James Carville Urges Democrats to Unite After Shutdown Deal, Says Party Lacked clear Strategy
WASHINGTON - November 11, 2025 – Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is calling for an end to internal Democratic infighting following the recent agreement to end the government shutdown, asserting the party lacked “a real endgame” in its approach. Carville made the comments while criticizing both the strategy and the subsequent blame game within the Democratic caucus.
Carville stated, “First of all, the lesson is, everything that everybody says is true.” He specifically referenced the criticisms leveled against the eight Democratic senators who joined Republicans in voting to end the shutdown, stating, “everything they say is true.”
The shutdown sparked backlash against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, with some calling for his replacement, despite his not voting to end the shutdown. A Soros-backed group has already launched a primary push to challenge Schumer.
“I’m not mad at anybody on the Democratic side. and no one on the Democratic side should be mad at anybody else on the Democratic side,” Carville added, urging Democrats to cease criticism by Wednesday and “shut up” and move forward.
Carville characterized the Republican Party as a “cult,” arguing that negotiating with them puts democrats at “a severe disadvantage.” He also highlighted a perceived “you’re not the boss of me” attitude within the Democratic party, contrasting it with the GOP. He speculated that a politically savvy Republican would have supported extending Obamacare subsidies, acknowledging the potential harm to key voters if those subsidies were cut.
He further suggested someone within the democratic party may have believed the deal was “too good a deal for them to pass up,” noting criticism of the agreement from Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Carville also posited that Republicans could have politically benefited by framing Democrats as “political terrorists” while still voting to end the shutdown, but ultimately argued their opposition to Obamacare was “irrational.”
The shutdown, which recently became the longest in history, underscores the challenges facing Democrats in navigating divided government.
