Carville's 'play dead' plan: A death knell for democracy

There comes a time in every political strategist’s career when they should recognize their analytical compass has lost its bearings. Unfortunately, James Carville, once a highly respected and influential figure in Democratic politics, seems to be unaware of this.

In today’s New York Times, the former Bill Clinton strategist offers the Democratic Party some bizarre advice. He suggests that Democrats should “roll over and play dead” while President Elon Musk and his sidekick, Donald Trump, dismantle the United States government. But this is not a time for complacency, and Carville's advice could not be more ill-timed or wrong.

Mind you, this is the same Carville who in October wrote: “America, it will all be OK. Ms. Harris will be elected the next president of the United States. Of this, I am certain.” He then proceeded to confidently list three reasons, based on his long experience, why a Kamala Harris victory was guaranteed.

As we all know, he turned out to be very wrong. If I wrote a slate of predictions that turned out to be so amazingly wrong, I would feel very humbled and I would retire from making such sweeping declarations. Unfortunately, Carville is back with his nutty idea for how to (not) respond to the authoritarian takeover of the United States. ( I am not linking to the column, but it's easy enough to find – and you'll probably be hearing this argument bubbling up from other sources soon.)

Here are three reasons why Democrats must ignore Carville’s terrible advice to beat a “strategic political retreat” in the face of American fascism:

Morality

Democrats can’t sit idly by while Republicans harm people and weaken both democracy and national security. This isn't a game. Dismantling public services, environmental protections, and civil rights safeguards will hurt millions of Americans, particularly the most vulnerable. Abandoning our moral responsibility to oppose harmful policies isn’t strategic—it’s an abdication of core values that define the Democratic Party.

Framing

Democrats must tell Americans what is happening and show spirit and moral resolve. Capitulation is complicity, and if we’re not careful, Republicans will use their disinformation weapons to blame Democrats for any pain caused by the destruction of government. Carville’s call for a political retreat is a call for political suicide. When you surrender the narrative, you surrender the future. Democrats must use every moment to frame the case.

Reality

Strategic opposition works. History shows that principled, organized resistance to destructive policies can limit damage and create momentum for electoral comebacks. The Tea Party’s opposition to Obama created the conditions for Republican congressional victories. The Resistance to Trump energized Democratic voters for 2018 and 2020. Carville’s suggestion ignores these lessons and misunderstands how political momentum builds.

Carville’s proposed strategy is the hallmark of flawed Enlightenment Reason thinking—the idea that people will rationally decide that Republicans are incompetent if Democrats sit on their hands and do nothing. He suggests that a Democratic surrender will “Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight, and make the American people miss us.” But if things worked according to this logic, we wouldn't have a twice-impeached convicted felon as president.

This kind of thinking also exposes a systemic problem with many Democratic strategists: They are economic elites who can afford to see politics as mere sport. They are detached from the reality of working-class and vulnerable Americans who will be the first to feel the pain caused by the dismantling of the public good. When you're a multimillionaire consultant, economic suffering is apparently just theoretical.

Carville justifies his suggestion for surrender by saying it’s just a temporary strategy, comparing it to Muhammad Ali's rope-a-dope strategy. But this isn't a boxing match, it's the fate of American democracy. The outdated political strategist is punch drunk on sports metaphors and, worse, he's bringing an 18th-century brain to a 21st-century challenge.

His analysis misses the fact that effective opposition isn’t obstruction for obstruction’s sake. It’s about articulating a clear alternative vision while highlighting the real-world consequences of harmful policies. Democratic leaders must become more effective communicators, not silent observers of the nation’s destruction. Their role in shaping public opinion is crucial. They must actively inspire hope and offer a clear path forward, especially in this age of algorithm warfare and weaponized disinformation.

This is where cognitive framing becomes crucial. If Democrats “roll over,” they become enablers of the Republican Party and send the message that all hope is lost. Instead, Democrats must consistently activate frames of community, shared prosperity, and responsible governance. These aren’t just talking points—they’re the mental structures through which Americans interpret political reality.

The path forward requires Democrats to do what strategists like Carville once excelled at: connect policy to values through compelling narratives that resonate with voters’ experiences. Every Medicare cut becomes a story about a grandmother choosing between medicine and food. Every veteran senselessly fired by Elon Musk becomes a story of betrayal and cruelty. Every environmental rollback becomes a story about a child developing asthma from polluted air. Tens of millions of Americans are living in fear as they watch their government come under intense attack. They need the Democratic Party to lead, not lie down on the job.

Carville’s strategy of passivity misreads both the moment and the mechanisms of political change. Democrats don’t need to retreat—they need to reframe, reorganize, and recommit to the values that motivate their base and appeal to persuadable voters. What Carville fails to see is painfully obvious: “It’s an attack on America, stupid.”

His strategy reveals a dangerous misreading of the authoritarian threat. If Democrats were to follow his advice, the consequences could be dire. We must not underestimate the gravity of the situation.

Democrats must leave Carville in the past where he belongs and instead mount a fierce, principled, strategic opposition that offers Americans a clear alternative: democracy over authoritarianism, shared prosperity over oligarchy, and constitutional governance over unchecked power. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and silence isn’t a strategy—it’s surrender.

It's time to communicate, not cave.

What can you do? Use 5 Calls to let your elected representatives know their job is to protect democracy, not surrender to authoritarianism.