Carville: Four Words Can Save the Democrats

James Carville writes that his Democratic Party "is in shambles" and on the brink of a necessary "civilized civil war." In his New York Times essay, he writes that the party needs a savior—but that no such savior can emerge until after the 2026 midterms. Until then, Democrats should stay unified to win as many seats as possible to pave the way for real change under a 2028 president, he writes. To help on that front, Carville suggests a four-word mantra that he says every Democratic candidate should be using:

• "We demand a repeal."

The reference is to President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which Carville calls "big, steaming doggy nugget of epic proportion, contemptible to a vast majority of the nation." Democrats have a gimme here on issues such as Medicaid cuts, the exploding deficit, and a boost in military spending that will lead to "endless wars," he writes. The man famous for coining the succinct political mantra of "It's the economy, stupid" argues that "we demand a repeal" is the new way forward. "We've never had a simpler, more unifying oppositional message." Read his full op-ed.