James Carville warns Dems must ‘go back to the drawing board’ on trans issues

Democratic strategist James Carville said on a Tuesday podcast that Democrats need to rethink their unpopular approach to transgender issues.

The vast majority of Americans support reversing former President Joe Biden administration’s agenda on transgender issues, including barring biological males from competing in female sports. Carville, on “The People’s Cabinet,” particularly called out the sports issue as one that was politically damaging to the Democratic Party.

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“So, we had the great equality struggles. I guess we’d start with Seneca Falls and women’s rights. Then we had civil rights. We had Selma … Then we had Stonewall. And it was exciting. And that’s the reason I became a Democrat — because of civil rights … Everything where I grew up was nothing but racial,” Carville said. “There was just no other politics. And I think people thought that trans rights was going to be the next frontier. This was going to be groundbreaking … We want to make history, too. And the public never viewed it that way — ever.”

“And we got hung up on sports competition, which is a stone-ass losing argument for us. And the people understandably said, ‘Look, everybody was against civil rights when it started. We overcame the same thing,” he continued. “It took us from the origins of Seneca Falls to the passage of the suffrage — was x number of years — but the march of progress was marching on. And they got to go back to the drawing board and think of a different way to frame this — because the framing they used was massively unsuccessful.”

About 80% of Americans think that biological males shouldn’t be permitted to play women’s sports, according to a January New York Times/Ipsos poll. Yet just two House Democrats voted in support of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act in January — which would prevent biological males from participating in female sports — as it passed 218-206.

Senate Democrats also blocked the bill in March, with 45 voting to defeat a cloture vote on it.

Moreover, portraying former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party as excessively far left on transgender issues was one of the most powerful advertising campaigns in increasing backing for Trump and Republican candidates down the ballot during the 2024 election, according to multiple reports.

Carville dismissed efforts to safeguard young female athletes during a February Politicon video, asserting that he doesn’t “understand” or care about the issue.

“[I]f you feel like that you have to protect these girls from, I’m not sure what — I don’t really fucking understand it or give a shit, but it’s a big goddamn issue to you,” Carville said at the time. “So, you got to be sure that you’re out there and ready to go.”

“And, you know, whenever this topic comes up, say, ‘Look, I’m sorry. I just don’t think a lot about track meets. I think a lot about people having affordable health care. I think a lot about how we can grow America,’” he added.

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