You know it’s bad when partisan Democrat James Carville has to be the one to call out the party’s far-left tilt. Appearing on MSNBC, Tuesday, the former Bill Clinton operative warned of a coming liberal “cult” and blasted the press for going “AOC crazy.” He repeatedly predicted that Democrats could turn into the deeply unpopular British Labour Party.
Clearly, Carville isn’t a fan of socialism as a winning strategy. He told journalists Brian Williams and others: “The press corps went AOC crazy.... We have got to decide what we want to be. Do we want to be an ideological cult? Or do we want to have a majoritarian instict to be a majority party?”
Carville is right that the press has been very excited about the young socialist, deeming Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “phenom” and the “best storyteller in the party.” The veteran Democrat repeatedly warned of turning into the Labour Party of Britain: “This party needs to wake up and make sure that we talk about things are relevant to people.... We don't need to become British Labour Party. That's a bad thing. It's not going well over there.”
As a frame of reference for what Carville is talking about: The British Labour Party has been out of power since 2010. In December, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party lost to the Conservatives in a landslide, their worst defeat since 1935.
A few minutes later, Carville again connected Corbyn — a socialist — to Bernie Sanders — a socialist —, slamming the 2020 candidate:
CARVILLE: Look at the British Labour Party. We're like talking about people voting from jail cells. We're talking about not having a border. I mean, come on, people. Every day people are out there struggling. We’re trying to get votes in Northern Wisconsin and Western Pennsylvania.
MELBER: You were saying you consider Bernie Sanders for open borders? For people voting?
CARVILLE: I don’t consider, he said he is! He said we should give people a ticket. All right? I'm saying what he said. If you read Ron Brownstein, $35 trillion in spending, read all of it. Of course I would vote for him. But I don't want Democratic Party of the United States to be the Labour Party of the United Kingdom.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more:
MSNBC
2/4/20206:10 PM ET
JAMES CARVILLE: This party needs to wake up and make sure that we talk about things are relevant to people. We need to go back to 2018 where we had good, diverse, strong candidates that had real connections to the community and talked about real things. We don't need to become British Labour Party. That's a bad thing. It's not going well over there.
6:14 PM ET
ARI MELBER: You look at the numbers we now have. More people showed up to their caucus sites, according to the new numbers in the first alignment backing Bernie Sanders more than anyone else. And after the alignments and Yada yada, as they say, he was basically now still vying for first with Pete Buttigieg. What does that tell but the enduring strength of Bernie Sanders in this primary going into New Hampshire where did he well last cycle? Are you the Democrat that can get behind him if he's the nominee?
JAMES CARVILLE: Well, I get behind him. I have no choice. Look at the British Labour Party. We're like talking about people voting from jail cells. We're talking about not having a border. I mean, come on, people. Every day people are out there struggling. We’re trying to get votes in Northern Wisconsin and Western Pennsylvania.
MELBER: You were saying you consider Bernie Sanders for open borders? For people voting?
CARVILLE: I don’t consider, he said he is. He said we should give people a ticket. All right? I'm saying what he said. If you read Ron Brownstein, $35 trillion in spending, read all of it. Of course I would vote for him. But I don't want Democratic Party of the United States to be the Labour Party of the United Kingdom.
...
6:19
CARVILLE: All the Sanders people were taking pictures, wishing Jeremy Corbyn the best!
JASON JOHNSON: And they were mistaken. They were very mistaken. Yes.
CARVILLE: Yeah! And I don’t want to go down that path!
CLAIRE MCKASKILL: I just love you.
CARVILLE: And your analysis, if you look at — the press corps went AOC crazy. And the Iowa caucuses are liberal. The combined left side of the party — and don’t I consider myself a liberal, by the way. I’m not a moderate.. [sic] Senator Klobuchar and Buttigieg got lot of votes. We have got to decide what we want to be. Do we want to be an ideological cult? Or do we want to have a majoritarian instict to be a majority party?
