Not everyone on the Left is blind. But will they listen?
Because a Democrat strategist blew the whistle on what is ending Democrats’ midterm election hopes.
Even Carville Admits It: Democrats’ Fight Against Voter ID Is a Losing Battle, Polls at 75%
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville delivered a blunt warning to his own party Thursday, telling Democrats that continuing to fight basic voter ID requirements is a hopeless cause that makes them look soft on election integrity, even as he downplayed the scale of actual voter fraud.
Carville Says Fighting Voter ID Is a “Stupid Argument” to Keep Having
Carville’s comments come as Republicans in Congress push to pass the SAVE Act, which would create a federal proof-of-citizenship mandate for voter registration, require states to keep their rolls clear of ineligible voters, and mandate photo ID to vote in federal elections.
“First of all, in Louisiana, you got to show your driver’s license to vote,” Carville said on “Politics War Room.” “I’ll have to ask Michael Waldman or Fred Wertheimer, does this really have that much effect? And voter fraud in the United States is an infinitesimal problem. To the extent — I guess you could say it exists, anything could exist. It exists on such a minuscule scale, and it’s been proven time and time and time again.”
Even so, Carville acknowledged Democrats cannot keep ignoring the issue.
“But I don’t know if we’re not better off saying, ‘Okay, we’ll take that alternative idea. Bring your gas bill or your light bill or something,’ because, for whatever reason, this s— polls at 75%,” he said. “It barely exists, and it just doesn’t make any sense. Having said that, we are not going to win the war against some kind of ID. It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t fix anything, but maybe you just go along with it and move to the next thing.”
Co-Host Pushes Back Over SAVE Act’s Documentation Requirements
His co-host Al Hunt disagreed, arguing, “We have voter ID in most states. Most states have voter ID,” and warning that the SAVE Act’s proof-of-citizenship requirement would create hurdles for people who lack passports, have difficulty locating birth certificates, or are women who changed their surnames after marriage.
Carville clarified that he supports Louisiana’s existing voter ID law as a national model but stopped short of endorsing the SAVE Act itself.
“Again, if we have it, just say, ‘Okay, pass the law,'” Carville said of requiring voter ID. “I never had a problem with it. I’m just saying, of all the things — if every poll shows 75% or better say we should have some kind of ID to vote, some say — I don’t know what it is — but s—, just quit fighting, go along with it, and move to the next thing.”
“Wait a minute,” Hunt said. “Let me ask you, what are you going along with? With what?”
“Whatever the law in Louisiana is. Make it the national law,” Carville replied. Hunt said he would likely have no objection to that, though Carville reiterated he was not endorsing the SAVE Act specifically.
“I’m not talking about the SAVE Act. I’m not talking about the SAVE Act at all. I’m saying just adapt that. But somehow or another, it comes across that we don’t want to check the eligibility of a voter,” Carville said.
Strategist Says Democrats Are Losing an Unnecessary Fight
Carville argued that voter fraud makes little practical sense as a crime because it risks a hefty punishment for the marginal value of a single vote, but he said the sooner Democrats resolve their standing on the broader issue, the better.
“It’s all a stupid argument. But maybe we could just come up with a simple thing and just say, ‘Okay, we’re for this. Bye. Thank you.’ Get the hell out of this argument,” he said.
Hunt ultimately conceded the point. “Yeah. Well, you know, I basically agree with that,” he said. “But we really have to deal with the issue better, Democrats really have to deal with the issue better.”
