James Carville Rips First Night Of Dem Convention

As the convention wound down to a close Monday evening, the Republican National Committee blasted out video of ex-Clinton strategist James Carville slighting the night's festivities. "If this party has a message," he said on CNN, "it's done a hell of a job hiding it tonight, I promise you that."

Pundits and analysts kicked around similar concerns, wondering whether the convention was too positive and not tough enough on John McCain and the Republicans.

My take: given the coordinated efforts to paint Michelle Obama as the angriest woman in America, the program on her night had to be positive. Not only her speech, but her lead-ins. Thus the love-in. Does anyone think that Hillary Clinton's night won't boast some sharper contrasts?

I emailed strategist and CNN talker Alex Castellanos to get his view. "I think tonight was fine," he wrote. "Tonight was defense, [meant to] fix the problems and open the door to Barack Obama for voters, so that tomorrow night they can start herding the voters through it with sharper attacks."

Castellanos offered another explanation for Monday's positive tone: the Kennedy moment. "It was important because it transferred to Obama the moral leadership of the Democratic Party, which the Kennedys -- not Clinton -- hold."

And it appears the conservative strategist was not totally resistant to Michelle Obama's charms, either, adding that she "may have helped a bit."

Comments

[PoliJunkie]

The Crypt Keeper has spoken, now there!!!!

[oboyo]

I am sick of Democrats attacking Democrats! Republicans never do that. Carville needs to attack McCain... And stop doing the GOPs work for them.

[brizzle]

Republicans never attack Republicans?

Um, were you alive during the 2000 race? Do you not remember George Bush attacking John McCain in South Carolina, thus shifting the election in his favor after these massive, despicable attacks?

You should either read more history or speak in fewer generalizations. You sound ignorant.

[going2ireland]

James Carville is nothing more than a boil on my backside.

[solarflares]

Hey, anybody who invented the Fudgie the Whale cake isn't all THAT bad.

[Pragmatus]

The opinion of every hack-hasbe­en-wannabe political figure does not constitute news. Who gives a rat's *ss what James Carville thinks? If I want the idiot's view of the world I can always just listen to my crabby neighbor rant.

It is typical of the mainstream media to wander around in a dither, seizing upon anything in hopes they can push it into some vague semblance of a news item.

[MDinOK]

No matter what Obama does he is always criticized by the media. He's doomed if he does and doomed if he doesn't! I just wish the media would just report the news and not opinion!

James Carville looked liked an impatient clown last night. If he were so upset, I'm sure he could have found something negative to say about McCain.

[YunekFlava]

Carville is he's taking shots because he's not involved in any way with the Obama's winning campaign or an inspiring convention. He has not been asked his opinion on anything, because of his unnessary attack on Richardson. He is conspiring with his botox wife to obstruct Obama's campaign and downplay this convention, and he's upset that the Dems have trashed his wife because of her involment with that Corsi trash. He lost his cred with the rank and file Dems a long time ago and he's the only one that doesn't know it.

I keep my television on close caption, and when someone has something of substance to say, I turn it up. Plain and simple, to walk around with James Carville's whinny voice in my head spewing crap is not going to happen. Reading anything he has to say is quite enough for me.

[gifu]

Sucks to be on the sidelines, huh, Jimmy. Keep on casting those stones......

[neocon666]

Carvelle is just pissed off that the Obama camp isn't naive enough to use him on their campain so he can siphon information over to his wife.

[mafina]

Carville is simply envious of Obama's strategists. Just imagine when he was in the Clinton campaign, he was touted as the so-called machine behind Clinton's campaign success. Now the younger group in Obama's campaign have surpassed the level of organization put forth by the Clinton or subsequent campaigns. Carville was not consulted, he feels left out of the game and look what happened when he tried to use the same tools for HRC's campaign, it failed miserably. Carville is nothing but a swamp bug looking for air.

[MDinOK]

I can't believe Laryy King had 4 conservatives on his show last night asking for their opinion concerning the convention. I know FOX news won't do the same when the GOP convention begins. I guess CNN (Copy Network News) is desperate to increase their ratings to compete with FOX.

[mesmerize]

I am not surprized some people would find something negative to say about that night because they hate the Obamas. These people are so predictable. Watch how good the response is going to be when Hillary and Bill Clinton speak on their day. They will get rave reviews from Funks news and the rest of the Obama haters just to stir up trouble within the Democratic party. As for PUMA and the other Hillary supporters they hate Senator Obama more than they like Hillary. I hate to burst Hillarys bubble, but some of those 18 million votes she received were really votes against Senator Obama and not really for her.

[YunekFlava]

Write on!

[banats]

On GMA, Carville said that Michelle Obama was "superb." Give me a break.

[WillNYC]

I guess the letters to CNN got to him....

[DRaymond]

If the democrats had positioned this as a four-day attack ad againg McCain viewers would have tuned out by the middle of the first day.

Carville is annoyed that he is not running the show anymore but gets to be a second tier commentator on CNN

And I angre Seth, that the goal here was to blunt the idea that Michellw was the 'angry black woman' and that Obama was 'elitist'.

Nobody, least of all moderates and conservatives, wants the first lady to ba an attack dog.

[mnash]

I understand that JM has an running in some states about O's two little girls. The text of the ad is here on HP but no video. What a shame!!!!!

[myxtiplk]

AMEN - John Kerry tried to be nice and look what happened to him. WE MUST respond to John McCain's smear ads.

[YunekFlava]

Why doesn't Carville be the good Dem, and attack JM? Because he's not the good Dem, that's why.

[oakroadsteve]

There is a rather large landscape with which to smear. His wife hates our country. His friends are terrorists. His Reverend is a very divisive human being. All Obama can do is make nice speaches. The American people are starting to wake up unfortunately.

[pkafin]

"The American people are starting to wake up unfortunately." Unfortunate for folks who spout the nonsense that you just posted.

Since this waking up has begun, nobody actually believes anymore that Michelle hates America. No one thinks that Obama's friends are terrorists. The right wingers who spout this stuff don't even believe it.

It's just that the winning strategy for Republicans has been to repeat a talking point over and over and over again until it seems that it must be true (because, Oakroadsteve, what kind of idiot would repeat something over and over and over again if it weren't).

It is a well documented Rovian technique that has seen it's day in the sun. The fact that the supremely shameful swift boating of Kerry was ultimately successful was the last straw for many Americans; especially for the many who bought it and have since had buyers remorse.

Your either a spouter who knows that what you are saying is nonsense in the hopes that it effects someone else who doesn't know better, or you are one of the last few, and increasingly irrelevant, fools who buy this stuff hook line and sinker.

Care to share with us which one you are?

[angryveteran]

Obama supporters can't keep getting upset everytime a democrat says something negative about Obama or his campaign. Democrats should be proud that they're not talking head, talking point robots like Republicans. Instead, they can disagree on a small point and know their point will be considered before moving on. I mean how many of us have republican friends who everytime you back them in a corner, bring up Clinton and his failings as a husband (as if Republican men sleeping with men and boys is any better).

So, with that said, Carville has a point, Monday night was 'soft' but I enjoyed it. I thought Pelosi got in some good belly shots early but I like the idea of starting off by emotionally pulling the heart strings, then taking the gloves off and pouncing on Republicans like they hit your mama, then bringing in Obama at the end to ensure that your mama will be protected as long as he's president. So, give Carville a break, he's a loyal foot soldier ... foot soldiers need love to.

[Lynette]

I can't understand what he is saying half the time. We need to make sure that public education is preserved, especially English Lit. Also, the point is not always to be so darn negative. Get it, the world is passing us by because of our refusal to get along with each other. America the divided, not the united. We are loosing in education, healthcare, jobs, trade...you name it, it's probably being done and made somewhere other than the US. Carville, wants they to trash McCain, how about lifting up some people who have had a hard time!!! I thought the first night was excellent, and a step above the trash talk that Carville expected. He needs to get his mind out of the gutter, take off his glasses and get a better pair, so he can see the world is passing America by, one year at a time.