What on earth has gotten into James Carville?

[ProSense]

November 15, 2006

Carville v. Dean

Posted 3:33 pm | Printer Friendly | Spotlight

What on earth has gotten into James Carville?

Democratic strategist James Carville says his party should dump Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic Party because of incompetence.

Carville, during coffee and rolls with political reporters today, said Democrats could have picked up as many as 50 House seats, instead of the nearly 30 they have so far. The reason they didn’t, he said, is the Democratic National Committee did not spend some $6 million it could have put into so-called “third tier” House races against vulnerable Republicans.

He said he tried to meet with Dean to argue for additional spending for Democrats in the final days of the campaign, but Dean declined and gave no reason why.

Asked by a reporter whether Dean should be dumped, Carville replied, “In a word, do I think? Yes.” He added, “I think he should be held accountable.” He added, “I would describe his leadership as Rumsfeldian in its competence.”

It was obvious Carville wasn’t exactly a Dean-backer last week when he volunteered to lobby to replace Dean with Harold Ford, but comparing him to Rumsfeld? I assume Carville appreciates the seriousness of that kind of talk in Dem circles.

more...

Crazy question: Does he really believe Dean compares to Rumsfeld, or is this his way of saying that Rumsfeld isn't a war criminal?

[byronius]

1. I actually used to respect that guy. Now -- he's an asshat.

What a big mouth. Stupid and foolish.

[madmusic]

2. He married...

And got...

[ChiciB1]

3. Of Course He Wants Him Out.... He's In Hillary's Way!

We can't let this happen! He lost me a long time ago.... Hey James, Go Home to Mary!!!

[Lars39]

4. This thread explains a lot:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2710072

[wtmusic]

10. Thanks...that thread explains it all, actually.

:thumbsup:

[Lars39]

11. Feel free to post where needed. :^)

[Cha]

13. I bookmarked that

sucker, too, thanks!

[Selatius]

18. Wow, Carville is definitely anti-worker according to that article.

He may call himself a fucking Democrat, but he can't claim to be pro-worker.

[Morgana LaFey]

23. well, that would make him a DLCer, wouldn't it? n t

[stillcool]

5. the 'cover-up wing' of the democratic party...

wants to get a hold of the purse strings, and call the shots. They need to put a stop to anyone venturing on going off the reservation.

[rhiannon55]

6. He married that awful woman

and has gone downhill ever since.

[politicaholic]

7. Yes James, and the Seattle Seahawks would have won by more...

last week if the other team hadn't shown up.

Fuck him, he sold his spine.

[TygrBright]

8. Jumped the shark. Co-opted by the Establishment...

...and I DON'T mean the ordinary, just-getting-business-done establishment; we all have to do business with that unless we want to go whole-hog counterculture (not that there's anything wrong with that but let's face it, it remains a viable choice for a very small minority of us.) No, the establishment I'm talking about is the Back Room Boys, the ones who like to think they have an Inside Track to where the decisions get made.

The establishment I'm talking about is the one with a really, really, really STRONGLY vested interest in making sure that nothing "important" (like the stock market, the economy, blahblahblah) changes too much... or too fast.

Jimmy's become their buttboy. They've told him he's "in," y'know.

Sad. Really sad, to watch an old fireater trot docilely along to the nutting table, blathering on about Revolution the whole way.

regretfully,
Bright

[ret5hd]

9. Read this about Carville...it will answer your questions...

He is actually a neo-con.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2710072&mesg_id=2710072

[LittleClarkie]

12. We're not allowed to win unless it's with his help so he can take credit

We won without him, and that burns.

Kiss my grits, you little martian freak.

[Lurking Dem]

14. Maybe he's been Lysistrata'd.

[burythehatchet]

15. Jane Hamsher has broken it down quite succintly

http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/11/15/carvilles-new-gig/

In his performance on The Situation Room today today he was a skeletal rack of twitching indignation, castigating Dean for not giving Rahm more money to light his cigars with give to Democratic congressional candidates ("my heart bleeds for them" he laments with the melodrama button cranked all the way up to 11). I wanted Bay Buchanan to offer him a hankie tell him not to worry, Rahm would only have flushed more money down the shitter to follow the $4 million he threw after losers Diane Farrell and Tammy Duckworth, but she just nodded with a bobbling wag of angular features that made me think she could be auditioning for the role of his Second Missus.

and then there's MyDD
http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/11/15/162925/71

There are two main reasons why James Carville does not like Howard Dean. The first is that Howard Dean does not trash other Democrats, and Carville prefers Democrats who throw their own party under the bus. The second is that he is a political consultant, and as such many of his friends have gotten rich off of commissions from television advertisements. As far as he is concerned, all donations to all Democratic committees exist so that he and his friends can get richer. Since Howard Dean is spending money on field organizers and grants to state parties, his friends tend to not get rich from the money the DNC raised. This is abhorrent to Carville, since Democratic Party committees exist to make him and his friends rich.

[BlueEyedSon]

16. get the duct tape and tennis ball

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

17. Carville appears to still think he's running everything.

He gets really angry when people don't do what he wants them to do.

Fifty seats, sheesh. Now he tells us.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Do you think Carville is expressing professional jealousy?

[calimary]

20. What you say? Probably too much time spent sleeping with the enemy.

It's hard to argue Dean's incompetence when Dean's "50-State Strategy" produced SO MUCH in terms of actual RESULTS for our Democrats. Not a SINGLE Democratic incumbent was turned out of office. And um - we - um - DID pick up a - um - couple of houses of Congress and - um - about half a dozen governorships. That's incompetence????? We should have such incompetence running the country AND what's left of the war. We'd be a whole lot better off, less bloodied, and less impoverished. I'll take the "incompetence" of Dr. Dean - ANY DAY.

I, too, used to have respect for james carville. Now, though, he can go get bent.

[suziedemocrat]

21. I get the feeling some high-powered Dems are sorry we got both houses.

my guess why - they think it will be easier to win the Presidency in 2008 if they can complain about how messed up the country is under Republicans. I think they wanted their landslide in 2008 - with the House, Senate, AND PRESIDENCY. So what if we might not have a constitution left in 2008! So what if we have two more years of assault on the bill of rights, constitution, environment, and even elections! Hilary's campaign plan is fucked now because the world won't have gone totally to hell in the next two years. (hopefully!)

[Bake]

22. It's just a game to him, a way to get rich

There are no real PRINCIPLES there.

Bake

[Morgana LaFey]

24. And I finally realized that we shoulda known THAT when he

married Matalin. Or if not, certainly when he went and worked for the people trying to kill off Chavez in VZ (literally and/or figuratively).

[ret5hd]

25. and the people trying to kill Morales In Bolivia...

(literally and/or figuratively).

[rocktivity]

26. You're all invited to vote in a DU poll

which asks the same question.

:headbang:
rocknation

[BenDavid]

27. Carville is pissed at

Dean for not supplying money in the closing days of the campaign when there were 3 to 4 candidates he was working for, and at least 20 more, that NO MONEY came from the DNC, and he is pissed that over 6 million dollars was left on the table and not used for candidates. By listening to Carville the Dems that he worked for only lost by 1 % and one is still in a recount....I can see why Carville is pissed, and I agree with him that money should have been forthcoming. Also, from what i have read, the Repubs have stated the Dems could have added up to at least 20 more seats in close races in money would have been forthcoming...Hate Carville, or like Carville, you have to admit if Dean did not offer the money for Dems to win, but be satisfied with just taking back the House then Dean needs to be gone....

[Fovea]

28. The DLC strikes back!

And the consultant of their chosen 3rd way 08 candidate gets snippy when their chosen
Hammer-- Rahm gets laughed off the stage by the DNC.