Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville said this week he is now “haunted” by his iconic “It’s the economy, stupid” slogan from Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.
“I now have come to detest the fact I said that,” Carville said on the latest episode of his “Politics War Room” podcast, referring to the phrase that urged Clinton’s campaign to focus on the economy above all else.
“I listen to people say, ‘People don’t care about corruption. They care about the economy.’ As long as their incomes are up, they really don’t care what he [President Donald Trump] does,’” said Carville.
“And I’m afraid that’s right,” he added, noting that then-President George H.W. Bush “was not a corrupt man at all,” before contrasting that with the “staggering” corruption he said exists under Trump, whose personal income this week was found to have surged during his second term.
“I understand people say, ‘Yeah, you’re right, that’s all people care about is the economy.’ And I won’t do it, I don’t say anything, I’m nice, I want to punch them in the fucking face,” Carville said.
“I’m serious,” he added. “The phrase actually haunts me today.”
Carville’s co-host, Al Hunt, suggested “the bulk of the American electorate, even in this coming election, is going to be driven by economic considerations.”
“I agree,” Carville replied. “And it pains me. We can get over high egg prices, we can get over high gas prices, and we can get over a lot of interest rates. You can’t get over systemic, endemic, pervasive corruption. That’s everything.”
“This is a troubling time,” he added.