Democratic strategist James Carville said Tuesday that it was time to “shut this puppy down” and call the primary for former Vice President Joe Biden.
Carville was reacting to the news that both Missouri and Mississippi had voted for Biden overwhelmingly in their respective primaries — followed soon after by news that Michigan had done the same. He said that it was time for Democrats to focus their energy on November and defeating President Donald Trump (RELATED: Carville: ‘I’ve Been More Excited About Colonoscopies’ Than Schumer Was About His Rebuttal)
WATCH:
“What are the voters saying tonight? What needs to happen right now?” MSNBC host Rachel Maddow posed the question to Carville as the results continued to pour in.
“They’re saying very clearly, tip of a hat to Guy Fawkes, ‘Remember, remember, this is all about November'” Carville replied. “These voters want to shut this thing down. I mean, you can just look all across the spectrum of the Democratic Party and people are saying we’ve made our decision, this is who we’re going with.”
Carville went on to acknowledge that Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had certainly started a movement and made himself a force to be reckoned with, but argued the voters had made a clear choice and it was time to consolidate.
“Vice President Biden wants to talk to him and discuss this, but also we can’t ditch these Democratic voters who are coming out from all corners of the country saying let’s get on with this thing,” Carville said. “Our mission as a party is to defeat Donald Trump. According to [analytical website] FiveThirtyEight, there’s a 99 to 1 chance that Vice President Biden is going to be the nominee. Let’s shut this puppy down and let’s move on and worry about November. This thing is decided. There’s no reason to keep it going not even a day longer.”
“Let me ask if this is a potential reason to keep it going,” Maddow pushed back. “Because Sen. Sanders and his movement and his supporters want to be respected. They want to be part of the what the Democratic Party is moving forward, and they want to see changes that reflect their concerns, not pushing Senator Sanders out of the race before he’s comfortable leaving. It might allow the Biden campaign a chance to court them rather than having to fight them.”
Carville pointed out that it was the Democratic voters in the states where primaries and caucuses have already been held who made the decision to back Biden. He said that while Sanders’ supporters could not be ignored or taken for granted, neither could the American people who had already come out to cast a vote.
“I agree we have to be respectful to the Sanders campaign,” Carville concluded. “But I wish we would talk more about respect for Democratic voters who are casting their ballots and they’re very clear and distinct about what they’re saying. They have been to respected too … They’re the ones saying this, not me.”