'The jig is up': Strategist lays out game plan for Democratic open convention

08 July 2024

During a Monday morning, July 8 appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," President Joe Biden vowed to stay in the United States' 2024 presidential race and reiterated that he has no plan to drop out.

But a few hours later, the New York Times published an op-ed/essay by veteran Democratic strategist James Carville — who argues that Biden's days as the presumptive nominee are numbered and lays out a game plan for finding another presidential nominee to run against Donald Trump.

"Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race," Carville predicts. "Whether he is ready to admit it or not. His pleas on Monday to congressional Democrats for support will not unite the party behind him. Mr. Biden says he's staying in the race, but it's only a matter of time before Democratic pressure and public and private polling lead him to exit the race."

Carville continues, "The jig is up, and the sooner Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders accept this, the better. We need to move forward. But it can't be by anointing Vice President Kamala Harris or anyone else as the presumptive Democratic nominee. We've got to do it out in the open — the exact opposite of what Donald Trump wants us to do."

The Democratic strategist emphasizes that the appearance of competition among Democrats in the weeks ahead could seriously fire up voters.

"I want to see the Democratic Party hold four historic town halls between now and the Democratic National Convention in August — one each in the South, the Northeast, the Midwest and the West," Carville explains. "We can recruit the two most obvious and qualified people in the world to facilitate substantive discussions: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They may not represent every faction under our party's big tent. But they care as much about our democracy as our nation's first president, they understand what it takes to be president, and they know how to win."

The Democratic strategist continues, "Town halls — high-stakes job interviews for the toughest job in the world — would surely attract television and cable partners and generate record numbers of viewers. Think the Super Bowl with Taylor Swift in the stands. The young, the old and everyone in between will tune in to see history being made in real time.

Carville believes that if Harris becomes the nominee, she "would be a formidable opponent to Mr. Trump." But he stresses that voters need to see her earn the nomination in the weeks ahead — not enjoy a coronation.

"(Harris) has spent the last four years crisscrossing the country and the globe, serving the American people," Carville argues. "She has a hell of a story — one that more people should know. She stood up for ordinary Americans against big banks. She locked up sex predators."

Carville adds, "You want the prosecutor or you want the criminal? Not the worst question to put to the American public this November…. To be clear, we have a lot more than eight Democrats who could beat the pants off Mr. Trump. But if we don't limit the town halls to a manageable number of people, we'll get sound bites, not substance. Town halls will give Americans a fresh look at Ms. Harris and introduce them to our deep bench of smart, dynamic, tested leaders."

James Carville's full New York Times op-ed is available at this link (subscription required)

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