Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is openly warning that a narrow Democratic takeover of the House would be a nightmare that leaves party leaders hostage to the DSA."
Speaking with The Bulwarks editor-at-large Bill Kristol on his podcast, Carville stressed that the margin of victory in November could be nearly as consequential as which party actually controls the gavel, according to Mediaite. He made clear he fears a scenario in which a small band of far-left lawmakers wields outsized leverage over the entire Democratic caucus.
I would be disappointed if it comes in at 225 House seats, Carville said. That would almost be I would rather the Republicans keep the House by five than the Democrats to win by five because if that happens, theyre hostage to the DSA. In his view, a razor-thin majority would paralyze leadership and empower the partys most radical elements at the expense of moderates and swing-district members.
Carville warned that such a result would leave House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries politically boxed in. A narrow win, he argued, would mean, Like Hakeem [Jeffries] cannot move. Theres no place for him to go.
He extended that concern to the upper chamber, suggesting that even a closely divided Senate would be plagued by similar internal strains. And even if you have a close Senate, [Senator John] Fetterman would keep [Chuck] Schumer Pepto-Bismol all night, Carville added.
The remarks are the latest salvo in Carvilles months-long offensive against Democratic Socialists and the partys activist left. In June, he urged congressional Democrats to stand up to socialist candidates after a series of New York primary wins, insisting lawmakers should not automatically treat some DSA-backed victors as genuine members of the Democratic Party.
By August, his rhetoric had sharpened further, as he demanded that DSA candidates stop using the Democratic Partys Goddamn name and complained that Democrats were being defined by figures who do not reflect the partys broader coalition. That critique echoes long-standing conservative concerns that Democrats have allowed their agenda to be driven by a loud, hard-left minority rather than centrist voters.
Speaking on Sunday, Carville told Kristol that these internal tensions make the scale of any Democratic House majority unusually significant. So, I think this is one of these races where margin matters a lot. Margin is winning big, its almost as big as winning, which is weird, but yeah, its a nightmare, 225 [seats].
Login