The Democratic Party’s civil war? James Carville and Hasan Piker face off

[0:00] Do you know who the Sandpiker is? [0:01] A blowhard. [0:02] I think these guys failed so spectacularly. [0:05] When you say progressive left, [0:07] there's a tone of contempt there. [0:09] I hope the camera was able to pick up the contempt. [0:13] There are a lot of people who are just like, [0:14] this is not working. [0:15] Democrats haven't done anything about it. [0:17] They never win. [0:18] Have they been given a chance? [0:20] You know who's going to decide the future [0:21] of the Democratic Party? [0:22] Let me break the news to you. [0:24] They ain't that liberal, OK? [0:26] Pro-Zero politics is so poisonous [0:28] in the Democratic Party. [0:30] There's no place for criticism [0:32] of the government of Israel [0:34] in the Democratic Party. [0:35] Will you endorse the 2028 candidates [0:39] if they are pro-Israeli? [0:42] How are you feeling about the midterms? [0:47] I feel very good, [0:50] but the only thing that can derail us [0:54] is we could nominate some of the wrong candidates [0:57] in the wrong place [0:58] and not be as successful as I hope. [1:01] But it's going to be massive. [1:03] I mean, in spite of anything, [1:05] we're going to win that thing. [1:07] The wrong candidates. [1:08] What do you mean by that? [1:09] I see challenges from the, quote, [1:14] progressive left, unquote. [1:18] And these people are too hard-headed [1:21] to know that they're not popular. [1:23] People don't like them. [1:24] And, but if you get a skewed turnout in a primary, [1:29] you might end up losing a race [1:31] that you should have never lost in the first place. [1:33] When you say progressive left, [1:34] you sort of, there's a tone of contempt there. [1:37] Yeah, yeah. [1:38] So you were very wise. [1:39] I hope the camera was able to pick up the contempt. [1:42] It's high definition. [1:44] They don't win elections. [1:46] They never run against Republicans. [1:49] They just run against other Democrats. [1:52] Their only message is we're going to blow everything up. [1:57] Okay, great. [1:58] And they run for president. [2:00] They never win. [2:03] They are the... [2:05] Have they been given a chance? [2:06] Huh? [2:07] Who? [2:08] Let's take over. [2:09] Let's think of somebody. [2:10] Bernie Sanders. [2:11] Bernie Sanders ran for president twice. [2:13] You know what I mean? [2:14] He did twice. [2:15] He lost. [2:18] By a lot. [2:19] James Carville says this is all going to implode at the general election. [2:26] Yeah, as opposed to previous neoliberal Democratic candidacies [2:30] that have been spectacular successes so far. [2:34] You know, Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024. [2:39] I think these guys have failed so publicly and so spectacularly [2:46] that it has caused people to seek out alternatives. [2:50] I don't think I'm like exceptionally good at proselytizing the gospel of socialism necessarily. [2:57] I think there are a lot of people who are just like, this is not working. [3:01] The cost of living crisis is completely out of control. [3:04] Democrats haven't done anything about it. [3:05] Republicans haven't done anything about it. [3:07] There has to be a different alternative. [3:08] And a lot of people are also very frustrated with the rise of Trumpism, [3:14] rise of MAGA, rise of fascism in this country. [3:17] They're scared. [3:19] There's a lot of instability. [3:21] And they see the Democratic Party as insufficient in dealing with Trumpism. [3:29] And they go out there in the streets. [3:32] They want to demonstrate. [3:33] Who do they see on the streets? [3:35] People like me. [3:36] They see DSA. [3:38] They see PSL. [3:39] They see these organizations that have never stopped protesting. [3:43] They don't stop protesting when Democrats are in charge. [3:46] They don't stop protesting when Republicans are in charge. [3:48] Why do they do that? [3:50] Because the issues persist. [3:51] Do you know who Hassan Piker is? [3:53] Yes. [3:54] What do you think of him? [3:56] A blowhard. [3:57] A plus? [3:58] A blowhard. [3:59] Name me one Democrat in a tough election [4:04] that wants Hassan Piker to come in and campaign with him. [4:08] In a general election. [4:11] Do you think that Tallarico is going to invite Hassan Piker to come to Texas? [4:16] I don't. [4:17] Do you think John Arsoff is going to invite him to come? [4:19] I don't. [4:20] Do you think Roy Cooper? [4:21] No. [4:24] And, I mean, he's a niche guy. [4:27] Do you think, you know, candidates that embrace you in the primary process [4:34] might want to tuck you away in the general election? [4:38] Maybe. [4:39] But I think that would be a mistake. [4:41] Because the reality is, not only do I have a lot of passionate door knockers [4:49] and organizers in my community, but also outside of that, [4:53] I represent a position that is objectively popular. [5:00] The criticisms of Israel. [5:03] That is the overwhelming majority's perspective. [5:07] So I think simply leaning in to attack ads and saying, [5:12] oh, you're right, that this person is bad, actually. [5:16] This person was wrong. [5:18] It was wrong of me to identify or align with him. [5:21] Akhl could have done that in the primary as well. [5:23] Well, it was very risky for him to say, no, this is ridiculous. [5:27] Yeah, I have disagreements with him, but who cares? [5:29] This is a Twitch streamer, you know? [5:31] And I think that's an honest message. [5:34] That's something that people can understand. [5:36] And as long as he sticks to the issues, as long as he keeps fighting for Medicare for All [5:40] and keep fighting for policies that will improve people's lives, [5:46] that's what people are going to vote for. [5:49] The rest of it is just noise. [5:50] You look silly if you try to consistently take the conversation back to an allegiance [5:57] that a politician might have with a Twitch streamer. [6:00] If the other side is saying, I want to give people health care, it's not a great message. [6:05] In the primary process, of course, he has become this sort of central part of a debate, [6:10] right, about the future of the Democratic Party. [6:13] Well, let me tell you we're going to have a debate about the future of the Democratic Party. [6:18] In the Democratic primaries of 2028, in Hassan Piker and the progressives, [6:26] you know who's going to decide the future of the Democratic Party? [6:29] Let me break the news to you. [6:31] Democratic primary voters, primarily Southern black Democratic primary voters. [6:37] Let me further break the news to you because I happen to have hung around Southern black people all of my life. [6:44] They ain't that liberal, okay? [6:46] But that's, now, I'm sure some of the left would say, well, we have to have another process. [6:52] No, we don't. [6:53] And what Hassan Piker needs to do is run for president. [6:59] If everybody agrees with you, good, run. [7:02] Go, cat, go. [7:03] I think everybody ought to run. [7:05] And I think that the judgment of Democratic primary voters is what I'm going to follow. [7:12] But if you claim that there's all of this energy and this activism, then, okay, hand at it. [7:23] Run for president. [7:24] You're allowed to take part in the Democratic socials. [7:27] I don't say, I was right, I don't, of course you are, I don't run for office. [7:32] What I'd say is, why do these people call themselves Democrats? [7:35] Call yourself Democratic Socialists. [7:38] Maybe what we need. [7:39] I mean, I think a lot of them do, right? [7:41] They're good, but don't call yourself Democrat. [7:43] But we're all watching. [7:44] There's no place, any place, for criticism of the government of Israel in a Democratic party. [7:50] There's no place for anti-Semitism. [7:52] But if you want to be anti-Semitic, go and phone your own party. [7:55] The reason that most people become Democrats is the same reason that I did. [8:00] I don't hate anybody. [8:01] I have a big issue with the government of Israel. [8:03] I worked in Israel, was part of the closest set in history that has ever come to having a deal. [8:15] And I am a full supporter of the right of a Jewish state on the eastern Mediterranean. [8:22] I think the only way to have that is you have to have a correspondent Palestinian state, fully recognized. [8:29] You have to have security zones. [8:31] You have to have massive aid to the Palestinian state. [8:34] And we've got to have peace and not war. [8:37] Now, I can't stand Netanyahu. [8:42] And the big change that I've seen in Israel is they used to actually try to get people to like them. [8:48] Don't do that anymore. [8:49] And I detest the settlements, right? [8:53] And I would love to see policy changes in the government of Israel. [8:59] But I am a firm believer in the state of Israel. [9:03] Two different things. [9:03] Sure. [9:04] Never to be confused. [9:05] I was with you at the DNC in 2024, where you said you didn't endorse Harris. [9:14] Will you endorse the 2028 candidate if they are pro-Israel in a way that you don't like? [9:23] I mean, if you ultimately are about defeating fascism in this country, as you describe it, MAGA, whatever, surely shouldn't you get on board with whoever the main candidate is? [9:36] Luckily, I don't think I will have to make that calculation at all. [9:39] Because, again, pro-Israel politics is so poisonous in the Democratic Party especially that there is, and I'm telling you right now as a promise, and you'll see, 0% chance that whoever the elected Democrat is that wins the primary will be pro-Israel in any way, shape, or form. [9:57] And I will do everything in my power to make sure that that doesn't happen regardless, but I don't think I'll have to push too much. [10:05] And you'll see. [10:07] Rahm Emanuel is a great example of this. [10:08] Rahm Emanuel himself is very critical of Israel now. [10:12] Very, very critical of Israel. [10:14] And it's clear that he has ambitions of higher office, and he sees which way the winds are blowing. [10:20] It's not going to happen. [10:22] So that's not even a problem. [10:23] But I do warn, just as I did in 2019 with Joe Biden, that if we don't have a bold, progressive candidate as someone who can take advantage of the momentum of the growing socialist movement in this country, seek to improve the material conditions of the working class in this country, it's going to be worse than Donald Trump next time around. [10:51] Just as Donald Trump, too, was far worse than Donald Trump won.