Political strategist and commentator James Carville has blasted woke Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for using ‘elitist jargon’ that will cost them the 2028 presidential election.
The longtime Democratic Party guru, famed for helping Bill Clinton win the White House, warned Tuesday that far-left buzzwords like ‘equity,’ ‘intersectionality,’ and ‘generational change’ are doing more harm than good at the ballot box.
‘Don’t use “generational change,” because there are a lot of people that are older,’ Carville said on his Politics War Room podcast.
‘Why do you want to limit the appeal of your message to younger people? Believe me, generational change is coming whether you want it or not, I got news for ya.’
Carville, 79, has spent years trying to wrench the Democratic Party away from the progressive wing he says is out of touch with swing voters — and on Tuesday, he doubled down.
‘Don’t use words like “structural”. We’re not attacking the structural issues in the world right now,’ he added. ‘We’re trying to, like, stay alive to the next day.’
Instead, he urged Democrats to stick with plainspoken ideas like ‘corruption’ and ‘safety and security,’ which he argued resonate better with real people.
One of his biggest pet peeves? The word ‘equity.’
Democratic political strategist and commentator James Carville blasts Democrats for using ‘elitist jargon’ that turns off everyday voters
Carville appeared to take aim at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, criticizing the kind of progressive rhetoric she often uses as overly academic and alienating
‘People basically don’t know what [equity] means. And if they do know what it means, it looks like you’re trying to force an outcome,’ he said, suggesting the party stick with ‘equality’ instead.
Carville didn’t hold back when taking aim at progressive firebrands like Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio-Cortez, who are currently on a ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour.
‘This is another stupid word, “Oligarch.” Who in the f–k knows what an oligarch is? As opposed to a very acceptable word I’ve talked about before is “fat cats.” Everybody knows what a fat cat is, everybody talks about what a fat cat is.’
Even the word ‘community’ wasn’t safe.
‘I wouldn’t use the word “community.” I don’t have anything – nothing wrong with the word “community.” Nothing wrong with being in a community. It’s just such a Democratic word,’ Carville said. ‘I wouldn’t even use the “LBGQT+” or whatever it is. I just call people gay, or lesbian, or trans, or I don’t know.’
He also called out Sen. Bernie Sanders’ use of terms like ‘oligarch,’ suggesting they’re out of touch and should be swapped for plainer language like ‘fat cats’
He continued: ‘You’re just trying to show people how smart you are. Don’t use words like that. Don’t use words like “intersectionality.”‘
Recalling a panel he heard on NPR during the pandemic, Carville quipped: ‘I literally thought they were gonna go overboard in ecstasy on the radio. Okay, it’s a real thing. No one uses the term “intersectionality” except for NPR.’
To drive his point home, Carville invoked Mark Twain: ‘The difference between the right word and a nearly right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.’
‘So when you hear your elected representatives, you hear Democrats or you hear sane people using words that are not the right word, let them know that that kind of language is not helpful. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, it’s just not helpful, you’re wasting an opportunity to break your case.’
His final piece of advice to Democrats? ‘Be lightning, don’t be a lightning bug.’
