Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville stood by his past gripe about the prevalence of “preachy females” within his party dragging down their ability to appeal to men.
And he claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris picking running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — whom he described as the “most male guy” — is the antidote.
“I know what I’m saying, and I’m being provocative on purpose because the identity left and NPR messaging drives us in a ditch every time,” Carville said during his Friday appearance on “Realtime with Bill Maher.”
His comments about “preachy females” were made during an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd while analyzing polling data showing black men drifting away from the Democratic Party.
Prominent Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) seethed at him in response.
But Carville, widely credited for his role in former President Bill Clinton’s victorious 1992 presidential bid, cited the selection of Walz as the party’s vice presidential contender as a vindication of sorts.
“I’ll tell you why I was right — when they picked Tim Walz, all right. This guy is the most male guy that could come on board. A soldier, a football coach, hunter,” he added. “It was all about presentation and I think there was a recognition of that.
“I do think that our messaging had become too feminine.”
Polls have shown a significant gender gap between the two parties with Democrats dominating among women and Republicans among men.
Some observers saw the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month as a display of its role as the “testosterone party” amid speeches from famed wrestler Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White, among others.
Maher surmised that Walz “kind of makes the case that you can be a man without being a d— about it.” But panel guest Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) downplayed the concern about Democrats being too feminine.
“I don’t know how you can say the Democrat Party has become too feminine when they don’t even know what a woman is,” he quipped. “So, what the Democrat Party has become is, is far more extreme.”
Carville has a reputation for causing a stir from time to time with his unvarnished hot takes and concerns about excessive identity politics and “stupid wokeness.”
“A suspicion of mine is that there are too many preachy females,” Carville, told Dowd back in March. “‘Don’t drink beer. Don’t watch football. Don’t eat hamburgers. This is not good for you.’ The message is too feminine: ‘Everything you’re doing is destroying the planet. You’ve got to eat your peas.’”
Ocasio-Cortez ripped the longtime strategist in response.
“Maybe he should start a podcast about it,” the Bronx and Queens lawmaker clapped back on X. “I hear men are really underrepresented in that space.”
Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first female president in US history if she wins in November. But, she made no mention of breaking the glass ceiling during her convention speech last Thursday, amid concerns from some strategists that focusing too much on identity can be off-putting.
During his appearance on Maher’s show last Friday, Carville also claimed that it’s in Republicans’ long-term interests to see former President Donald Trump lose on Nov. 5.
“If I’m one of you, I want Trump to get beaten bad. I mean, I’m talking about a ’64, ’72 wipeout. You know what happened after the Democrats got wiped out in ’72, they won in ’76,” he said. “If Harris gets 280 electoral votes, your party is f—ed. You want a wipeout.”
His remarks were focused on Republicans who believe in “lighter-tough regulations, maybe slightly less taxes,” implying that a course correction is needed for the party.
