In a recent discussion about Vice President Kamala Harris's shifting stance on past policy positions, Democratic strategist James Carville expressed his disapproval of his party's tilt towards the "identity left."
Carville, a long-standing critic of the more "woke" factions within his party, defended Harris's policy changes since her ascent to the Democratic Party's top ticket, including her withdrawal of support for a fracking ban.
According to Mediaite, Carville shared his views ahead of Tuesday's debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump. He lamented the party's 2020 direction, stating, The truth of the matter is that, for some reason in 2020, people just kind of lost it. And it was all really I dont want to say dumb, but just not very smart stuff. And everybody has kind of dropped it. No one likes the word woke anymore, so I wont use it. But the whole identity left no one wants to talk about it anymore, for good reason. It was a giant mistake.
Carville, a former advisor to Bill Clinton, has previously attributed Democratic election losses to "stupid wokeness" and has consistently criticized the "woke elites" within his party. He maintains that the "woke" faction within the Democratic Party has never represented more than a small minority. I think it was bad political consultants, but I dont know where people started taking this stuff seriously. And at its height, it was 15% of the Democratic Party, 8% of the country, he said.
In her single interview since becoming the Democratic Partys nominee, Harris addressed some of her policy changes. Carville also defended Harris against critics who claim she has been avoiding tough policy questions from the press. I mean, honestly, what is she supposed to do? Just say, You know, Im going to sit there for two hours? I mean, shes got plenty of time left, Carville said. She had to put an entire campaign together, pick a vice-president, plan a convention, raise money, and then you got a bunch of: Why dont you talk to me? Come talk to me! Shes doing a 90-minute debate. Im sure shes going to do stuff after that.
Carville's comments highlight the ongoing tension within the Democratic Party, as it grapples with balancing traditional liberal values and the demands of its more progressive factions. His defense of Harris's policy shifts and media strategy underscores the complex challenges faced by those at the helm of the party.
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