Democratic strategist James Carville and Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg sparred over the best strategy to help the party win elections in a heated debate on Wednesday.
Tensions between the two began weeks earlier when Hogg announced plans to spend $20 million through his political organization Leaders We Deserve to primary-challenge older Democrats in blue districts. Democrats were split on this strategy, with some anonymous committee members calling out Hogg for spending money on Democratic primaries over beating Republicans.
Carville attacked Hogg’s plan as the “most insane thing” he’d ever heard and questioned whether he was breaching his “fiduciary duty” as a party head.
“Does he really think the problem that we‘re facing in the United States today is because we got 65-year-old Democrats in office? Why don’t you take on a Republican? That‘s your job,” Carville asserted on CNN.
JAMES CARVILLE SAYS DEMOCRATS NEED TO STOP LETTING BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC DEFINE THE PARTY
He also referred to Hogg as a “contemptible little twerp” in a comment on NewsNation, which Hogg responded to on CNN shortly afterward.
“Carville believes in a politics of being timid, of hiding. I believe in fighting, and that is what people want to see right now from the Democratic Party,” Hogg said.
The two finally met to hash out their differences on “The Tara Palmeri Show” on Wednesday. When the topic of Hogg’s primary plan came up, Carville criticized it as “abominable” and “jacka–ery of the highest level” for prioritizing pushing out Democrats over beating Republicans. Hogg shot back that the party is capable of both.
“You have to understand the nuance here—” Hogg said.
“I don’t,” Carville interrupted as the two began talking over each other. “There’s no nuance to it. It’s just flat-out wrong. That’s money that could be used to beat Republicans to beat Democrats.”
“Here’s the deal, James,” Hogg asked. “What is your plan to deal with our abominable approval rating?”
“Win elections!” Carville shouted. “Win elections, you see, against Republicans.”
He added, “You want my strategy? It’s to win elections. It’s not to win an election in Queens which you don’t ever run against a Republican. It’s to help Democrats win elections.”
Hogg and Carville ultimately came together on the desire to “elect the best Democrat possible” and the party’s problem with reaching male voters. Both also criticized former President Joe Biden for refusing to drop out of the 2024 presidential race until July.
In an X post after the podcast aired, Carville clarified that he still supported Hogg and that the DNC “needs him.”
“Just called @DavidHogg111. He reminded me of the story of, after the battle of Shiloh, Henry Halleck urged President Lincoln to fire Ulysses Grant. Lincoln said: ‘I can’t fire him. This man fights.’ David Hogg fights. The DNC needs him,” Carville wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin recently criticized Hogg’s strategy in a conference call last week.
DAVID HOGG AND EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL SPAR IN FIERY CLASH OVER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION
“I’ve said to him, if you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time,” Martin said.
“It’s important for us to maintain the trust that we have built with Democratic voters and to keep our thumb off the scale as party officers,” Martin added.
Read the full article here