There are a number of problems with this strategy. First, the idea that Republicans are “absolutely incapable of running the country” is a very strong exaggeration. But Carville, very conveniently, ignores one of the key ingredients of the current problems: the Democratic Party.
Yes, Bill Clinton (a Democrat whom Carville helped get elected in 1992) accomplished a lot during his presidency; he was re-elected by a wide margin and left office with an astonishing 66% support rating. However, these results had a price: Clinton’s support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and mass incarceration, the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (which separated commercial and investment banks in the United States), and his desire to normalize trade relations with China led to a number of negative consequences. In particular, these neoliberal policies opened the door to the 2008 financial crisis and exacerbated huge wealth inequalities that drove many working-class voters into the arms of Trump’s fake populism, or they became disillusioned with politics in general.
The Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election (already Trump’s second defeat) not simply because of Joe Biden ‘s age or Kamala Harris’s policy decisions. Far more importantly, the party has been moving away from working people and toward an affluent coastal elite for decades. This new orientation has caused the party to gradually lose the support of not only the white working class, but also Latino workers. And millions of voters in key swing states did not turn out to vote at all.
With Republicans controlling the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, and six conservative justices holding a majority on the Supreme Court, Democrats are certainly backed into a corner: they have little institutional power to rein in Trump. But giving up the fight is hard to call a successful strategy for regaining lost support. The tactics that most Democrats in the House and Senate now follow (appearing on MSNBC and friendly podcasts, clinging to decorum) are no substitute for strong leadership and a united front.
Where Democrats really need to spend time is in their own constituencies, in Republican districts, in states they’ve lost in recent years. That is the only way to develop a cogent and clear plan to solve America’s problems.
Democrats should also help single-party governors confront the Trump administration’s most disastrous decisions. And they need to focus their attention (and spending) on voters who are dissatisfied with or doubt their representatives in Washington.
This engagement with voters and pushback against the administration is critical because the current political landscape has changed radically since the ’90s, when Carville was in the electoral trenches. Trump came into American politics a decade ago, but the well-organized and well-resourced movement that tirelessly supports him has worked for 40 years to get to this moment.
What it means. While midterm congressional elections traditionally favor the opposition party, Democrats cannot be fully confident of a successful outcome in 2026. A shutdown of government agencies, a fight over the national debt ceiling, further cuts to federal programs – no matter what happens, the Republican Party and its propaganda machine will continue to blame Democrats for everything – all day, every day, for the next 20 months.
And don’t be under any illusions that the 2026 election will run smoothly and efficiently. The Trump administration has cut funding for the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency (CISA), which is tasked with fighting foreign information operations. This will reduce election security. In addition, grants and payments previously allocated under the Help America Vote Act are now facing an audit. Because of these cuts, state and local election commissions may have to do more with fewer resources, often facing aggressive state legislatures.
If Democrats decide to heed Carville’s advice and watch the country burn, hoping voters will reward them for the damage done by Trump 2.0, it means they really haven’t learned anything. Chief among the Democrats’ policy mistakes during last year’s presidential campaign was that they spent too much time explaining why Trump is bad and too little time explaining their plans for the American people. If the old adage “you can’t beat something with nothing” is true, then the Democratic Party’s proposal to play possum is just a continuation of the same old bad policies.
Reid Galen
formerly worked under President George W. Bush Jr. and Sen. John McCain, co-founder of The Lincoln Projectcommittee , host of The Home Front podcast .
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