James Carville appeared palpably enraged that the Democratic National Committee kicked off its annual summer meeting Monday with a land acknowledgement, saying on his “Politics War Room” podcast Thursday: “You’re supposed to try to win fucking elections.”
DNC Chairman Ken Martin opened the Minneapolis summit by introducing Lindy Sowmick, treasurer of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and self-described “Indigenous queer woman,” who read an acknowledgement in honor of the region’s Dakota people.
Carville argued that such rituals hurt the ailing Democratic Party, as right-wing voices mock them as signs of weakness for their audience. The New York Times reported that the Democratic Party is losing registered voters at a staggering rate while President Donald Trump continues to amass power.
“OK,” said Carville on his podcast after reading some of Sowmick’s words to the audience. “Lady, you’re right. That land, what we did to Native Americans, is really well-documented. And it is a sad part of our nation’s history. Why are you bringing this up in an election?! OK?
“What we did with all kinds of things, with slavery, with experiments, with drugs, what we did during … the Confederacy during the Civil War, and Andersonville,” the 80-year-old continued. “This is an election, and the DNC is not the place to discuss this!”
Carville’s comments come at a time of heightened sensitivity to the idea that many are attempting to whitewash history. Trump recently complained that American museums are supposedly focusing too much on “how bad slavery was.”
However, Carville argued on his podcast that the DNC “does not exist to right wrongs.”
“It exists, get this through your head, to win elections,” he said. “Now, do you think that it’s going to help us win elections … by talking about land theft from the Dakotas? We’re not. Please stop this, in the name of a just, merciful God.”
He continued, “Don’t you see what’s happening? Don’t you see where this has brought us to? For God’s sakes, lady, what is Ken Martin doing, doing that? You don’t have but one job, Ken. It’s to win. Honestly, I mean, she’s probably a friend of yours in Minnesota.”
Martin served as chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party from 2011 until March of this year. Sowmick started as a canvasser in 2018 and has worked with the party in various capacities over the years.
Carville ultimately stopped piling on Sowmick, but continued fuming at the land acknowledgment.
“I’m sure she’s a perfectly elegant, nice person,” Carville said Thursday. “That has nothing to do with this. You’re supposed to try to win fucking elections. Before we leave this, in case you’re wondering, Fox [News] was over this like stink on shit.”
“They were all over it, as you could well imagine,” he concluded.