]

29. Nonsense.

Go home James Carville, youʻre drunk.

By no means should we work to define them by their actions, but sit back and take it easy, wait to be defined by them, is that it?

What a load.

[milestogo]

34. My advice to James Carville

Shut up and go away. Your time has passed.

[Paladin]

35. Anybody else in favor of retiring this old Carville thread?

I mean, his advice sucked back on April 2, when it first appeared. And it damn sure hasn't improved, over the last couple of months.

There's never a shortage of lame-assed political viewpoints to sort through. I propose that we give Carville a rest---the lengthier, the better. "Roll over and play dead"? Bullshit.