Democratic strategist James Carville wants his party to win big in November — because a narrow victory could hand democratic socialists the keys.
The veteran operative told Bill Kristol on Bulwark on Sunday that he would actually prefer Republicans holding the House by five seats over Democrats winning by the same margin.
His concern: A small socialist faction could dictate terms to Democratic leaders.
“I would rather the Republicans keep the House by five than the Democrats to win by five because if that happens, they’re hostage to the DSA,” Carville said, according to Mediaite.
For House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Carville warned, that would mean paralysis.
“Like Hakeem cannot move. There’s no place for him to go.”
A Majority With Strings Attached
Carville’s warning comes as the Democratic Socialists of America works to turn primary victories into leverage on Capitol Hill.
The Wall Street Journal reported that DSA-backed candidates are coordinating to press Jeffries for policy concessions. Four of seven candidates interviewed either declined to commit to supporting him for speaker or said they wanted assurances first.
In a closely divided chamber, that could give a small bloc considerable bargaining power over Democratic leadership.
That is the scenario Carville fears: Democrats winning enough seats to take responsibility for governing, while leaving their leaders dependent on a faction pushing them further left.
“So, I think this is one of these races where margin matters a lot,” he told Kristol. “Margin is winning big, it’s almost as big as winning, which is weird, but yeah, it’s a nightmare, 225 [seats].”
Maher Sounds His Own Alarm
Carville is hardly the only prominent liberal raising concerns.
Bill Maher, the comedian and host of HBO’s Real Time, has warned that the Democratic Party’s direction could cost it his support.
In his July 31 monologue, Maher said his vote was “in play” if Democrats continued moving toward the DSA. He described the party as being “colonized” and argued that voters should take radical candidates’ stated positions seriously.
Maher’s objections went beyond campaign branding. He criticized proposals to eliminate police and prisons and overhaul the constitutional separation of powers, arguing that such ideas threaten institutions Americans depend on.
He also acknowledged that most Democratic politicians do not share those positions, while faulting the party for failing to confront the faction promoting them.
“I would vote for Sarah Palin before this shit,” Maher said.
Carville’s latest remarks bring that internal fight directly into the battle for Congress.
For Democrats, his warning is blunt: Winning the House could come with a price if the deciding votes belong to socialists determined to collect.
