Exasperated James Carville Demands Democrats Nominate Someone Other Than Biden: ‘It Doesn’t Make Any Sense!’

Sarah RumpfJul 1st, 2024, 4:39 pm
 

Democratic strategist James Carville was visibly frustrated about President Joe Biden’s struggles in an appearance on The Lead with Jake Tapper, telling the CNN anchor that he wasn’t even sure why the Democratic Party still existed if it wasn’t going to be responsive to what voters wanted.

Carville, who had previously expressed misgivings about the party nominating Biden again because of his age, was even more adamant that Democrats should move on from the 81-year-old president after his disastrous debate performance last week.

After being introduced by Tapper, Carville began by citing recent polling that said 72% of Americans did not believe Biden has the “mental and cognitive health to be president.”

“We have a country that 72% want something different,” said Carville. “If the Democratic party can’t produce something different that 72% of people want, why do we exist? What are we here for? I mean, the country is clamoring for change,  and what are we going to offer them? The same stuff?”

“It doesn’t make any sense, Jake!” he exclaimed. “Give people what they want, vox populi! They want something different! Let’s give it to them!”

Carville added that he didn’t “take any pleasure” in this, or when he originally made his comments a year ago about not nominating Biden, saying that he was going to be 80 in October and understood that “you can’t fight this stuff.”

He acknowledged that moving on to another candidate would “be messy” and a “massive” undertaking, but again, if the Democratic Party was “so committed to the status quo, and so committed to sticking with something that three quarters of the country doesn’t want, then we have to say, why do we exist?”

The discussion moved on to how Carville would suggest the party find a different candidate, including having open forums around the country, and he expressed how exasperated he was with the campaign response so far, scoffing at the arguments that Biden just “had a bad night or a cold or the staff overworked him,” and all the “utter nonsense that we’re hearing, that President Biden is a great guy.”

“I’m a great guy too,” Carville quipped, “but I don’t have any business running any campaigns any more.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

Filed Under:
Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.