James Carville

Carville: If Hillary Gave Obama One Of Her Balls, 'He'd Have Two'

Eric Lach | November 18, 2010, 2:26PM

Democratic strategist James Carville

Via Tribune reporter Mike Memoli on Twitter comes a colorful line from Democratic strategist James Carville:

"If Hillary gave up one of her balls and gave it to Obama, he'd have two."

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DE-SEN

From Affleck To Al Franken, How Christine O'Donnell Capitalized On Her Star Power

Christina Bellantoni | October 5, 2010, 1:41PM

Christine O'Donnell with Ben Affleck (inset)

When she ran for Senate in 2006, Christine O'Donnell made sure the first line of her bio page indicated she was on the verge of celebrity:

Ben Affleck called her sassy.

Al Franken described her as "the girl you hate to love."

In her 2008 campaign bio, she went with a similar theme:

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James Carville

Blame Games: Dems Give Up On Economy After Weeks Of GOP Obstruction

Brian Beutler | July 14, 2010, 3:46PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

It was a Democrat -- James Carville -- who coined the phrase "it's the economy, stupid." And to this day, leading Democrats understand that Carville was correct. They get it all the way down to their trembling bones. They'd love to take dramatic steps to improve the economy, but Republicans are using every tool at their disposal to prevent that. It's led Democrats to blame Republicans explicitly for causing Americans economic pain for short-term political gain, but it also means we're not going to see much in the way of economy-improving legislation in the months ahead.

"They think the worse the economy is come November, the better they're going to do election wise," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at a press conference this morning.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) echoed that analysis last month on a conference call with reporters.

"If [the GOP] can stop the recovery from occurring, if they can create as much pain as possible, people will be angry and will not vote at all or will vote against those in the majority," she implored.

With Republicans pushing for tax cuts for the rich and blocking unemployment benefits, you can see where they're coming from. And yet, with unemployment hovering near 10 percent, and a midterm election threatening to sweep them out of power on Capitol Hill, Democrats are trapped and running out of time.

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AR-SEN

James Carville Pens Fundraising E-mail For Blanche Lincoln

Eric Kleefeld | March 23, 2010, 11:35AM

Democratic strategist James Carville and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who is being challenged from the left in her Democratic primary, has a big Democratic name coming to her aide: Former Bill Clinton campaign strategist and current political pundit James Carville, who has written a fundraising e-mail for the incumbent's campaign.

"When I lived in Arkansas during President Clinton's campaign, I learned a lot about the Arkansas spirit. Blanche is an Arkansan through and through - and as you and I both know, Arkansans don't quit, even when the going gets tough. Blanche Lincoln is the real deal," the Ragin' Cajun says in the e-mail. "I've watched her stand face to face with Presidents and leaders from both parties and tell them they were wrong when their proposals didn't benefit Arkansas. She's been standing up for you, but let me tell you, there has never been a better time to stand with her."

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