James Carville blasts Democrats for starting with ‘7th string quarterback’ Kamala Harris in 2024 race

WASHINGTON, DC: Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville compared Democrats running former vice president Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election to sending in a "7th string quarterback" for the Super Bowl.

"We ran a presidential election. If we were playing a Super Bowl, we started our 7th-string quarterback. That’s what happened, okay?" Carville bluntly told PBS' Margaret Hoover on the Friday, January 31, episode of 'Firing Line'.

"You can’t address a problem unless you’re honest about a problem," he asserted.

James Carville laments Democratic Party's failure to showcase 'staggering talent'

James Carville took aim at the Democratic Party's lack of vision and excitement. He argued that the party had plenty of "staggering talent" but failed to showcase it when it mattered most, Fox News reported.

"Now, if you would’ve put the staggering talent that exists in today’s Democratic Party— you heard what I said? The staggering talent that exists in today’s Democratic Party. If people would have seen that, they’d have gone, ‘I didn’t know they had people like that, that can actually complete a sentence, okay? That actually know how to frame a message, that actually have a sense of accomplishment of doing something'," he explained.

According to Carville, Democrats missed a golden opportunity to inspire voters and energize their base.

"If we would have excited people, and we would have had people from the middle of the country, we would have had people from the coast, we’d have been diverse, we’d have been— and then when you do that, that’s how people get involved in politics. We have not had an inspirational presidential candidate since 2012."

James Carville partly blames Joe Biden for 2024 election catastrophe

James Carville did not spare Joe Biden from blame, arguing that the former president oversaw what he sees as a complete disaster for the Democratic Party.

"You can’t address a problem unless you are honest about a problem, and none of this was inevitable," he insisted.

"Never should have happened. It was not inevitable— Joe Biden stands over this disaster like a colossus. And he just does. You can’t— he’s a great guy. ‘James, you shouldn’t say that.’ He’s a wonderful man. Who cares! If you don’t win a g*****n election, you’ve done nothing. Zip, de nada. You don’t count," he said.

Carville stressed that niceties and politeness don’t win elections.

"I don’t care how good a man you are," he continued. "And till Democrats learn that and quit keeping their head in the clouds and talking goofy language that no one else talks. We got to be nice to people. Screw that! Run over ‘em."

The Kamala Harris conundrum

James Carville’s no-holds-barred criticism aligns with concerns about Kamala Harris’ ability to connect with voters. Throughout the campaign, she struggled with unscripted moments — often delivering awkward, convoluted responses that critics quickly labeled as "word salad".

But despite his post-election frustration, Carville was one of Harris’ most vocal cheerleaders leading up to the vote. In fact, he was so sure she would win that he penned a now-infamous column for The New York Times titled, 'Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win'.

In the column, Carville showered praise on the California Democrat, while calling Trump a "repeat electoral loser" and confidently declaring, "This time will be no different."

"On the other side, in just three months Ms Harris has assembled a unified and electrified coalition. From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Liz and Dick Cheney, it is the broadest we have seen in modern political history… and if the bigger coalition turns out with equal enthusiasm, it will be lights out for Mr Trump," he wrote at the time.

Carville even took a jab at the Democratic insiders who were nervous about Harris' chances, mocking them as "sweaty Democratic operatives".

"More than in any other election in my lifetime, I’ve been consistently asked by people of all stripes and creeds: ‘Can Kamala Harris win this thing? Are we going to be OK?’ This sentiment is heard over and over from sweaty Democratic operatives who all too often love to run to the press with their woes," Carville said.