Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville compared Democrats running former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election to starting a “7th string quarterback” in the Super Bowl, in an interview with PBS’ Margaret Hoover on Friday.
“We ran a presidential election, if we were playing a Super Bowl, we started our 7th string quarterback. That’s what happened, okay?,” said Carville on “Firing Line.” “You can’t address a problem unless you’re honest about a problem.”
The Democratic strategist continued by noting that Democratic voters would’ve been enthralled to have a presidential candidate that could “actually complete a sentence.”
JAMES CARVILLE SAYS NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR FROM BIDEN ANYMORE
James Carville labeled Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s ‘7th string quarterback’ after losing the 2024 election. ((Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon))
“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,'” claimed Carville.
Kamala Harris faced harsh criticism while on the campaign trail for her struggles in dealing with unscripted conversations, which typically yielded word salad responses from the former vice president.
In the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Carville was so convinced that Kamala would win, he wrote a column for the New York Times titled, “Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win.”
Carville’s column slammed Trump as a “repeat electoral loser” and claimed “This time will be no different,” while heaping praise on Harris.
James Carville published a column for the New York Times titled, “Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win,” in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election. (Getty Images)
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“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.”
Carville’s column also criticized the “sweaty Democratic operatives” who, in the weeks leading up to the election, were having doubts about Harris’ chances of beating Trump.
“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,” said Carville.
