A second conversation with James Carville

Snakehead ties up some loose ends

Sean Illing

It was great to talk to you the other day, James, about how wokeness and “faculty lounge bullshit” is ruining the Democratic Party, and how the Republicans are using AOC and Vice-President Harris to win votes. And it was also great to hear from your publicist that you wanted to sit down with me again. It was also a surprise! What do you feel we didn’t cover last time?

James Carville

Well first of all I been hearing some smart-asses and pseudo-intellectuals say, what’s ol’ Snakehead doing, is he trying to get a job or what. Well, I don’t need a job, I make enough money helping out in countries where democracy needs a hand, you know, like I did against Chavez’ people in Venezuela and for that fella from the World Bank in Afghanistan. Some folks say we took our lumps there, but I say just wait and see. And some of ‘em are sayin’, too, James don’t know what he’s talking about, he said the Democrats were getting too left-wing a year ago and now look, Joe Biden is President, and he ain’t no Bernie Sanders so what the hell is he talkin’ about.

Listen, this ain’t my first bite of the mudbug. I know you can get lucky in politics but you can only stay lucky so long. Joe Biden’s alright, he knows what he’s doing, but we got a bunch of pissants running around talking this “woke” shit and it’s gonna get us knocked on our ass.

Sean Illing

Who specifically is “talking ‘woke’ shit”?

James Carville

Well, now, I don’t want to get into personalities.

Sean Illing

What about Stacey Abrams? Is she part of the problem?

James Carville

Lemme ask you something. You ever been to Georgia? They got these good ol’ boys there, they hang out at the fillin’ station or the depot or the trailer park, drinkin’ shine, dippin’ snuff, big ol’ Confederate flag on their garage, and they see this big black lady with them curls in her hair, now, what you think is goin’ through their minds?

Sean Illing

What, because she’s black, or —

James Carville

That’s got nothin’ to do with it! You tryin’ to make me out to be some kind of racist?

Sean Illing

No, James, I —

James Carville

Maybe you’re one o’ them woke sons-a-bitches yo’self.

Sean Illing

Then what is Stacey Abrams saying or doing that’s a problem? Can you identify —

James Carville

See, this is the problem with you college boys. You talk about politics like it’s some damn intellectual exercise, like it matters what people say about this and that. It’s emotion you gotta hit ‘em with. You gotta hit ‘em with the kitchen table! Joe Biden give you $1,400, what did Mitch McConnell give you? Huh? You can’t be talkin’ about racist this and racist that, transgenders and intersections and whatnot. You give ‘em jobs, the flag, and the kitchen table. That’s how you win in Georgia, and that’s how you beat Mitch McConnell.

Sean Illing

Stacey Abrams just helped elect a black senator and a Jewish senator in Georgia. In Kentucky Democrats ran a moderate combat veteran against Mitch McConnell and she lost by 19 points.

James Carville

Somebody put wasps in your Wheaties, boy? Listen, sometimes lightning strikes. A weathervane ain’t no good in a hailstorm. See what I mean? But lemme tell you, you go around saying the police are killin’ black people, you’re just gonna get kicked in the ass. In fact you gotta show you’re against that kind of talk. What you do is, you find someone talkin’ that shit and you make an example of ‘em. Tell everybody how that ain’t what the Democratic Party is all about, that you totally reject it. Like that girl who wrote the 1916 or the 1619 or whatever it is that says America’s racist.

Sean Illing

Nikole Hannah-Jones.

James Carville

That’s the one. And it’s good she got a kinda exotic name people can remember. You gotta hit ‘em where they live.

Sean Illing

James, have you thought about what black Democratic voters will think about this?

James Carville

Well, Sean, my grandpappy used to tell me, you gotta go huntin’ where the ducks are.

Sean Illing

I'm not even going to ask. To close, if you could get Joe Biden to do just one thing right now, what would it be?

James Carville

Replace Kamala Harris with Joe Lieberman. I talked to him yesterday and he’s ready to go. I tell you what, a whole lot of real Americans would sleep a whole lot better. And politics is the art of the possible.