Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville says political parties “exist for one reason, and that is to win elections,” lamenting that Democrats have lost sight of this fundamental purpose.
“When they lose elections, people lose faith in them,” Carville said Monday in an interview on NewsNation’s “CUOMO.”
“The Democratic Party should be about… We’re the party for the people that are trying to make it, and (they’re) the party for the people that have it made,” he added. “When you have that dichotomy, everything flows from that.”
Carville, once a senior adviser to former President Clinton, expressed frustration with what he described as the “identity left” wing of the party, saying their approach has contributed to Democratic losses. He challenged progressive critics to prove their electoral viability before claiming to represent the party’s future.
“I would give anything if one of these people ever beat a Republican,” Carville said. “When anybody on the identity left, or anybody that’s coming in with all of these grand [ideas] — do me a favor: Beat a Republican, and then I will have respect for you.”
The veteran strategist predicted the party’s image would improve with electoral victories, saying wins in Wisconsin and Virginia would significantly boost Democrats’ standing.
He said the party needed to become “an effective and smart opposition party, not a bunch of hoo-ha screaming and yelling.”
