The glory days of progressive idealism and electoral momentum are long gone—and the far-left “Squad” needs to accept that reality, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said recently.
Lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are remnants of a political era when President Donald Trump was struggling in the polls and still finding his footing in office. But any hope of recapturing that moment, Carville argued, is pure fantasy.
James Carville, the former Clinton strategist whose “triangulation” strategy helped establish Democratic dominance in Washington throughout the 1990s, has expressed dismay over what he sees as his party’s current direction—a departure from the good-government principles he championed, replaced by what he views as a hyper-woke, cancel-driven distortion of those values.
“You know what they don’t do? Win elections,” he told The Daily Beast regarding AOC and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who have teamed up to barnstorm the country on their “Fight Oligarchy” tour. “All they do is impress other journalists. They never beat a Republican!”
Carville knows the power of effective messaging firsthand, having played a key role in helping former President Bill Clinton defeat George H.W. Bush after just one term. His famous slogan—“It’s the economy, stupid”—captured Clinton’s laser focus on easing the financial burden on American families, especially after Bush reneged on his campaign promise not to raise taxes.
“Every time that you see a Democrat that is out there screaming and pounding the podium, ask yourself: ‘Have they ever beat a Republican?’” he said. Although Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has successfully held off Republican challengers in her solidly Democratic district, the broader concern remains: much of the progressive ideology she champions has become a liability for swing-district Democrats—those crucial to the party’s chances of reclaiming control of the U.S. House in 2026.
Sanders’ brand of politics, meanwhile, failed to carry him through the Democratic presidential primary, which ultimately favored the more moderate Joe Biden. His home state of Vermont remains a progressive stronghold where federal Republican candidates have virtually no path to victory.
Carville criticized Sanders and his allies for their cross-country travels by private jet, calling out the contradiction between their rhetoric and their lifestyle. “I’ve got a great idea,” he said sarcastically. “Let’s send an 83-year-old and a congresswoman from Queens out in the country.”
He even criticized the name of their tour. “Ninety percent of people in the country have no idea what they’re talking about,” Carville complained about their use of the term “oligarchy.” “And that’s a problem with Democrats particularly. The more ‘identity,’ the more ‘pronoun’ you get, the more you try to use language that no one else uses.”
