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

[livesimply]

I suspect Carville doesn't know what he thinks or believes anymore.

[MaracaKabob]

James is going to have his own convention out back. Bring a milk crate to sit on and your own can of beans if you want to eat. There will be harsh words spoken, yet lots of laughs.
Fun for all.

[pkafin]

I'll be there with bells on.

[editorjuno]

Any comment from the spouse of the Jerome Corsi's publisher needs to be taken with a humongous chunk of NaCl -- Carville is the (only nominally) Dem version of everything that's wrong inside the Beltway.

[Destin]

For some reason they had alot of speakers that weren't even in the primetime lineup. I was wanting to see Amy Klobuchar speak, but she was already on before the primetime coverage began, and for whatever reason, the networks didn't carry anything prior to 7pm.

If the convention was "boring" or "unimpressive", blame the networks for showing Olympics style coverage, lol. They might as well had tape delayed it. But at least MSNBC showed some decent stuff, I finally settled on them after scanning around seeing what the others looked like.

[michie62]

cspan has it on uninterrupted, from gavel to gavel.

[Destin]

That's all fine and dandy, but C-SPAN was showing gavel to gavel propaganda coverage slamming Obama prior to it all starting. ;)

[SheriChardonnay]

see this is the Clinton camp plan...if they had come out negative they would have they are too negative. Clinton is doing everything to ensure a loss in nov. That is sad. That is why I will NEVER become a DEMONcrat!

[wdw101]

no they prefer demon-crats

[Tom95134]

Carville's major issue with what is going on is that he's on the outside looking in. His wife, Mary Matalin, is in the thick of things with the Republicans and poor old James has been put out to pasture by the Democrats. SOUR GRAPES!

[SheriChardonnay]

thats true as well...so b/c they cant control it they will destroy it!

[lisasolodwarren]

Will someone please shut Carville up? He's pissed because his girl did not make it and he has way too much air time to whine.

[Thucydides Jr.]

And that the book his wife published and called "scholarship" is being planned for the steaming pile it is.

I imagine she also thinks The Cat in the Hat is a research article.

[ThinkingCap]

If you stop and take a review of who is criticizing the DNC about Day 1 event, they are the ones who were supporting HRC and now sitting on the sideline.

Times for the negativity need to stop. Those are the ones who have been stating that BO needs to ID himself to the American people. The people do not know him.

I feel that was the agenda of Day 1, not attacking the McSame and our non-leader B--- administration.

Carville acted just like the RNC and it dogs on FoxNews. I would not trust Carville as far as I can see him.

[ManWithLantern]

The convention is NOT for the Dems quiet as this is kept.
The convention is for all those UNCOMMITTED voters and the trailer-dwellers who may be watching/.
If the Dems keep this as a nice house celebration with nice words, the uncommited and the anti-Obama forces will be handed a victory inspite of the war, the economy, etc.
We WILL blow this again it seems!

[Sonny James]

9:30 (EST) was 6:30 (PST).

Why not give the folks in California a chance to get home from work, relax and enjoy the show?

And if that time is too late for you, why not record that segment...­rather than complain.

In other words, you are not that important.

[TrevorAlan]

The convention is not perfect but Carville has shown himself to be pretty narcissistic; in the past, a good Democratic counterpoint to Rove but still rather annoying.

I agree that Dems need to go on a sharp attack against McCain, but the convention must show positive messages about what GOOD things Dems are FOR. The GOP convention will doubtlessly be an attempt to scare everybody, but we need to show some reasons to vote FOR us.

[armadillious2002]

Hey for Christ's sake - can you have much stock in somebody who is married to Mary Mattilin?

[Agent007]

It is interesting to see the hostility against Carville. Was there such hostility existing before he supported Hillary this time? Carville is a loyal Democrat and has had proven success in helping a Democratic President get elected in the face of the also tough Republican attack machine. Maybe he is not always right, but I think he understands the electorate pretty well, and Obama supporters should have a little more respect for him. Apparently he is too moderate for the tastes of Obama supporters. As someone who has previously only voted Democrat for president, and that had supported Hillary, I am personally still open-minded and undecided about this election. However, I can tell you that the way Obama supporters try and tear down a guy like Carville who has always been a good Democrat makes me feel more disconnected from the values of other Obama supporters, and ultimately Obama. Carville is a good man with good intentions, and until Democrats on the far left can seek to have a bigger tent party and respect more diversity in views, then Obama will lose.

[Dlukes]

Ok Carville your cover has been blown. We know your Agent 007. HA!

[UrbanRevolution]

I simply don't like him because he looks like Lord Voldermort

[Tom95134]

Carville is a "My way or the Highway" personality. Since he's on the outside looking in he's decided he'll piss into the tent this year and hope that in 2012 Hillary will make another run.

[treklady]

You must earn respect to get respect, at one time he was respected not so much now. If James is a "loyal" Democrat as you call him then he should stop criticizing other Democrats, he may have proved his success getting Bill elected but I had serious doubts about him after marrying Mary, politics certainly does make strange bedfellows, but he sounds more like her then a "loyal" Democrat. Basing your vote on what supporters of O say is a sad day indeed, it should not matter one iota what O supporters say about a Democrat like James, or a republican like James, they are entitled to their opinion just like you are, but to come this far in this election and not be sure who you'll vote for and then base it on what is said about James, YIKES!

[eveready]

Take his comments on their merit. Michelle's speach was about nothing but PR that attempted to mitigate the criticisms concerning her somewhat objectionable posturing. So she's a mommy and she has adorable kids, blah ,blah, blah. It is directed at the dimwitted masses who are incapable of thinking past their emotions. No substance, all BS.

[boogygran]

The DNC thanks you for your helpful critique of the speech by our next First Lady....
None of the convention attendees seemed to find anything objectionable about her or her speech at all.....

O'bama - B'iden in '08 and '12 Go Democrats

[WeMustChange]

CSPAN has the best coverage of the Democratic Convention!

Coming soon is www.wemustchange.org

[Dlukes]

I will check out CSPAN- Thanks.

[VillageGreen]

Agree with you about CSPAN -- it is such a pleasant experience watching the stage without the usual pundits telling us what to think.

[nunzia]

The ONLY channel I watch for this kind of thing. I realized years ago that I don't need some silly overpaid talking head telling me how I should interpret what I just heard.

[loucreattie]

Yes I agree. CSPAN was great. In the times I wanted to hear what others were saying I was checking out MSNBC. If you dont want to deal with anyone CSPAN is the one to watch. Thats for sure.

[naschkatze]

Boycott CNN. Someone said that MSNBC was pretty good, but C-Span is the best. No breaks of any kind, commercials or the "wisdom" of petty minds like Carville, Begala, Gergen and all their ilk on CNN. You get an uninterrupted view on C-Span and can form your own opinions.

[wdw101]

i don't watch those channels anyway too liberal

[loucreattie]

You mean people who think instead of follow.

[jsinclair]

MSNBC is definitely better than the unwatchable CNN. But iit was funny to turn on yesterday and find them broadcasting a mile from the convention (!) in front of a (tiny) group of "protesters". How contrived and irrelevant was that?

When Matthews started pontificating about a "Democratic civil war" (between the 20 "pro-Hillary anti Obama" protesters and the 20 "pro-Hillary pro Obama" counter-protesters, I dropped him an email saying, "Howard Dean gaveled the convention to order half an hour ago. Why is MSNBC a mile away, photographing the lunatic fringe?"

I love Olberman and Maddow (her comments to Pat Buchanon about his "culture wars" speech in 1992 were pretty gutsy last night), but C-SPAN is the best because they lack the right-wing idiots that the MSM feels obligated to inflict on us..

[leftoflennon]

CNN was infuriating.

C SPAN and PBS