Democratic strategist James Carville recently delivered some harsh news and a reality check to the Congressional group known as “The Squad” during an interview, essentially asserting that their left-leaning ‘wokeness’ will not aid the party in winning elections.
This informal coalition includes Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and Ilhan Omar, although it was once larger. Former Representatives Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush were defeated by fellow Democrats in the 2024 election, underscoring the point Carville was making.
In an interview with Joanna Coles from The Daily Beast, Carville criticized AOC and Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has attracted significant crowds nationwide, labeling it as “counterproductive.” He argued that it reinforces the perception of the Democratic Party as “old,” “coastal,” and “urban.”
“I have a brilliant idea,” he remarked sarcastically. “Let’s send an 83-year-old and a congresswoman from Queens out into the country.”
He stated, “You know what they don’t do? Win elections,” referring to Ocasio-Cortez and “Independent” far-left Senator Bernie Sanders, who traveled the nation on a “Fight Oligarchy” tour. “They have never defeated a Republican!”
“The progressives merely impress other journalists. They have never defeated a Republican. Tell me when anyone from that faction has ever run against a Republican. All right,” he noted, emphasizing that their leftist perspectives are disconnected from the majority of Americans.
“That’s the issue. So everyone goes and says, okay, Bernie has run for president twice. He lost both times. He lost even more the second time. However, when I appear on cable television or podcasts like this, the entire Democratic Party is represented by AOC and Bernie. You know, Jackie Rosen doesn’t exist,” he expressed with frustration.
“Tammy Baldwin doesn’t exist. Ruben Gallego doesn’t exist. Alyssa Slotkin doesn’t exist. I am never asked about them. What about AOC? What about it?” he lamented.
A frustrated Carville expressed that there exists “an abundance of potential candidates” for the 2028 presidential election from his party, asserting that “there’s a lot more to the Democratic Party than AOC and Bernie.”
Coles inquired about the significance of “name recognition” for individuals such as Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders. However, Carville, who is confident that the Democrats will be well-positioned for success in 2028 despite polls indicating historically low approval ratings for the party, remained unimpressed.
“I’m not marginally worried about the nominee of the Democratic Party not being sufficiently known by election day. This is not even the summer of 2025. The election is in the fall of 2028,” he stated.
“Why in God’s name do we have to articulate an entire program and an entire laundry list of potential presidential candidates? The answer is we do not. That is not necessary. Timing is everything. And so, well, okay, AOC has recognition,” the exasperated strategist remarked.
“You know how many times AOC is mentioned on Fox News in a day? I have no idea. Go on. A ton. Right. And so she represents a plus-25 Democratic district. And every time you see a Democrat out there shouting and pounding the podium, ask yourself, have you ever defeated a Republican? Is that really? Because if you know me, you know that there’s one and only one noble purpose in politics,” Carville stated.
“And do you know what that is? Winning the election. Okay. That’s why we exist. Therefore, we’re not going to win the election in the summer of 2025. We don’t need to try. What we must do is position ourselves as the party that is simply striving to assist those who are trying to succeed. And what they are attempting to do is aid those who have already succeeded. You know, you’re not going to realize the American dream with a 7% mortgage rate,” the strategist concluded.
