Truer words have never been spoken

“Sometimes the problem with being a Democrat is being a Democrat."

- James Carville, political strategist, 2005

We've a confession. We like James Carville. No really.

True, he helped elect and re-elect Bill Clinton. That's a lot to atone for, and Carville has yet to show any remorse for it. But that's irrelevant to our discussion: we like James Carville because he is one of the few national Democrats with any sense of a consistent philosophy, and one of fewer still who have a sense of humor.

We also believe that the private Carville is a decent human being (which would explain what his wife, Mary, sees in him). People forget that he was the architect of the successful gubernatorial campaigns of the late Bob Casey (Pennsylvania) and Zell Miller (Georgia). Both happened to be pro-life, positive Democrats.

Carville uttered the "trouble with ..." statement last night at Northwestern University, and within his talk was a lot of great advice. He meant it for Democrats, of course. Whether they'll listen is a problem these days, obviously.

Democrats, he said, too often sound like their reciting a litany, or creed, rather than telling compelling stories.

... Carville told the audience that Democratic candidates can’t succeed by shouting out to every group in a crowd. Instead candidates should tell stories with the three elements of any good story — setup, conflict and resolution.

“No Kumbayah crap,” Carville said.
...

In addition to breaking away from a laundry list of special interests, Carville said, Democrats need to learn that a candidate who can’t campaign can’t succeed.

“If you’re not competent in campaigns, you don’t have a chance to be competent in government,” he said.

Naturally, he singled out Al Gore as his paradigm of campaign incompetency. He also suggested that Democrats should quit taking on all causes, no matter how small the constituency, because it leads to special interest gridlock.

... Democrats just can’t say “no” to causes from gay rights to abortion to the poor. “Sometimes the problem with being a Democrat is being a Democrat,” he said.

Like we said, good advice. Too bad his advice will be ignored.