Democratic strategist James Carville said former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama should direct discussions on who should replace President Biden on the ticket.
“Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race. Whether he is ready to admit it or not. His pleas on Monday to congressional Democrats for support will not unite the party behind him,” Mr. Carville wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times Monday.
He added that the party shouldn’t just shift gears to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris or another Democrat; the process should be “out in the open — the exact opposite of what Donald Trump wants us to do.”
Mr. Carville wants the Democratic Party to hold four town halls before the Democratic National Convention in August — in the South, Northeast, Midwest and West.
“We can recruit the two most obvious and qualified people in the world to facilitate substantive discussions: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They may not represent every faction under our party’s big tent. But they care as much about our democracy as our nation’s first president, they understand what it takes to be president, and they know how to win,” he said.
Mr. Carville suggested that eight contenders be chosen to participate in the town halls, including Ms. Harris, who he said would be a “formidable opponent” against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
“Town halls will give Americans a fresh look at Ms. Harris and introduce them to our deep bench of smart, dynamic, tested leaders,” he said. “In addition, Democratic delegates will get to further grill and stress-test these leaders in public and private meetings before a formal vote of all the delegates at the Democratic convention.”
Mr. Carville, who worked as lead strategist in Mr. Clinton’s 1992 campaign, said he trusts the delegates to reach a majority decision after the town hall process, calling them “pragmatic patriots.”
He also said he’s not worried about the delegates, talent pool, money, time or Mr. Trump.
“It’s been an agonizing time for those of us who think President Biden more than earned a second term but isn’t going to win one,” he said. “But now we’ve got to move on.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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