Happy Birthday James Carville. Now Retire.
This is a birthday card to James Carville, on a day when polls show most Americans rejecting the negative campaigns and the spin-mongering that he has been such a part of. The gift your countrymen and women bring you is an early retirement. Looking around at our country today, I'm happy to say your dubious services are no longer needed.
We all like to point fingers at Karl Rove and Lee Atwater and their ilk on the right, but goddamn if no single figure better embodies the ugly political stalemate of the past 20 years than you, Jimbo. During roughly the same period as your comfortable rise to political and cultural prominence, Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in a dysfuntional, co-dependednt relationship at the head of our national household. Your career arc parallels the unpleasant domestic drama this nation's family has been sucked into. The nasty pettiness has been going on for so long now that it's become as normalized as the air we breathe.
The meanness in our political life has left the whole extended family hooked on rage, taking sides in the country's custody battle and savaging each other in the process; or else numb and self-medicating with a raft-load of flat screen TVs and better-faster video games, disposable luxury items and McHomes we can't afford, all financed with easy credit as part of Mommy and Daddy's big irresponsible real estate Ponzi scheme. Everyone's either pissed off, numb, or both.
And now it turns out every last member of the family has to dig deep into their life savings to pay off Mommy and Daddy's debts, before the Chinese bookies and Saudi mob start leaning in a little too hard, before the whole American estate is in the hands of the repo man.
What does this unseemly relationship have to do with you, Mr. Ragin' Cajun? Well, you represent the whole shady deal, the anti-social contract; you literally have a compact with the enemy, sleeping every night with your bride, the Republican consultant and conservative media wheel-greaser Mary Matalin. Your mutual bank accounts have grown fat as you pad your resumes with the dumb show of political bashing and character assassination. Every time the discussion around the nation's dinner table turns ugly, and someone gets up and has to be restrained from taking a swing at Grandpa or little sis, your calculator registers another ka-ching. You're like Punch n' Judy, playing at a fight to pocket some coin, working both sides of the street. You're not loyal to any real ideas or values, just true to the Game, and the rewards to be reaped from playing it -- and us -- for all it's worth.
You came up in lockstep with the Democratic Leadership Council, the crowd that Bill Clinton chaired and which pushed the Democratic Party way to the right, watered down its natural affinity for human issues, and espoused a divisive and utilitarian politics of getting to 270 electoral votes while writing off half the country. In ceasing to talk to everyone, the Democratic brand came to look good to almost no one. The DLC was to the Party as New Coke was to the most popular brand of all time -- an ill-conceived rebranding effort that tasted like crap. And you were the National Head of Sales.
With Obama and Howard Dean ignoring your narrow tactics, and abandoning the DLC's pinched strategy, they have more states in play, more regions thinking about Democratic messages, more people engaged than ever. Suddenly, what's losing for the Republicans is the very way of doing business tat you have always espoused. The only thing that's been bipartisan is the dysfunction. But Obama and Dean have put a end to that, employing a 50-state strategy and talking to Joe the PLumber with respect and honesty, let the chips fall where they may. Now now the choice we face is between a Democratic politics of substance and respect, or a Republican brand stuck in the muck of distraction-and-destruction.
It looks from here like Americans are just plain fed up with the mean streak you and Mary and Karl and Lee and the rest of you have displayed in your Crossfires and your campaigns and all over the airwaves and the book tours.
You know, we couldn't help but notice that you didn't approve of the boyfriend that sis brought home this year -- maybe he seemed threatening because he wasn't like you, Big Daddy. Listen: Rage is no longer all the rage, dude. "It's the economy, stupid" is fine, unless people don't want to be stupid anymore. Some inspiring words and a steady hand, a combination of humility and big goals -- well, this Obama kid is just what we need around here. The house is a shambles, and we've got work to do. Serious people with patience and good will only need apply for what the American family has to deal with next.
Not your strong suits, you say? That's cool. So why not pack up the hounds and the wife and move to the mountains. You might find that you and Mary and all your spiritual kin have used up most of the nation's good will, as well as our wallets.
Happy Birthday, bud. Listen, Hillary and Chelsea can totally stay with us. But take Bill with you, OK -- you guys can get drunk and cuss and stuff.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Harsh. One hopes that the time for the likes of Carville are over, but I find it hard to muster hatred for a guy who finally put up a fight against the the mad-dog Rethugs. I mean, it gets pretty tiresome watching your candidates get beat up on, whimper in a corner, and lose.
Now Obama is uniquely positioned to win this year because of what he's running against, without having to fight dirty. But smear tactics and negative campaigning are as old as politics itself. So long as the vast majority of the electorate is willing to remain ignorant, such tactics will be required for a campaign victory in any election cycle when you're not running against Bush's legacy or an ascendant Cthulu.
Hillary Clintons is at least as 'mean' as James Carville.
Thank you for expressing something that's been nagging me this campaign season. Everytime he'd show up on the tube, I'd get an itch to change channels.
He's made his money - he can go away now, please.
I agree on JC and Mary. I can't respect either of them. How could they be married to each other if they really believe in their respective parties? And if they don't, what are they doing in their pundit roles?
I also can't stand to LOOK at them. They are so sour and nasty. They both look as if they had just eaten something really disagreeable that is about to make them puke.
Having lived with the fallout of the 29 State strategy in one of the 21 States that Carville and the DLC abandoned, I couldn't agree with you more.
Carville sold out 21 States and the voters that live in them, and while Clinton kept the White House, Democrats lost Congress to the Gengrich/DeLay Mafia.
I would further point out that the Rabid Cajun was suspiciously mute when his state was devastated by Hurricane Katrina AND the Bush Regime's deadly negligent lack of response. I also haven't heard much from him on the financial crisis that his wife and her party have been building toward for 30+ years.
I would further say to Mr. Carville, Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you!
See Pete Cenedella's Profile
Nicely said, and I couldn't agree with you more about Katrina.
As the writer states, James had his place and his time but it cannot be overlooked that he was one of the cheerleaders who stated that Barack could not be elected in this country - especially without Hillary. People need to wake up and realize that times change and people change and you can't continue going down the same path expecting a different result. This mindset is one of the primary reasons John McCain's campaign faltered from the beginning because they did not adjust for the mood of the country. They expected to come out and play "Bush" politics in an "Obama" time zone. Carville and Maitlin have made MILLIONS on the divide in America - I can see them at home plotting their next money move. Yet they overlooked the fact that their 'public' image differed from the fact that they were happily married in 'private' and it was that mood that countered everything they said and spoke. If they could live together as to minds coming together for the good of their household as one then why couldn't Americans achieve this same feat?
Barack states, that we are not a Black, White, Asian, Indian, Hispanic - Red States or Blue States of America but the United States of America. United being the key word. So for that we can thank James and Mary and now we are right in informing them that their services are no longer needed.
He's good for one-liners, but not much else.
Enough of this crap. I've always been a staunch Obama supporter and will continue to be. We went through a very bitter primary season and we've emerged united. James Carville was very instrumental in electing Bill Clinton. The agenda Bill Clinton pushed led to prosperity for most of the country. Carville was instrumental in that too.
During the presidential season, he's been the one democrat that has categorically taken on Sarah Palin from the start. He said she's uniquely unqualified for the VP post. Even Bill has been wavering in his support for Barack, but post the convention Carville has been clear on where he stands. Same thing with Begala.
I'll add that during the primaries, I couldn't stand Carville either, particularly because of how he singled out Bill Richardson. But primaries could get nasty and let's not forget that if Hillary didn't harsh out the Rev Wright and William Ayers stuff then, we would have been in a whole lot of doodoo now. Lastly, Carville was not a part of the Clinton campaign. Granted, he was a supporter, however not as vocal as Lanny Davis.
Bottomline, Carville has always been and will continue to be an asset to the Democratic party. The republicans got in trouble because they had a majority in congress and governed to the right. The democrats will be foolish to follow the same tact. You govern from left of center. Barack isn't a president for just democrats alone, but president of all Americans.
See Pete Cenedella's Profile
I appreciate your point of view, but respectfully disagree.
You mention two things in particular that I would like to address:
1) You say that Carville has been "the one democrat that has categorically taken on Sarah Palin from the start." Huh? Did you watch CNN's coverage the night Palin gave her debut speech at the Republican Convention? Carville's CNN colleague Roland Martin gave one of the most impassioned criticisms yet leveled against Palin, moments after her speech ended. See it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_X94Htpht4 There was plenty of criticism of Palin here on HuffPost and throughout the Netroots community.
2) You also talk about how instrumental Carville was in getting Clinton elected. IMO, nothing has set back the cause of the Democratic Party more than the DLC approach to campaigning and governance. Triangualtion, coopting the right's issues and making them your own -- whatever. Not a fan, and I never pulled the lever for Bill C, after he flew home on the eve of the NH primary in 92 to make sure that Ricky Ray Rector was executed. Inoculating himself to Williw Horton atacks, he sold any soul he might have had. Would NOT be surprised if ol' Jimbo advised him on that move.
I completely agree with your comment - Clinton's election was due in large part due to the excellent campaign that Carville ran in 1992, and if Clinton hadn't won it would just have been 4 more years of Bush senior followed by...Quayle? (granted, he probably wouldn't have been worse than Dubya, but hey). I do think things have moved on now, but it's not fair to denigrate Carville's past achievements because of that. I also don't think it's fair to use his private life (although I really don't like Mary Matalin) as evidence of his supposed lack of convictions
I love James Carville. I hope he never retires. He is funny, charming and so intelligent. Happy Birthday James!
Cathleen, I agree, but.....Every since he married the right-winger, Cheney worker, he has had the life sucked out of him. He is not the care-free, liberal James of old. Too bad, but it is true, love does strange things to people. Happy B-Day, James.
Finally, a soul-mate. Thank you so much for voicing the inner-angst of the XeKRaToR. Thought no one was going to channel for us out here in TV-Reality-Ville until just this moment. It's not just about Mr. Carvile however, the entire lexicon of debate has been gummy-beared into little more than a shouting-match and epithet hurling 3 ring circus of hate. Here's hoping for the tomorrow that we all dream of and have been led to believe was just around the corner if only that person was elected, what, for 13 billion evolution-years now?
Bravo!
I think we need some tough guys on our side . Maybe not this year , but its nice to have them in the bullpen. People like Susan Esterich who in 1988 ran possibly the worst campaign in history and now draws a pay check from Fox News , is not what we need . I supported Obama against Clinton but I'll always like and respect James Carville . He's a tough guy , and he's a winner .
I can't respect a man who has profited from books that swift boat Obama and has never publically denounced them. I tend to think that Carville is the past and we have other people to work with in the future.
I could not have said it better. Go away, James.
Wow Pete..I love you!
See Pete Cenedella's Profile
Well shucks... the feeling's mutual!
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
