Carville condemns White House inaction, demands shakeup

[tcaudilllg]

Source: CNN

People often ask me what advice I would give the White House about various things. Today I was mulling over election results from New York and Nevada while thinking about that very question. What should the White House do now? One word came to mind: Panic.

We are far past sending out talking points. Do not attempt to dumb it down. We cannot stand any more explanations. Have you talked to any Democratic senators lately? I have. It's pretty damn clear they are not happy campers.

This is what I would say to President Barack Obama: The time has come to demand a plan of action that requires a complete change from the direction you are headed.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/14/opinion/carville-white-house-advice/index.html

---

Interesting... I'll bet Obama will face intraparty action if he doesn't shake up the government within the next two or three months (I'm betting two). What's particularly interesting is the coldness of this article, which shows that emotional distance is growing between national Democrats and the White House. These are people who may find themselves without a future in the Democratic Party if things don't change soon.

[HuckleB]

1. Obama gave in, but so did Dems in the House and Senate.

And now they're going to fight about it?

:mad: :grr: :banghead:

[rury]

12. President Obama compromised, not "gave in"

BECAUSE of the Democrats in congress.
The Rethuglikkkans were never going to support him, so he had to negotiate with the conservative members of his own party to pass any legislation.
And now the Democratic senators are "unhappy?"
Give me a damn break...
:rofl: :rofl:

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. This is an opinion column, and not a news article

It says it right there in the URL.

Indeed, the LBN rule is that you copy the headline directly, which you did not do.

Why is it that some people cannot follow the simple rules of the forum?

[tcaudilllg]

6. I disagree

This is breaking news. This is Bill Clinton's chief political adviser, an insider of insiders, giving Barack Obama one last chance to right his ship before the party insiders appoint a challenger. Read between the lines. If they think Obama's ship is sinking, they will not follow it all the way down to Davy Jones' locker. They think too much is at stake.

They won't risk Carter again. If the president is unresponsive, they'll dump him.

[rury]

13. It's wishful thinking on your part that "party insiders will appoint a

challenger."
Carville might be a loudmouth ragin' cajun and the ultimate PUMA, but he's not stupid.
He nor anyone else is is going to (try to) dump President Obama and risk losing 1/3 of the Democratic electorate (black voters) in the 2012 general election.
We will not vote Republican but we WILL stay home.
Believe me, we are taking notice of the fact that Obama is being treated like shit and judged much more harshly than any of the white presidents have been.
And we don't like it one bit!

[tcaudilllg]

18. We don't need an idiot's vote.

Whether we win or lose, this time we win. The only question is whether you will.

[dameocrat67]

57. your imgination since no white president has moved as far to the right

as him, you just never paid attention to politics enough to notice.

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. Obviously, the mods agreed

Whether it is "breaking news" in your estimation is not the standard for for LBN. LBN requires a news article, not an opinion piece. The rules also clearly state that you post the headline that went with the piece, which you didn't. The rules are easy to follow, so it's not clear why you couldn't. I'm glad my alert got the post moved to the correct forum, in any case.

[Jennicut]

27. Carville has since ceased being breaking news a long time ago.

The 90's were a long, long time ago. The guy has not been relevant in years and further more is a Repub lite. Not some liberal force to be reckoned with.

[dameocrat67]

56. lets hope so

and i hope they ditch the rubinites and the chicago gang with him.

[totodeinhere]

54. This topic is too important. Why nitpick over the rules when we are talking about the survival

of this Democratic administration?

[frazzled]

3. This advice from the guy who ...

had Bill Clinton propose nothing more than school uniforms in 1996? Thanks, James, but I think you need to pour yourself another julep and slip back under the covers.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Ya...what does Carville know?

Everything is just fine. Obama is doing almost nothing wrong. Everything is just hunky dory. No need to panic.

It's all under control...just ignore the poll numbers and election results.

[Freddie Stubbs]

63. Clinton won over 70% of the electoral vote that year

Perhaps Carville knows what he is talking about.

[chollybocker]

4. I wouldn't trust Carville with my house plants.

He and the Mrs. are village bubbleheads from the Bush-Clinton-Bush era. Oh, how they battled over Hillary in the primaries!

[Logical]

26. What do you disagree with that he said??? So you think things are GREAT? LOL

[chollybocker]

59. Yes; GREAT. I guess?

GREAT GREAT GREAT must be what you thought I meant.

[CakeGrrl]

5. Advice from the guy who wore Pumas to the Dem Convention.

Will take this with a pound of salt.

[No Elephants]

15. Not only wore them, but made sure everyone noticed.

KOS photo (above) Kos story http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/08/27/576454/-James-Carvilles-Shoes

[my2sense]

7. Strong language

"Demand" instead of "advise". Since when does anyone DEMAND the POTUS reshuffle his staff?

[tcaudilllg]

9. Wait and see.

Obama's going to get a talking to from somebody shortly.

How the mighty fall.

[FarLeftFist]

8. Fuck CNN altogether.

[CakeGrrl]

11. TeaNN, more appropriately these days. -nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. The wingnuts used to call CNN the Clinton News Network. A clock is right twice a day!

[iamthebandfanman]

14. while i agree with the notion,

carville can go play a long game of hide and go fuck himself.

[Mass]

21. +1000

[No Elephants]

16. "Quick, Wifey, tell your boss, Dick Cheney, that Kerry wants a recount in Iowa.

Married Republican advocate and strategist, Mary Matalin.

Betrayed Kerry and the rest of the Democrats in 2004

Whenever he and his wife are on talking head shows, supposedly each representing a side, acts the fool and clown

Made a show of wearing PUMAs (Party Unity, My Ass) to the Democratic convention when Obama was to be nominated formally

Makes a public statement like this.



Fifteen minutes of fame should have ended long ago for this masquerader

[tcaudilllg]

17. He can marry whomever the hell he wants

At least he's not getting unqualified praise for everything he does (like someone I've heard of).

[No Elephants]

19. That's a big ole straw person. Where did I say he couldn't marry Mary Matalin?

Point is, as a Democrat, one of the very last people I would choose to spend every day of the rest of my life with would be a Republican strategist, let alone one who would think working for Dick Cheney was okay.

The prospect of spending my life with Matalin (or her male counterpart) would turn my stomach, not turn me on.

Besides, that was only one of the points in my case against Carville.

I can be dissatisfied with what Obama is doing AND not swoon over Carville, just because Carville is criticizing Obama.

Imagine that.

[karynnj]

45. You wonder what else he shared with Mary during that election

Not only that, he and Begala whined constantly that Kerry was "ABB" and "not like Clinton". This when they were two of the few Democrats on TV.

Up until that point, I never heard ABX used in the general election, just the primary. It makes sense in the primary where you may have a few candidates from the same wing of the party who unite behind the strongest to stop the front runner. I mainly heard ABC, for both Carter in 1976 and Clinton in 1992 - and that might have been the expected dynamic ABC in 2008. On the Republican side, some have said it will come down to Mitt and a non-Mitt. Common though the terminology is, I have NEVER seen it either happen, much less work.

In the general election, it makes no sense - and it diminished Kerry that two top Democrats that people saw did not seem impressed by him. Seriously, Carville as late as March 2004, when Kerry was essentially the de facto nominee was still fantasizing that Kerry could fail and the convention would turn to the true Democratic savior - Hillary Clinton. I NEVER heard either of them ever speak of anything Kerry ever did - and he had plenty of accomplishments.

[Vinca]

20. I've always thought the POTUS must have the worst bunch

of advisors on the planet around him. It's as if we're living in one world and they're living in another.

[No Elephants]

22. The two Americas?

[Enthusiast]

58. Ain't that the damn truth.

I can't imagine where Obama is getting his exceedingly POOR advice. And I cannot fathom why he listens to it.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. Fuck you, Carville, and your ReTHUG, Dick Cheney-supporting wife!

Your candidate lost in 2008, fair and square. Get over it, PUMA asshole!!

[ellie]

28. Oh James,

while I liked your work during the Clinton administration, I find your judgement suspect because of your choice in spouses. Dump that repuke troll you are married to and we can talk. Until then, I will politely nod my head at your raving and dismiss it.

[cally]

29. Ouch! I finally agree with Carville about something

I went to bed thinking the President needs different voices. I'm so sick of the all male Chicago crowd. The President is so isolated and insular. We are in desparate need to turn this around. Get some help from the folks the Chicago crowd have made fun of for so long.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

39. Carville is making serious sense.

More of the same ol' same ol' is NOT going to work, for the country or O's reelection prospects. Heck, for the Dems in general. Anyone who is up for reelection in 2012 will have to deal with the blowback from the bad economy -- people are pissed and wil be voting their emotions and/or wallets. We could be looking at a disaster if things are not seriously improved before then.

[tcaudilllg]

60. 2 billion in tax cheats paid?

Well great job Barry, but maybe you should have waited until after the election to fix the government? As it is, you're coming close to handing it back to the same people who wasted it before.

What Obama needs to do is get tough with that sociopath of a speaker, and that crazy belligerent arse, Cantor.

[ProSense]

30. What

"3. Make a case like a Democrat. While we are going along with the Republican austerity garbage, who is making the case against it? It's not the Democrats!"

...an ass!

When he was making the case for drilling, was he being a Democrat?

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WI_DEM]

32. He will not be challenged in a primary. It's too late and the president is still

strongly supported by the party as a whole. It would destroy the Democratic party and hand somebody like Perry the keys to the White House. But what Obama has to do is keep the fire lit under the GOP and fight--don't give in--anymore.

[frazzled]

33. Here's why this is bull

Obama finally does something bold with the American Jobs Act (a new stimulus bill, in reality), and with the announcement of tax hikes to wealthy individuals and corporations to pay for it. And what does he get from his own loving party? A bunch of complaints and retrenchments about how they don't want to single out the oil and gas industry for punishment, and other assorted delays and hedges. And this for a bill that is estimated to create 1.3 to 2 million jobs and raise the GDP by 2 percent or more.

“I think the American people are very skeptical of big pieces of legislation,” Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said in an interview Wednesday, joining a growing chorus of Democrats who prefer an à la carte version of the bill despite White House resistance to that approach. “For that reason alone I think we should break it up.”

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has said he will put the bill on the legislative calendar but has declined to say when. He almost certainly will push the bill — which Mr. Obama urged Congress to pass “right now!” — until after his chamber’s recess at the end of the month;

Some are unhappy about the specific types of companies, particularly the oil industry, that would lose tax benefits. “I have said for months that I am not supporting a repeal of tax cuts for the oil industry unless there are other industries that contribute,” said Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana.

“I have serious questions about the level of spending that President Obama proposed,” said Senator Joe Manchin III, a Democrat from West Virginia, in a statement issued right after Mr. Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress last week.

Senator Kay Hagan declined on Wednesday to say her support for the bill that Mr. Obama spent the day promoting in her state was indubitable. “We’ve got to have legislation that is supported by Democrats and Republicans,” she said. “I’m going to have to look at it. “

Representative Heath Shuler, another North Carolina Democrat, said Congress should tame the deficit before approving new spending for job programs. “The most important thing is to get our fiscal house in order,” said Mr. Shuler, a leader of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition. “Then we can talk about other aspects of job creation.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/us/politics/democrats-in-congress-balking-at-obamas-jobs-bill.html?_r=1&hp

Let's stop pretending that all that Obama has to do is say this or push that to change the scenario. His own party is his worst enemy. They either drag their feet or fail to support what is proposed. They haven't been unified on a damned thing except the no-brainers since he took office. They pawn off their own deficiencies and political problems on him. The real problem with changing this is not this president as much as the current configuration of Congress--not just Republicans but Democrats too. Carville's doling out "advice" to the wrong people.

[ProSense]

35. Exactly. The

Progressive Caucus took the right approach.

[Harmony Blue]

41. The reason why we have seen this sudden shift

is because the pressure the "professional left" has been applying to the Obama administration. With that said, I disagree with Carville, not because he wears Pumas (very comfortable by the way), or because of his looks. But because it is too late to create a shake up, but I agree that Obama needs to surround himself with new advisers with his second term. Look no further than the Bush presidency to see how bad advisers can bring down a President.

[JoePhilly]

34. Did Mary let little Jimmy out again?

[GoCubsGo]

36. LOL! No kidding!

That's why it's hard to take stock in anything ol' Cueball says.

[vaberella]

37. Carville you Skeletor---why don't you go after the fuckin Repubs you're enabling. I hate this guy.

n/t

[In Jest]

38. Maybe Carville is trying to open the door for Hillary '16

He's never really been an Obamanite.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cali_Democrat]

42. Great post

I wish I could rec it.

[PurityOfEssence]

64. Thanks. I'd like to know by what convolution of the board rules it was censored.

There are real reasons why those of us on the left--and hardly that far out there, either--have major problems with our President, and cleansing the dialogue is not really a help.

[ProSense]

43. This

"You can't win a war without telling your people that the enemy is bad. The reactionaries tar him with every breath as a barbarian bent on bringing down the glories of civilization, and his response is to continually praise them and couch their policy failings as mistakes rather than deliberate abuse."

...reminds me of something.

It doesn't matter how many time Obama calls out Republicans. Some people will continue to claim that he doesn't.

Obama calls out GOP hypocrisy for going to ‘ribbon cuttings for the same projects that you voted against.’

President Obama: House Republicans wasted 'precious days' with Boehner plan

President Obama's Full Press Conference on the Debt Talks

Obama smacks Teahobbits using McCain's 2008 campaign slogan

Carville is an asshole. Why did he pick this time (after Obama's well-received speech, when the President is taking his case to the American people), to crawl out from under his rock to spew drivel?

[Sheepshank]

44. Carville lost any credibility long time ago, with idiotic incorrect presumputous rants against Obama

He is in no postion to demand anything from a cockroach, let alone Obama.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

48. I remember how hysterical he got over the BP oil spill

Not to minimize the harmful effect it had but he was acting like the whole thing was something that Obama could wave a magic wand and fix instantly (of course, that's been pretty much what he's been expected to since taking office but anyway.......)

[Sheepshank]

53. That was the first example that came to mind. n/t

[Whisp]

46. Gollum is an asshole

yeah, he's got all the right answers alright, fucking turncoat schmuck.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

47. Obama might not have much of a cabinet left

if he "panics" forces a bunch of people to leave his administration all of the sudden and the GOP's rampant obstructionism prevents him from replacing any cabinet members whom require Senate confirmation. At this point, the GOP is so jonesed up on obstructing anything Obama touches, they probably wouldn't even allow a confirmation vote for Hank Paulson for Secretary of the Treasury if Obama were to nominate him. :shrug:

Of course, Obama is way too smart to follow Carville's advice to "panic" because, after all, when you're panicking you tend to overlook things like GOP obstructing any and all of his replacement nominees. :eyes:

[tcaudilllg]

61. He needs to make the case to the American people that the Rethugs are destroying the government.

Instead he's just said, "they have a gun to the heads of these people I need to help." Be straight with them Barry: they intend to take us back to the Gilded Age.

[Jakes Progress]

49. Hey. Everybody. Don't worry. Ignore this.

Nothing is wrong. Everything is just fine. All the people who keep saying there is a problem are a bunch of poopie-heads. Oh, and they are all republicans and stuff. And they are so uncool.

So don't pay any attention to stuff. Lots of photo ops. Lots of pictures. Just don't worry.

[JNelson6563]

50. JNelson demands Carville pull his head out of his ass

I can't believe there's anyone out there who thinks what he has to say has any value.

Julie

[polichick]

51. First, anyone who could marry a Cheney enabler is suspect...

...but it does seem like something more drastic might be necessary.

imo the prez should fire all his chosen corporate whores and indict the war criminals and banksters.

[dennis4868]

52. Carville is the exact opposite of Obama....

Obama is calm and cooll about things and likes to conduct patience about a crisis and Carville wants action yesterday...I'll go with Obama who got himself elected president as a black man with a "funny name." Think the dude knows what he's doing. May not look great now but the Super Bowl is not today or tomorrow

[dameocrat67]

55. I am heartened a centrist like Carville has said this but obama

and most of his supporters are incapable of learning. They are ideologues themselves.

[watercolors]

62. Carville should just STFU!!! He is a joke.

[YellowCosmicSun]

65. Carville has no authority, much less sense, any longer. Get lost PUMA!

[quaker bill]

66. Carville

had one good idea in 1992 and he is still living off of it. Not bad work if you can get it, but enough already.

He dislikes Howard Dean because Dean had a much better idea in 2004, 2006, and 2008, and this threatens his only real claim to fame.

[fadedrose]

67. Carville always wanted Hillary to win...

and still does. I notice at DU that her supporters have NEVER given up on her getting the presidency...

I prefer Obama 1000 times over...

[AtomicKitten]

68. Is that the same James Carville that leaked the 2004 Kerry Ohio strategy to the Bush WH?

Fuck him and his demands.