James Carville fires back at 'vicious' progressives urging him to leave Democratic Party

WASHINGTON, DC: Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville on Saturday, August 8, responded to a series of attacks from progressive figures who have suggested he leave the Democratic Party, highlighting the continuing divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive wings.

Carville addressed the criticism during a Fox News interview after he was shown remarks from Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and progressive commentator Hasan Piker. He also responded to Senator Bernie Sanders, who recently told Carville to start his own party if he does not want to remain with Democrats. 

James Carville responds to Abdul El-Sayed and Hasan Piker

The exchange followed El-Sayed’s recent appearance on Piker’s Twitch stream, where the two discussed Carville’s repeated warnings about the influence of progressive figures within the Democratic Party. Piker said Carville had been “fantasizing about leaving the party,” adding, “I'm like, 'You're sweetening the deal.'”

El-Sayed, who narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, also questioned Carville’s continued influence. “Why does anybody still listen to James Carville? He said one smart thing once, which he seems to have forgotten,” El-Sayed said.

Carville responded to the remarks during his own interview with Fox News, saying, “I don't know what I can do. I can't take it, please mama help me. Such vicious people. Wow.”

El-Sayed is backed by Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and will face Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election.

Despite his criticism of El-Sayed’s political wing, Carville said he expects the Democratic nominee to win the Michigan Senate race. “(El-Sayed’s) got some slack. He'd probably use every bit of it, but I still think he's going to win,” Carville said. 

Carville has previously warned that he could leave the Democratic Party if progressive figures become more influential within the party.

James Carville responds to Bernie Sanders' call to start a new party

Carville also responded to comments from Sanders, who has defended El-Sayed while challenging Carville’s place within the Democratic Party.

“If Mr Carville doesn't want to be in my party, the party that I belong to, that Piker belongs to, that El-Sayed belongs to, he can start his own party,” Sanders said. 

Carville pointed to Sanders’ history as an independent and his unsuccessful campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“When he was a socialist, I was a Democrat,” Carville said. “I'm still a Democrat. Is he one now? I have no idea. I do know that maybe he has some animosity because he tried twice to get the Democratic nomination for president, and he failed rather spectacularly both times.”

James Carville criticizes progressive Democrats' political proposals

Carville also criticized what he described as the progressive left’s political proposals, saying he believed some ideas were so unexpected that they appeared to come from artificial intelligence.

Carville said, “look, I think that these, the progressive left, they're very tech people. I think they've come up with an AI random stupid idea generator."