Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville recently called Democrats “too damn emotional,” claiming they waste resources on ‘hopeless’ races, and slammed radical progressives who are critical of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

In a recent interview with Vox’s Sean Illing, Carville ripped his party for expending resources on Senate races “they were always going to lose.”

Carville explained:

Just look at how Democrats organize and spend money. For Christ’s sake, [South Carolina Democrat] Jaime Harrison raised over $100 million only to lose his Senate race to Lindsey Graham by 10 points. Amy McGrath runs for Senate in Kentucky and raises over $90 million only to get crushed by Mitch McConnell.

“They were always going to lose those races, but Democrats keep doing this stupid shit. They’re too damn emotional,” he continued. “Democrats obsess over high-profile races they can’t win because that’s where all the attention is. We’re addicted to hopeless causes.”

He then noted that Democrats ought to focus on elections at the state level, including the attorney general race in Michigan and the secretary of state race in Wisconsin. 

“I’m telling you, if Democrats are worried about voting rights and election integrity, then these are the sorts of races they should support and volunteer for, because this is where the action is and this is where things will be decided,” he asserted. 

The longtime strategist then highlighted that Republicans are focused on such elections. 

“Last I checked, Republicans raised $33 million for secretary of state races around the country,” he told Vox. “The Democrats had until recently raised $1 million. I think it’s now up to $4 million. That’s the story, right there.” 

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a centrist Democrat vital to the fate of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 government overhaul, updates reporters about his position on the bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Carville also defended Manchin, who has been the subject of intense criticism from the radical progressive left for standing firm in his support of the filibuster and refusing to cave on the Build Back Better agenda. 

“Understand that Joe Manchin is a Roman Catholic Democrat in a state in which not a single county has voted Democrat [for president] since 2008. I repeat: not a single county has voted Democrat since 2008,” Carville told Vox. 

He continued:

Politics is about choices, and he’s up for reelection in 2024. If Manchin runs for reelection, I’ll do everything I can to help him because it’s either going to be Joe Manchin or Marsha Blackburn. It ain’t Joe Manchin or Ed Markey. You got to understand that. It’s really that damn simple.

Carville later noted the progressives account for less than ten percent of Americans:

Look, I’m a liberal Democrat. Always have been. But some of these people bitching about Manchin can’t see political reality straight. Six percent of adults in this country identify as “progressive.” Only 11 or 12 percent of Democrats identify as progressive. So let’s just meet in the middle and say something like 7 or 8 percent of the country agrees with the progressive left. This ain’t a goddamn debate anymore. Someone like Manchin is closer to the mainstream than a lot of these people think, and pretending like he isn’t won’t help the cause.

The veteran strategist insisted the solution for his party “is not to get mad at Democrats,” but rather, “go out and elect more Democrats.”