The Law and The Sea with Pam Karlan & Elaine Luria

**Albert Hunt** (0:09)
Hello, and welcome to Politics War Room with James Carville and Al Hunt. This week, our guests are Congressional candidate for the 2nd District in Virginia, Elaine Luria, and legal expert Stanford Law Professor Pamela Karlan. Remember, we love taking your questions, so write to politicswarroom.gmail.com for next week's show. Now, we're going to get to as many as we can, but don't forget to tell us where you're from. You can also get text updates about what's next for Politicon and Politics War Room by signing up at politicon.com. Tell your friends about us and remind them to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. And please check out the links to our sponsors, HERS, WL, Superpower, and Casper, and our episode show notes. We thank you for supporting these sponsors as it helps make this podcast happen.
Hey, James, Trump is wildly unpopular, except in MAGA land, which we saw it again this week.
He carried Lindsey Graham's sister, Darlene, to a Senate primary victory in South Carolina, candidate one for governor of Oklahoma. And he began dipping into his huge pack to help Graham. That indicates he's going to spend more of his own money. That may be good news for Democrats because he's going to spend it telling himself. And the Economist Survey, fascinating this week, showed he's underwater, I think, in 46 or 47 states. So I think his ego may at least diminish the effect of any money.
And I guess the final issue I would bring up is the U.S.-Canadian trade war. I think Trump wanted this. I think after his weakness in Iran, he needed something either to have the Canadians back down and declare a victory or to have a war, which he can say he's the tough guy. And then Mark Carney refused to be bullied. And I think it's a deal that actually could politically hurt Trump more than the Canadians, economically the Canadians more. But I think Trump forced this.

**James Carville** (2:22)
Well, I went to bed last night. I was watching, obviously, watched South Carolina look at the Oklahoma turn. In my opinion, this is a terrible night for Trump. He barely got above 50 in Republican primaries in South Carolina and Oklahoma. Understand, that's Republican, and the Times and other people, they played it as a big Trump win. I don't understand it. I mean, I was so taken, people can interpret things as they want them. Who am I to be the arbiter of whatever?
But man, when you get 50.5 in a Republican primary in South Carolina, and then the guy that got 49 and a half attacks you, and the crowd breaks out while we're cheering are in Oklahoma, which I don't know if there's a red state of place in the world in Oklahoma.
And they barely won. And we're told by all of the people, this was a, you know, Trump, he rolls again. He's the rolling Trump. He comes up and he lands on his feet. I don't buy, I'm talking one fucking thing. And Peter Bacon and York Times are talking another thing. I usually I can understand where they're coming from. I have no idea where this take on this election came from.

**Albert Hunt** (3:39)
Well, let me just say about Seth Conner, Darlene Graham was a terrible candidate. She didn't she didn't even know the China Taiwan issue. It was one of the worst blunders I've seen in a debate.
So I think I think he I think she was headed toward a possible loss. I can't prove that I but that's just my sense. And I will say one thing that encourages me about Darlene Graham, who I think is going to win. We like the pediatrician Annie Andrews, but you'd have to say it. South Carolina Graham is a clear favorite. She's been she's been a very diligent worker in helping people with disabilities. And that's something the Senate can use. So lousy candidate doesn't know much unqualified. But that's that's a good side to her.

**James Carville** (4:26)
I mean, I don't buy this. If I were Annie Andrews' campaign manager, right now, this moment, I would send a communication to Darlene Graham's campaign manager, and it would be as follows, dear sir, madam, whatever the case is, congratulations on your recent primary victory. As you know, South Carolinians for the first time in this century have a real choice in the senatorial election, therefore I am proposing that we engage in three debates, one in low country, maybe Charleston, or somewhere in this environment. Simple enough, we could go to Columbia, which is mid-state, and then we can go upstate because this is a unique opportunity for the people of South Carolina to be brought into the national dialogue, to understand the ramifications of the choices that they're going to make. Now, you know she can't do it because she's too stupid, and you just hammer that home. You hammer that home. You got two women running for a Senate seat in South Carolina, Macho, Fort Sumter, never say die or whatever. Send that right now and make it public.