Democratic strategist James Carville has warned Democratic leaders against allowing themselves to be distracted by contentious ‘woke’ issues, advising them to instead focus on the Republican Party’s $3.3 trillion ‘big, beautiful bill.’ In an episode of his Politics War Room podcast, Carville emphasized that the spending bill represents a rare opportunity for Democrats to mobilize public support by highlighting its potential negative impacts on programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
Carville argued that the spending bill is a strong issue for Democrats to campaign on, as both parties agree on its merits, and warned that engaging with GOP distractions could make the party look foolish. He said, ‘Don’t let them go there. And the public is with you,’ urging his party to stay on target. The strategist began by noting how opposition to the ‘big, beautiful bill’ is one of the Democratic Party’s strongest issues to run against the GOP at the moment. ‘If I were the Democrats, I’d say, ‘Look, why don’t we have a campaign about issues this time?’’ he said. ‘We’re always talking about how we have personalities. This is one of those rare moments where Republicans and Democrats agree on the topic, and that is – Is the big, beautiful bill good or bad?’ ‘That is an argument that the Democrats cannot lose, OK?’ Carville added. ‘They can’t lose it.’
Trump’s legislation passed with zero support from any Democratic Party members in either chamber of Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., labeled the bill ‘cruel’ during floor remarks that lasted hours, pointing to Medicaid and SNAP reforms that reports suggest would remove millions of beneficiaries from the programs. Carville also noted that if Democratic leaders focus upcoming elections on this issue, there is ‘no way’ they can lose those. Following those points, co-host Al Hunt argued that the GOP will start hammering radical left issues, like the trans issue, to distract from the weaknesses of their spending bill. However, Carville said he doesn’t think Democratic figures will fall for it this time. ‘I think at this point, you’re going to look silly if you go to trans stuff, okay? I think that idea has, like, come and gone,’ he said about the GOP continuing to make hay of those issues. ‘I think the Democrats realize they’re not going to say anything stupid on this again.’ Still, he warned the Democratic Party, ‘Just don’t let them take you there. They’re going to try anything they can, but don’t let them go there.’