James Carville on Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Barack Obama:
“An act of betrayal,” said James Carville, an adviser to Mrs. Clinton and a friend of Mr. Clinton.
“Mr. Richardson’s endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic,” Mr. Carville said, referring to Holy Week.
Oooh! Classy!
Carville was one of the upstart political geniuses who ran Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. Two years after the Clinton political brain trust took over the national Democratic Party, the Republicans won substantial majorities in both houses of Congress. From then until 2006, the best Democratic showing in Congressional elections came in 2000, when they won a 50-50 tie with Republicans in the Senate — a tie that was immediately broken in favor of Republicans by Dick Cheney.
In 2006, Democratic strategists considered how best to fight their way back. Clinton-aligned strategists like Carville and Rahm Emanuel argued that Democrats had to concentrate their limited resources on a small handful of races where Democratic chances looked best. Howard Dean, the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, had a different idea: give the Republicans a fight for every seat. It might produce some surprises, and even in districts and states where Democrats were defeated, the fact that the party was in there fighting might plant some seeds that would bear fruit in years to come.
Dean’s strategy helped Democrats regain control of both Houses of Congress in the 2006 elections. Immediately, Carville called for Dean’s resignation, saying “I would describe his leadership as Rumsfeldian in its incompetence.”
Really? Democrats win Congress for the first time in 12 years, and you say the guy responsible is incompetent?
You know, I don’t think Carville has any business calling anyone Judas.
Spink Nogales | 26-Mar-08 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
Well, think again.
the Democrats could have captured 40 House seats rather than 29 had Mr. Dean bowed to demands by Representative Rahm Emanuel….
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/us/politics/16dems.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1206583999-ejRfNSRJkPBGnmBYG/3QtQ
Michael Burton | 27-Mar-08 at 12:56 am | Permalink
Well, except that the Clinton brain trust — which included Rahm Emanuel — had never won Democratic victory in a Congressional election in their lives. But in 2006? Sure, that time, using the same strategy that had failed every time before, that time they would have blown the Republicans out of the water!