Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed. ·
Sep 15, 2011 at 6:07am
The Democratic strategist James Carville offers his advice to the Obama administration:
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.
His specific advice includes firing someone ("No -- fire a lot of people."), indicting others, holding fast to an explanation and never again saying that things are improving since they're so obviously not.
So sounds like things are going great for Team Obama!
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May '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Sounds like Carville is busy laying the groundwork for a primary challenge by Hillary.
Edited on Sep 15, 2011 at 6:25amMar '11
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Maybe Hillary can get that reset button back from the Russians?
Mar '11
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
It appears that Rob Long is not the only one who thinks a shake up is in the offing....
Jan '11
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Joe Biden is tanned, rested and has hair plugs.
Aug '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
It's not like Chicago. They are finding out that spreading the moolah, sending over a couple of leg breakers (think Napolitano and Lisa Jackson) to deliver a message, or telegraphing threats through one or two of the unions works on a national level. Not for lack of trying though .
Why do you think Emmanuel and Axelrod have high-tailed back to the Windy City ?
Dey wuznt gettin any tracshun.
Aug '11
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Question: can he possibly change course here? Ever since his favorite economists assured him that Stimulus 1 worked and that we were out of the recession (you know, . . . more than two years ago) he's been saying that things are getting better. If he now insisted that things aren't getting better, how does he explain away two years of blowing sunshine up our collective posteriors?
Jun '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
That was always Stalin's problem too. His staff screwed up and had to be fired, or rather fired upon.
Oct '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
You can change the sheets on the bed, but the bedbugs will still be there drawing blood. Rotating out a bunch of inexperienced academics with another bunch of the same will not bring The One any closer to a win.
Dec '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
We're witnessing Total Implosion. Here's a happy thought: two of the worst American presidents will have presided in our lifetimes (most of us anyway).
How Democrats save some remnant of respectability and power is very tricky business. I still believe they will not, under any circumstances, primary Obama. I suspect he is viewed by most blacks as a nice, charismatic, talented, successful young man who has been victimized by circumstances and Republicans. The narrative is one with which they're personally familiar. The loss of black voters would reduce the party to near insignificance. If NY-9 is any indication, they're already at risk of losing the Jewish vote.
I still believe the best scenario for the Democrat(ic) Party is to convince Obama to decline to run for a second term, opening the door for Hillary (and others?) in a primary season. However, the timing is incredibly touchy. It has to be soon enough to form a strong consensus, presumably for Hillary, and yet not so early as to make Obama even weaker than he already is, as a lame duck.
The Republican response should be, "Obama is not the cause of our problems. Ideology is."
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Panic without a radical change of course will do no good, and a radical change of course is not in the offing. When he dust settles, proposing Stimulus Two -- which even the Democrats in the Senate oppose -- will be seen as a terrible misstep. This was Obama's last chance to recover the initiative. Had he picked up Paul Ryan's plan, he would have left us flummoxed. Now, I think, it is too late -- and, frankly, I am not sure that the man has ever been capable of pulling a Clinton. He is ignorant, self-righteous, vain, and inflexible. The elections in Nevada and New York City show what lies on the horizon.
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
I wonder if Obama isn't hoping that Congress votes his Stim II down. If it passes, of course it won't have any positive effect. If it doesn't pass, he can claim it would have solved all that ails us. ...
May '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I wonder if Obama isn't hoping that Congress votes his Stim II down. If it passes, of course it won't have any positive effect. If it doesn't pass, he can claim it would have solved all that ails us. ... · Sep 15 at 7:42am
That's Rush's take too. And Mark Belling's. It was never meant to pass. It was nothing more and nothing other than a cynical campaign ploy painting Republlican congress as obstructionist.
Jun '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Is there any more room under that bus?
Dec '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Forget Hillary - she's not going to primary him because the Clintons already know that 2012 is a lost cause for a Dem in the WH.
From a sheer laugh out loud, incredulous, watching a train wreck in slow motion perspective, wouldn't it be great to see a Dennis Kucinich vs. Ron Paul contest?
May '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Ouch. And folks, this is coming from the man who hedged when some of us tried to label FDR "stupid," insisting that he was "not a fool". If the judicious Paul Rahe says Obama is ignorant, self-righteous, vain, and inflexible, then I believe he is ignorant, self-righteous, vain and inflexible.
May '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Yes indeed, nothing conveys a sense of a well-reasoned assessment of recent history as a foundation for wisdom to guide future governance like panic.
Jul '11
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I wonder if Obama isn't hoping that Congress votes his Stim II down. If it passes, of course it won't have any positive effect. If it doesn't pass, he can claim it would have solved all that ails us. ... · Sep 15 at 7:42am
Daring congress to not pass the Son of Stimulus is a severe miscalculation because Obama has no credibility on this issue. Only his most partisan supporters defend the first stimulus; most people know it failed, and its failure is directly affecting millions of Americans. Congressional democrats understand this, which is why nobody bothered to introduce Obama's bill in the house.
Add to this the fact that the administration is utterly incompetent when it comes to politics or moving legislation. Thus the latest heavy handed Attackwatch. Or consider outsourcing all signature bills to congress, where they greased the wheels so thick they ended up in a political tar pit.
Obama is a Socialist, Chicago-style politician through and through; always has been, always will be, as demonstrated by this strategy. His biggest problem is that the American people know and the administration and media can't hide it anymore.
-E
May '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
The Great Adventure!: Forget Hillary - she's not going to primary him because the Clintons already know that 2012 is a lost cause for a Dem in the WH.
From a sheer laugh out loud, incredulous, watching a train wreck in slow motion perspective, wouldn't it be great to see a Dennis Kucinich vs. Ron Paul contest? · Sep 15 at 7:49am
Suppose Obama bows out, or is forced out, Nixon-like, by the party PTB? what then?
Aug '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
You gotta love a guy like James Carville, he is always smiling, always enjoying himself, and he is absolutely unabashed in his liberalism.
I don't agree with him, but at least he makes it fun.
"Republican austerity garbage" got my attention, then he went all in with:
"As I watch the Republican debates, I realize that we are on the brink of a crazy person running our nation. I sit in front of the television and shudder at the thought of one of these creationism-loving, global-warming-denying, immigration-bashing, Social-Security-cutting, clean-air-hating, mortality-fascinated, Wall-Street-protecting Republicans running my country".
That is exactly the kind if crazy talk we need to get Hillary off Elba and bring down the chaos.
Free Hillary!
Dec '10
Re: Carville: What Should White House Do? Panic.
katievs
The Great Adventure!: Forget Hillary - she's not going to primary him because the Clintons already know that 2012 is a lost cause for a Dem in the WH.
From a sheer laugh out loud, incredulous, watching a train wreck in slow motion perspective, wouldn't it be great to see a Dennis Kucinich vs. Ron Paul contest? · Sep 15 at 7:49am
Suppose Obama bows out, or is forced out, Nixon-like, by the party PTB? what then? · Sep 15 at 9:51am
I still think Hillary stays on the sideline. I truly think she's aiming at 2016. Maybe they put up Sheriff Joe, maybe Dirty Harry or some sacrificial lamb (a la Bob Dole), but I'm pretty sure the Clintons see 2012 as a losing proposition for a Dem WH.