Democratic strategist James Carville, a familiar voice in American politics, has thrown down the gauntlet for his party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In a fiery opinion piece published on November 24, 2025, in The New York Times, Carville called on Democrats to harness what he described as "pure economic rage"—arguing that only an unapologetically populist economic platform can lift the party out of what he calls the "MAGA abyss."
According to Carville, the core issue dominating the political landscape is not the recent government shutdown—barely a blip in public memory—but the relentless economic pain felt by millions of Americans. He points to the sweeping victories of Democrats Zohran Mamdani, Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and down-ballot Georgia Democrats in the November 2025 elections as evidence. "All won with soaring margins because the people are pissed," Carville wrote. "And the people always point their anger at the party in charge." (The New York Times)
He paints a bleak picture: rents are skyrocketing, homeownership is out of reach for young people, student debt is suffocating, and the country is experiencing the greatest economic inequality since the Roaring Twenties. Carville's central thesis is blunt: "The people are revolting, and they have been for some time." In his view, this anger is the engine of electoral change, and it is up to Democrats to channel it into a winning message.
Carville is not shy about blaming President Donald Trump for the current malaise. He criticizes Trump for failing to deliver on the affordability promises that were the centerpiece of his 2024 campaign. "President Trump has done nothing to curb the cost of what it requires to take even a breath in America today," Carville wrote, adding that the people "are revolting, and they have been for some time." (Raw Story)
Yet, Carville sees this moment as an opportunity for Democrats—a "second chance" to reclaim the political narrative. "This offers Democrats the greatest gift you can have in American politics: a second chance," he argued. Despite being an 81-year-old strategist known for his role in former President Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, Carville insists that now is the time for the party to run on "the most populist economic platform since the Great Depression." (Alternet)
So, what does this platform look like? Carville is clear: it must be "sweeping, aggressive, unvarnished, unapologetic and altogether unmistakable." He proposes a series of bold, simple policies that he believes every American can understand and rally behind. Among these are raising the federal minimum wage to $20 an hour—a policy with a 74 percent approval rating in 2023—offering free public college tuition, expanding rural broadband as a public utility, and making universal childcare a public good. Carville points out that 63 percent of U.S. adults supported free public college in a 2021 poll, and that 70 percent say raising children is too expensive. He believes Democrats should not shy away from these proposals, even if they seem ambitious. "We should not fear that running on a platform of seismic economic scale will cost us a general election. We’ve already lost enough of them by being afraid to try. The era of half-baked political policy is over," he wrote. (The New York Times)
Carville's critique extends to his own party's recent history. He argues that the "era of performative woke politics from 2020 to 2024 has left a lasting stain on our brand, particularly with rural voters and male voters." He warns that Democrats "can no longer be a party with a whiff of moral absolutism." Instead, he urges a pivot to economic populism, both in message and substance, to permanently uproot the Republican advantage in rural regions. "This can be done only with good old-fashioned economic populism, both in message and measure," Carville said, emphasizing the need to reach voters who have felt left behind by both parties.
Polling supports Carville's diagnosis: nearly 70 percent of Americans think the Democratic Party is "out of touch" and more interested in social issues than economic ones. He stresses that the party must have a "bold, simple policy plan—one that every American can understand." Carville believes that, unless Democrats make the cost of living crisis the centerpiece of every campaign, they risk being seen as complicit in a "rigged, screwed-up, morally bankrupt system."
Carville's historical references are pointed. He likens the current mood to the eve of the French Revolution, warning that "the few are getting vastly richer while a crushing tide drowns the many." He accuses Trump and the Republican Party of clinging to "an economy built on pillars of sand," while ordinary Americans "scrape by day after day." He insists that Democrats must seize this moment to offer a real alternative.
Looking ahead, Carville is confident that Democrats will continue to mobilize urban and suburban voters, as they did in the 2018 and 2022 midterms. But he insists that this is not enough. The party must also "build a platform that helps us permanently uproot the Republican advantage in more rural regions." The way forward, according to Carville, is to "rage against the rigged, screwed-up, morally bankrupt system that gave us the cost of living crisis." He maintains that "even lifelong Republicans know this economy isn’t working."
Carville's message is not just about anger—it is about hope and action. He calls for Democrats to "rail against the unjust economic system that has created these conditions," urging the party to show the "big ol’ cojones" needed to make real change. He closes with a challenge: "This can change. It’s time we as a party do, too."
As the 2026 midterms approach, Carville's call for "pure economic rage" is sure to fuel debate within the Democratic Party and beyond. Whether his vision will be embraced remains to be seen, but his message is clear: the path out of the political abyss runs straight through the pocketbooks—and frustrations—of everyday Americans.
