Democratic strategist James Carville, speaking Tuesday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, warned Democrats about making an “idiotic choice” to stick with President Joe Biden as the party’s nominee while calling out their losing position.
Carville appeared on “Anderson Cooper 360” to discuss his calls against having Biden remain in the 2024 race against former President Donald Trump. Cooper questioned Carville on his thoughts on some Democrats remaining by Biden’s side, as well as the veteran political strategist’s previous comments on how he believed Biden would drop from the race. (RELATED: Cook Political Report Delivers More Bad News For Biden Campaign Following Debate Disaster)
“The fact that [Sen. Patty Murray] came out and said this speaks volumes as opposed to what people say in front of a camera. So I still think I’ll stand by my thing that he won’t run, but if he does we’re just making a idiotic choice for the future of our country. I can’t help but believe that. The proof’s in the pudding. They’re moving states away from us. We’re losing, we’re not winning. And when we lose, America loses. It’s that simple,” Carville said.
Anderson later pressed Carville on Biden’s poor debate performance, which triggered the start of concerns over the president’s mental fitness leading to some Democrat lawmakers calling for Biden to step aside.
“So you get through one teleprompter performance. What are you gonna do on Sept. 10 when there’s another debate scheduled? What are you gonna do — he couldn’t meet with the German chancellor because he had to go to bed when he was at the NATO conference,” Carville continued.
“I just think, you know, you’re right — is there a risk in trying to change directions? Of course there’s risk with everything. But with risk comes hope. And right now, we have always been a party of hope. You know, hope and ‘[A] Place Called Hope’ and ‘[a] leader [is a] dealer [in hope],’ and ‘I have a dream’ and ‘Keep hope alive.’ And I don’t see any hope in the Democratic Party right now. I see a lot of fear and a lot of, ‘Well, if we try something different we end up in a ditch.’ Well, we [are] already in a ditch, but ought to try to get out of it as opposed to trying to drive [in] it. But I agree with everything that everybody says. I think we gotta have a change, I just genuinely do.”
Post-debate polls have shown Trump’s lead over Biden doubled as support for the former president continues to grow among voters. A Emerson College poll released Tuesday estimates Trump leading Biden by four points as the former president holds 46% of the voter’s support, with Biden at 42% and 11% remaining undecided.
While Congressional Democrats have become more vocal calling for Biden to withdraw as it could affect their races, Biden-Harris campaign co-chair Lisa Blunt Rochester later stated to Cooper she blames the mixed “narrative” on the president, claiming voters are still behind Biden.
