On Monday, top Democrat strategist James Carville, who served as the head political adviser for former President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, said that President Biden needs to “get out the way” and let someone else be the party’s nominee for the 2024 election.
Carville made his comments during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper while discussing Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week against former President Trump.
“We have a country that 72 percent want something different,” he said. “If the Democratic Party can’t produce something different that 72 percent of people want, then why do we exist? What are we here for? I mean, the country is clamoring for change and what are we going to offer them? The same stuff? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t take any pleasure in this,” he added. “I’m going to be 80 in October. You can’t fight this stuff. It’s just there.”
When asked what Democrats should do, Carville responded, “Something different. I don’t know. It’ll be messy. It’ll be — it’ll be a mess. You know, that’s where change is. But if the Democratic Party is so committed to the status quo, and so committed to sticking with something that three-quarters of the country doesn’t want, then we have to say, ‘why do we exist? What are we here for?’”
“If we can’t bring something that people want, I have to doubt our rationale for being here,” he said. “I really do.”
He went on to say that Democrats should not be fighting the “inevitable desire” to replace Biden on the ticket. He added that the excuses Biden’s team made for his poor debate performance were “nonsense.”