Democratic strategist James Carville said during a Thursday podcast that he was in San Francisco instructing numerous party donors that “stunts” are not an effective way to combat President Donald Trump.
On “Lunch with Jamie,” Carville pointed to Democrats’ behavior during Trump’s March 4 congressional address, where Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green interrupted the speech and numerous lawmakers held up signs. Carville suggested the party’s approach lacked dignity and was not suited for the moment.
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“As we speak, I’m in San Francisco with a lot of Democratic donors. And I’m telling them the last thing we want is throwing our hands in the air, screaming, protesting or anything like that,” Carville said. “This is a critical time in the history of the country. I’m 80 years old. I have never, ever been not close to as afraid for the country as I am now.”
“And I think the Democrats — we act like it. I think we should be determined, we should be dignified, okay? And that’s got to guide how we do this,” he continued. “This is not the time for stunts, it really isn’t … I always say Carville’s first commandment of politics is: ‘Thou shalt not make an ass out of thyself.’ And people ought to keep that in mind.”
Carville told Fox News Digital in an interview published Friday that Democrats face pressure from donors who “demand” they take action against Trump.
“I think we’re at a very perilous moment in the country. I really do. I think it might go the wrong way. And what I think Democrats should do is act like it’s a very grave situation,” he said. “And, I know that they get donors that call them and demand something.”
Pollster Frank Luntz said on March 6 that voters detested Democrats’ conduct at Trump’s congressional address.
“The viewers really dislike[d] [it]. They saw this performance art. They saw it as a bad form of opposition,” Luntz said.
“And in fact, what they decided to do with those paddles, what they decided to do with Congressman Green, was absolutely abhorrent to voters,” he added.
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS on the night of Trump’s speech found that 80% of the viewing audience believed Green’s interruption was “inappropriate.”
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