In an op-ed, James Carville reportedly acknowledged that he was “wrong” about the prospects of Vice President Kamala Harris against President-elect Donald Trump, and it was all due to his failure to heed his own advice.
“We lost for one very simple reason: It was, it is, and it always will be the economy, stupid,” Carville said.
Carville, who has been vocally critical of some of the Harris campaign’s perceived missteps, contended that Democrats should be entirely focused on retooling their messaging rather than finding “rest” in minor victories.
“I thought Kamala Harris would win. I was wrong. While I’m sure we Democrats can argue that the loss wasn’t a landslide or take a little solace in our House performance, the most important thing for us now is to face that we were wrong and take action on the prevailing ‘why,’” he wrote.
Carville suggests that his party refrain from concentrating on Trump as an individual or condemning his MAGA movement.
“We have got to stop making Mr. Trump himself our main focus; he can’t be elected again. Furthermore, it’s clear many Americans do not give a rat’s tail about Mr. Trump’s indictments — even if they are justified — or about his antidemocratic impulses or about social issues if they cannot provide for themselves or their families,” Carville continued.
He further stated that Democrats should concentrate on opposing specific Trump economic policies, such as “slapstick tariffs” and tax cuts.
Carville also suggests that the party should advocate for a $15 minimum wage and bipartisan immigration reform that prioritizes the retention of skilled and productive workers in the United States, rather than the expense of deporting them.
“This year the Democratic Party leadership must convene and publish a creative, popular and bold economic agenda and proactively take back our economic turf. Go big, go populist, stick to economic progress and force them to oppose what they cannot be for. In unison.” he concluded.
[READ MORE: ‘Morning Joe’ Highlights Utter Failure of Biden Immigration Policy]
