In the wake of the Democrats' electoral defeat to President-elect Donald Trump, Democratic strategist James Carville has labeled President Joe Biden as the "most tragic figure in modern American politics.
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This sentiment comes on the heels of Biden's controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
As reported by Mediaite, Carville, alongside co-host Al Hunt, dissected Trump's various nominees and the formation of his second administration in a recent episode of Politicon. The strategist's critique centered on Biden, contending that the president is acutely aware of his missteps during the election. Carville envisioned a different outcome had Biden announced his decision not to run for re-election in September 2023, asserting, "Goddamn, we would have won this election."
According to Carville, had Biden relinquished his re-election ambitions earlier, the necessity for a pardon for Hunter Biden would have been eliminated. The president's son was awaiting sentencing on gun and tax charges, a situation that has sparked backlash against the president, who had previously pledged non-interference.
Carville stated, "The most tragic figure in American politics in my lifetime is President Biden. So he said, 'I'll never pardon the kid,' okay, I don't believe when anybody says, 'I never had sex with that person' or 'I won't pardon my kid,' I don't pay any attention to it because I think everybody lies about sex and everybody's going to do whatever they're going to do with their own children."
He continued, "But the different scenario would be, if he would have in September of 2023 or August said that he wasn't going to run, goddamn, we would have won this election. And it wouldn't have been that close because we would have had so many frickin' talented people that were running and he would be sitting here right now getting ready to leave on a high note, they would be naming commissions to figure out what are we going to name after him."
Carville added that he has long "admired" Biden since his initial foray into politics. However, he anticipates a lengthy six years before the party can reflect and recognize the policy achievements over the controversies.
While Carville has been critical of Biden, he has not solely attributed the election loss to him. He has previously expressed strong criticism of the manner in which Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign was conducted.
Carville lamented, "What's so sad, it didn't have to be this way. He brought it all on himself. I know the people around him are at his beck and call, the employees, the consultants, his wife I understand all of that, but at the bottom of this, Joe Biden is and will continue to be the most tragic figure in modern American politics. I don't think there's any doubt about that."
He further described Biden's political wounds as "all so fucking self-inflicted." He added, "I actually feel for Biden, and he knows that he fucked up. And he wasn't crooked, he didn't pursue bad policies, he is the most tolerant, loving, caring, non-prejudiced person you could imagine and this is what he's faced with. It's a fucking shame."
As the dust settles on this political turmoil, the question remains: How will the Democratic party recover from this setback? The answer may lie in the party's ability to learn from these self-inflicted wounds and to focus on the policy achievements that Carville believes will eventually be recognized.
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