Even though I’m just right of center, I always felt Carville was smarter than the average bear, but I have to say after hearing his goofy comments about Trump being a catastrophe and the end of democracy as we know it, he just sounds like the rest of the talking heads with an agenda. He’s not being interviewed, he’s campaigning for the dems.
Look, I wish Trump wasn’t so rough around the edges and I wish he could be more diplomatic but he isn’t and the reality is, if Trump were to get elected he wouldn’t have the power to do the things Carville says he’s afraid of.
I’m not a lawyer but I’ve read the constitution and I understand how the various branches of government work and the president isn’t a god and can’t make himself one. For more than 200 years, politicians on both sides have been saying things like, “If he or she gets elected, it will be the end of America”, or “the end of the constitution”, or “the end of freedom”, blah, blah, blah. I expected more from a guy like Carville.
"I wish Trump wasn’t so rough around the edges and I wish he could be more diplomatic but he isn’t and the reality is, if Trump were to get elected he wouldn’t have the power to do the things Carville says he’s afraid of."
I voted for Trump in 2016. I feared what he would do, but I feared what would happen much more if HRC were elected.
My calculus was simple: I figured that if elected Trump would be held to account for all his missteps, big and small, real and imagined by the legacy media, the entertainment industry, academia, the deep state, all democrats all the time and some republicans all of the time in a way HRC would not be.
I had no idea how right I was, and today I'd ad to my list the corporate board rooms and big tech.
Carville is entertaining, mostly because of his blunt, animated, slightly cartoonish southern affect. Compared to predictable talking points, Trump bashing and Biden boot licking delivered in robotic fashion by "pundits"--a broad term that seems to include anyone that mentions politics and hates the same people as the interviewer--Carville is a breath of fresh air. But, as we are constantly reminded, the air is dangerously polluted. Nowhere more so than the world of politics. He's saying the same crap everyone else on his side is, only in a much more stylistic manner.
You'll never hear any of Biden's political advisors currently on the payroll utter things like "Just 'cause a dog loves gnawin' on a juicy steak don't mean he ain't just as happy sniffin' your butt." That is his charm.
For more than 200 years American presidents have committed to a peaceful transfer of power. Don't count on a democracy to survive just because some important documents say it should. When the person in power is not ready to relinquish it, that person is a huge risk for any democracy, no matter the robustness of their constitution.
Yep, after he was refused by every authority that he tried to sway away from transitioning his power, he did stop short of enacting a Scarface-like last stand in the White House.
I'm saying that democracies don't survive just by documents. Everyone, especially those in power, need to deeply respect the principles of a democracy, first and foremost the transfer of power. This is why we expect candidates whose ballot does not come to majority to concede publicly, so that they demonstrate putting the principles of a democracy above their personal desires. Moving away from that behaviour, especially as a sitting president, is weakening the democracy and its institutions. Americas institutions held true, barely, once, but that's no guarantee, hence the word "risk".
Just like you would not vote for a judge who says that he "might" respect the laws and precedents when passing a ruling. Anyone that is less than adamant on deeply respecting the institutions that protect a democratic system is a very dangerous person to elect for public office.
“ This is why we expect candidates whose ballot does not come to majority to concede publicly, so that they demonstrate putting the principles of a democracy above their personal desires.”
But what if you had a reasonable suspicion that someone had significantly tampered with the ballots? I’m not talking about some conspiracy theory but what if you had reason to believe the ballots had been tampered with? Wouldn’t it be your responsibility to not concede at least until it was investigated?
1) The United States is a Constitutional Federal Republic, with a representative government chosen by democratic means. It is in no way a "full democracy." It never has been, nor was it intended to be. Ballot access and local voting procedures are determined by arcane rules and monopolized by two private political parties.
2) If conceding publicly is a core determinant of "saving Democracy" then politicians from both of America's major political parties are guilty as sin of attempting to "kill Democracy," See: Abrams, Stacey.
3) When the Federal bureaucracy attempts to stifle free speech on major electronic platforms, it doesn't give anyone a reason to "respect" the "institutions" that protect a "democratic system"
You have crafted a very narrow vision of what a "democracy" is, and what the threats to a "democracy" are. Do better.
I suppose in the sense that most bears are unable to shave their heads or talk (after a fashion), Carville might be smarter than the average among them.
I agree with your comments on him only talking up his party. Seems like he was born in and still resides in Dumbsville. Has he no shame, no desire to be respected?
I couldn't agree more, Tim. Carville came off very much like he was screaming, "Get off my lawn, you dang pesky kids!!". It's one thing to throw hyperbole out there, it's another to say that ANY politician is the "end of the Constitution", and to say that "they're coming right out and telling you" that they'll get rid of this that or the other thing. What did Trump get rid of in his term, Jimmy? That's right. Nothing.
Carville obviously is from and still resides in Dumbsville. I totally agree with your views on him just talking his party up. Has he no shame or desire to be respected?
I had always appreciated Carville, even though usually disagreeing, and thought this would be a fun interview. But, he's way over the edge now. Was sometimes incoherent and many of his jokes just didn't hit. And he's now upped the threshold on "deplorables" to 65% of Republican voters. I listened to the end but it was pretty sad.
Some of his inside baseball on DeSantis may be true, but to dismiss the guy the way he did is just stupid. To say Jamie Raskin is smart and will "eat up" anything James Comer comes out with in the impeachment inquiry is just foolish bombast.
And he couldn't even throw his wife a bone on the softball Bari tossed him about something she changed his mind on. Really James? Nothing but bringing a gift when visiting someone?
Yes the 65% AND the 10% figures for, respectively, the crazies in the R and D camps were nuts. And when Bari called him out on how the left controls most influence levers he went right to “but Trump” or “but Boebert” or something like that.
Yes, that was false. And “burning” and “banning” books. Which is not happening at all. He’s in a leftist echo chamber. His reputation seems way better than his content.
In the USA today, people aren't really voting for the candidate anymore (do you think anyone really voted 'for' Fetterman in PA, he can't even dress himself or complete sentences). It's just tribal voting, "vote blue no matter who" sort of stuff.
I wish Bari would have pushed back on his comments about Republicans wanting to get rid of the constitution. Bush and Trump both appointed strict constitutionalists to the Supreme Court. Carville is full of it, not least because his folksiness schtick started to wear a bit thin.
Carville is absolutely irrelevant in 2023. It's clear that he doesn't have a good grip on where the DNC is right now, present day. I wish Bar I would have pushed back more on some of his lies. We had Trump for 4 years and heard that he would end democracy as we know it. None of that happened. If anything, he kept us out of wars and passed some pretty good policy: Abraham accord, Stay in Mexico, sane supreme court justices. I have never voted for Trump but I will if he is the nominee this next election cycle.
Carville is always the most colorful commentator in any room. But while he's smart enough to stay somewhat reasoned, he said many things in this interview that are just talking points: He said he's afraid for the "Constitution and Democracy" if Trump wins. But Bari never asked him about Mr. Biden's administration and their violation of First Amendment rights on a consistent and routine basis. Other commentators here have made similar points. The Democrats have been on this hobby horse for sometime now of, "if they win, Democracy as we know it will end," all the while violating First Amendment rights, tearing at the fabric in the heart of cities by supporting defunding police, refusing to drill for oil that would provide clean and cheap energy for all Americans, shouting "racist!" at anyone who disagrees with them and trying to force free citizens into doing things they'd rather not do using "mandates" as their hammer. Carville has simply gotten in line with them, and is riding with his sword in the air. Sad to see that.
This interview is why I'm leaving the FP. So many chances for Bari to ask some actual follow up questions. If you aren't going to engage why do the interview? Very disappointing.
Yes, agreed. I stopped my auto renewal. Getting starry eyed over this creep and failing to call him on obvious bullshit means FP will never be what it could have been and needed to be.
Totally agree. It was like a "late night" set up to allow Carville to flat out lie and dodge important questions with no pushback at all. None. His response to RFK and how people like him cause he's talking about things voters care about, wow, what a concept, Carville changed the subject or "what aboutism". I don't think Carville is smart at all. I think he is a leftist hack that is owned by the cabal because his entire platform was one talking point after another with no substance. Biden administration eroded our constitution like no other administration ever. Why not at least push back on that. Total bs interview. Aggravating to say the least. As a subscriber, can't we have a behind the scenes look into what Bari really thought of this interview. I am not paying for a platform that allows people like Carville to speak without pushback. Let him speak but when he's flinging lies and obfuscations, pushback is needed or this becomes normal thinking.
James Carville is a man with a goofy, annoying voice. There. Anyway, it takes a lot of cajones to imply sexism is the reason Kamala Harris sounds dumb. That's exactly the kind of ideological bent he rails against later in the interview. To me, it is woke to defend a dumb sounding lady on the grounds that she's a lady!
Bari, where on Earth do you get the notion that there’s no “party machine” for the Democrats? They won’t allow debates, they tell Biden what to say and how to say it on cue cards, they stepped-in to prevent Bernie from winning the nomination and substituted Biden, they turned moderate Biden into Far-Left Biden, Heck, Biden even says that he’ll get in trouble” if he says certain things. The Democrats in Congress all vote in lock-step. Watch the congressional hearings — the Democrats are all using the same script. The DNC is a machine.
Yes, and who, if not the DNC, is coordinating all the legal attacks on Trump? They’re not just occurring spontaneously. The DNC is actively fighting against other voices within their own party, such as Robert Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Tiaibbi, etc. To say that there is no Democrat party machine is very strangely out of touch.
Disappointing,, that is what I was left with after this interview. Carville was of course charming , he's always charming . Bari Weiss certainly seemed taken in, I felt disappointed that there wasn't more defense against some of Carville's rhetorical excesses- is DeSantis really the "greatest disaster"? (which in the interview Weiss seemed to agree). Is the inquiry into the Bidens truly without merit, an investigation directed by "stupid" people. The interview felt a betrayal of all I have previously admired , the glamor of Carville perhaps so intoxicating as to mute Weiss's usual commonsense truth seeking.
I was disappointed that he got no pushback on the claim that no democrat has ever wanted to burn a book. I wish this were a partisan problem but it isn’t. One easy example that jumps to mind is Abigail Schreier’s “Irreversible Damage “
I was struck by this too. It's not the right wing that removes books like To Kill A Mockingbird from school libraries or the Western Canon from college campuses.
Sound like James is well past his expiration date. Like Biden and Harris, his hackneyed replies are beneath The FP standard of enlightened political discourse.
I had never even heard of him; how can he be so famous, with people hanging on his every word? He is nearly eighty but has remained stuck as a permanent Democrat Party partisan. Instead of gaining in wisdom, his brain seems to have “ossified” with age.
this was pretty stark evidence that Carville is wildly out of his wheelhouse. it's not 1995 anymore and his talking points and perspective is very dated. he said a few things that are super easily refuted and although he's funny and kooky he isn't saying anything interesting or thought provoking. all of it is said every evening on MSNBC.
So disappointing. Where is hard hitting Bari? So much of what Carville blathered is just Dem talking points - astonishing that she didn’t push back, at all. What happened to our girl?
When leftist “interview” conservatives it becomes a debate, with the interviewer pushing all their ideological points. When leftists interview one of their own…giggles and agreement.
Even though I’m just right of center, I always felt Carville was smarter than the average bear, but I have to say after hearing his goofy comments about Trump being a catastrophe and the end of democracy as we know it, he just sounds like the rest of the talking heads with an agenda. He’s not being interviewed, he’s campaigning for the dems.
Look, I wish Trump wasn’t so rough around the edges and I wish he could be more diplomatic but he isn’t and the reality is, if Trump were to get elected he wouldn’t have the power to do the things Carville says he’s afraid of.
I’m not a lawyer but I’ve read the constitution and I understand how the various branches of government work and the president isn’t a god and can’t make himself one. For more than 200 years, politicians on both sides have been saying things like, “If he or she gets elected, it will be the end of America”, or “the end of the constitution”, or “the end of freedom”, blah, blah, blah. I expected more from a guy like Carville.
"I wish Trump wasn’t so rough around the edges and I wish he could be more diplomatic but he isn’t and the reality is, if Trump were to get elected he wouldn’t have the power to do the things Carville says he’s afraid of."
I voted for Trump in 2016. I feared what he would do, but I feared what would happen much more if HRC were elected.
My calculus was simple: I figured that if elected Trump would be held to account for all his missteps, big and small, real and imagined by the legacy media, the entertainment industry, academia, the deep state, all democrats all the time and some republicans all of the time in a way HRC would not be.
I had no idea how right I was, and today I'd ad to my list the corporate board rooms and big tech.
So the bottom line for me was accountability.
Carville is entertaining, mostly because of his blunt, animated, slightly cartoonish southern affect. Compared to predictable talking points, Trump bashing and Biden boot licking delivered in robotic fashion by "pundits"--a broad term that seems to include anyone that mentions politics and hates the same people as the interviewer--Carville is a breath of fresh air. But, as we are constantly reminded, the air is dangerously polluted. Nowhere more so than the world of politics. He's saying the same crap everyone else on his side is, only in a much more stylistic manner.
You'll never hear any of Biden's political advisors currently on the payroll utter things like "Just 'cause a dog loves gnawin' on a juicy steak don't mean he ain't just as happy sniffin' your butt." That is his charm.
For more than 200 years American presidents have committed to a peaceful transfer of power. Don't count on a democracy to survive just because some important documents say it should. When the person in power is not ready to relinquish it, that person is a huge risk for any democracy, no matter the robustness of their constitution.
Was I hallucinating or did Trump take Marine One off the White House Grounds in January 2021?
Yep, after he was refused by every authority that he tried to sway away from transitioning his power, he did stop short of enacting a Scarface-like last stand in the White House.
So, you're basically saying that "your Democracy" survived and that your previous statement was false?
I'm saying that democracies don't survive just by documents. Everyone, especially those in power, need to deeply respect the principles of a democracy, first and foremost the transfer of power. This is why we expect candidates whose ballot does not come to majority to concede publicly, so that they demonstrate putting the principles of a democracy above their personal desires. Moving away from that behaviour, especially as a sitting president, is weakening the democracy and its institutions. Americas institutions held true, barely, once, but that's no guarantee, hence the word "risk".
Just like you would not vote for a judge who says that he "might" respect the laws and precedents when passing a ruling. Anyone that is less than adamant on deeply respecting the institutions that protect a democratic system is a very dangerous person to elect for public office.
“ This is why we expect candidates whose ballot does not come to majority to concede publicly, so that they demonstrate putting the principles of a democracy above their personal desires.”
But what if you had a reasonable suspicion that someone had significantly tampered with the ballots? I’m not talking about some conspiracy theory but what if you had reason to believe the ballots had been tampered with? Wouldn’t it be your responsibility to not concede at least until it was investigated?
Three things to unpack.
1) The United States is a Constitutional Federal Republic, with a representative government chosen by democratic means. It is in no way a "full democracy." It never has been, nor was it intended to be. Ballot access and local voting procedures are determined by arcane rules and monopolized by two private political parties.
2) If conceding publicly is a core determinant of "saving Democracy" then politicians from both of America's major political parties are guilty as sin of attempting to "kill Democracy," See: Abrams, Stacey.
3) When the Federal bureaucracy attempts to stifle free speech on major electronic platforms, it doesn't give anyone a reason to "respect" the "institutions" that protect a "democratic system"
You have crafted a very narrow vision of what a "democracy" is, and what the threats to a "democracy" are. Do better.
I suppose in the sense that most bears are unable to shave their heads or talk (after a fashion), Carville might be smarter than the average among them.
I agree with your comments on him only talking up his party. Seems like he was born in and still resides in Dumbsville. Has he no shame, no desire to be respected?
I couldn't agree more, Tim. Carville came off very much like he was screaming, "Get off my lawn, you dang pesky kids!!". It's one thing to throw hyperbole out there, it's another to say that ANY politician is the "end of the Constitution", and to say that "they're coming right out and telling you" that they'll get rid of this that or the other thing. What did Trump get rid of in his term, Jimmy? That's right. Nothing.
Carville obviously is from and still resides in Dumbsville. I totally agree with your views on him just talking his party up. Has he no shame or desire to be respected?
Are you serious? He’s a democrat
I had always appreciated Carville, even though usually disagreeing, and thought this would be a fun interview. But, he's way over the edge now. Was sometimes incoherent and many of his jokes just didn't hit. And he's now upped the threshold on "deplorables" to 65% of Republican voters. I listened to the end but it was pretty sad.
Some of his inside baseball on DeSantis may be true, but to dismiss the guy the way he did is just stupid. To say Jamie Raskin is smart and will "eat up" anything James Comer comes out with in the impeachment inquiry is just foolish bombast.
And he couldn't even throw his wife a bone on the softball Bari tossed him about something she changed his mind on. Really James? Nothing but bringing a gift when visiting someone?
Yes the 65% AND the 10% figures for, respectively, the crazies in the R and D camps were nuts. And when Bari called him out on how the left controls most influence levers he went right to “but Trump” or “but Boebert” or something like that.
nothing is over until the "fat" "lady " sings and would we know what a "fat" lady" is ? could be a 300lb guy in a wig
This was the least thoughtful guest I've ever heard on honestly.
it was msnbcish
I wish Bari would have pushed back on some of his outright BS... like banning Anne Frank in Galveston. Was she just letting him bury himself?
Yes, that was false. And “burning” and “banning” books. Which is not happening at all. He’s in a leftist echo chamber. His reputation seems way better than his content.
His reputation rests upon Ross Perot.
Agreed. People that voted for Perot would have voted for Bush in 92.
I wonder if Kennedy will be the same next year?
it's unbelievable that anybody thinks the current president should get a vote.
not even one.
In the USA today, people aren't really voting for the candidate anymore (do you think anyone really voted 'for' Fetterman in PA, he can't even dress himself or complete sentences). It's just tribal voting, "vote blue no matter who" sort of stuff.
I couldn't agree more, Leah. This was a disappointment.
I wish Bari would have pushed back on his comments about Republicans wanting to get rid of the constitution. Bush and Trump both appointed strict constitutionalists to the Supreme Court. Carville is full of it, not least because his folksiness schtick started to wear a bit thin.
He’s always been a fulsome liar
Carville is absolutely irrelevant in 2023. It's clear that he doesn't have a good grip on where the DNC is right now, present day. I wish Bar I would have pushed back more on some of his lies. We had Trump for 4 years and heard that he would end democracy as we know it. None of that happened. If anything, he kept us out of wars and passed some pretty good policy: Abraham accord, Stay in Mexico, sane supreme court justices. I have never voted for Trump but I will if he is the nominee this next election cycle.
Carville is always the most colorful commentator in any room. But while he's smart enough to stay somewhat reasoned, he said many things in this interview that are just talking points: He said he's afraid for the "Constitution and Democracy" if Trump wins. But Bari never asked him about Mr. Biden's administration and their violation of First Amendment rights on a consistent and routine basis. Other commentators here have made similar points. The Democrats have been on this hobby horse for sometime now of, "if they win, Democracy as we know it will end," all the while violating First Amendment rights, tearing at the fabric in the heart of cities by supporting defunding police, refusing to drill for oil that would provide clean and cheap energy for all Americans, shouting "racist!" at anyone who disagrees with them and trying to force free citizens into doing things they'd rather not do using "mandates" as their hammer. Carville has simply gotten in line with them, and is riding with his sword in the air. Sad to see that.
This interview is why I'm leaving the FP. So many chances for Bari to ask some actual follow up questions. If you aren't going to engage why do the interview? Very disappointing.
Yes, agreed. I stopped my auto renewal. Getting starry eyed over this creep and failing to call him on obvious bullshit means FP will never be what it could have been and needed to be.
By the sound of the crowd, she may have been worried about being assaulted if she actually, meaningfully pushed back on Carville.
Totally agree. It was like a "late night" set up to allow Carville to flat out lie and dodge important questions with no pushback at all. None. His response to RFK and how people like him cause he's talking about things voters care about, wow, what a concept, Carville changed the subject or "what aboutism". I don't think Carville is smart at all. I think he is a leftist hack that is owned by the cabal because his entire platform was one talking point after another with no substance. Biden administration eroded our constitution like no other administration ever. Why not at least push back on that. Total bs interview. Aggravating to say the least. As a subscriber, can't we have a behind the scenes look into what Bari really thought of this interview. I am not paying for a platform that allows people like Carville to speak without pushback. Let him speak but when he's flinging lies and obfuscations, pushback is needed or this becomes normal thinking.
She did fine. His vapid bombast was there for all to see and hear.
Couldn’t agree more
James Carville is a man with a goofy, annoying voice. There. Anyway, it takes a lot of cajones to imply sexism is the reason Kamala Harris sounds dumb. That's exactly the kind of ideological bent he rails against later in the interview. To me, it is woke to defend a dumb sounding lady on the grounds that she's a lady!
Bari, where on Earth do you get the notion that there’s no “party machine” for the Democrats? They won’t allow debates, they tell Biden what to say and how to say it on cue cards, they stepped-in to prevent Bernie from winning the nomination and substituted Biden, they turned moderate Biden into Far-Left Biden, Heck, Biden even says that he’ll get in trouble” if he says certain things. The Democrats in Congress all vote in lock-step. Watch the congressional hearings — the Democrats are all using the same script. The DNC is a machine.
Remember when the DNC gave Hilary debate questions in advance? They are a lockstep machine.
Yes, and who, if not the DNC, is coordinating all the legal attacks on Trump? They’re not just occurring spontaneously. The DNC is actively fighting against other voices within their own party, such as Robert Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Tiaibbi, etc. To say that there is no Democrat party machine is very strangely out of touch.
Goldman/Plaskett/Raskin are...smart?!
And the problem with Kamala isn't the word salads and cackles coming out of her mouth, it's the people listening to her who are wrong?
Carville has completely lost it.
Disappointing,, that is what I was left with after this interview. Carville was of course charming , he's always charming . Bari Weiss certainly seemed taken in, I felt disappointed that there wasn't more defense against some of Carville's rhetorical excesses- is DeSantis really the "greatest disaster"? (which in the interview Weiss seemed to agree). Is the inquiry into the Bidens truly without merit, an investigation directed by "stupid" people. The interview felt a betrayal of all I have previously admired , the glamor of Carville perhaps so intoxicating as to mute Weiss's usual commonsense truth seeking.
Yes, Bari is in the tank here and did not do her job.
Dear James, Bill Clinton sexually exploited/abused an intern and lied about it, you helped him get away with it.
I was disappointed that he got no pushback on the claim that no democrat has ever wanted to burn a book. I wish this were a partisan problem but it isn’t. One easy example that jumps to mind is Abigail Schreier’s “Irreversible Damage “
I was struck by this too. It's not the right wing that removes books like To Kill A Mockingbird from school libraries or the Western Canon from college campuses.
Ask JK Rowling about this, too
Sound like James is well past his expiration date. Like Biden and Harris, his hackneyed replies are beneath The FP standard of enlightened political discourse.
I had never even heard of him; how can he be so famous, with people hanging on his every word? He is nearly eighty but has remained stuck as a permanent Democrat Party partisan. Instead of gaining in wisdom, his brain seems to have “ossified” with age.
this was pretty stark evidence that Carville is wildly out of his wheelhouse. it's not 1995 anymore and his talking points and perspective is very dated. he said a few things that are super easily refuted and although he's funny and kooky he isn't saying anything interesting or thought provoking. all of it is said every evening on MSNBC.
So disappointing. Where is hard hitting Bari? So much of what Carville blathered is just Dem talking points - astonishing that she didn’t push back, at all. What happened to our girl?
When leftist “interview” conservatives it becomes a debate, with the interviewer pushing all their ideological points. When leftists interview one of their own…giggles and agreement.