Democratic strategist James Carville didn’t hold back in a blistering interview with The Daily Beast, targeting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. He accused them of dragging the party down and labeled them unelectable.
“You know what they don’t do? Win elections,” Carville said. “All they do is impress other journalists. They never beat a Republican!”
He took aim at the duo’s popular “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, dismissing it as “counterproductive.” To Carville, the tour only reinforces the stereotype of Democrats as “old,” “coastal,” and “urban.”
“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.”
Carville even mocked their choice of language. Using words like “oligarchy,” he argued, alienates average voters. “Ninety percent of people in the country have no idea what they’re talking about.”
He criticized Democrats broadly for leaning into identity politics and niche language. “The more ‘identity,’ the more ‘pronoun’ you get, the more you try to use language that no one else uses,” he said.
Despite Carville’s frustration, AOC remains a rising voice in the party. She continues to shape early discussions around the Democratic Party’s future — and a possible 2028 presidential run.
Carville made clear he doesn’t think she’s the answer. “There’s a lot more to the Democratic Party than AOC and Bernie,” he said, urging the party to refocus on electability over ideology.