Winning In The Swing States with Janelle Stelson

**Al Hunt** (0:10)
Hello and welcome to Politics War Room with James Carville and I'm Al Hunt. This week, our guest is Emmy-winning journalist turned congressional candidate, Pennsylvania CD 10 Janelle Stelson. Now 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 Podcast, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Please check out the links to our sponsors, Air Doctor, Miracle Made and Trust and Will, and our episode show notes. We thank you for supporting these sponsors. It really helps make this podcast happen.
James, you have been our bull market, predicting a huge Democratic year.
I've been a little more cautious, but your confidence seems to have ebbed a little bit in the last week. Tell us why. I mean, are you worried that it's not going to be the kind of year that you thought it was going to be?

**James Carville** (1:24)
Well, I don't know how to say that I think it'll be a good year. But what really worries me, there are people in a Democratic Party, let's put it this way, that are associated with the Democratic Party in some way that I don't think understand the moment that the country is in. In my view, the country is in a very perilous position. I mean, really perilous. I mean, I look at this deal with the Saudis to have nuclear power, and as soon as somebody goes and see how much the nuclear, and I'm pro-nuclear by the way. I don't, let me be straight here. I am all of the above when it comes to energy, nuclear being part of all of the above. But this is going to turn out like everything in my opinion, when everybody gets to the bottom, but there's Saudi Arabia, the nuclear industry, Trump.
What could happen if you put those three elements together? I don't know, but I don't want to say anything definitively happened, but I'm saying I have questions.
But what really bothers me is there are people who claim to be Democrats that are running against the Democratic Party, not against Donald Trump. That the problem with the Democratic Party, the problem with the country is the Democrats. And they say that there's no difference. There's the American League and there's the National League. Now, I want to ask you something to promote me. The Budget Committee. That's an important committee, right?

**Al Hunt** (2:58)
Right.

**James Carville** (2:59)
Okay. Ron Johnson.
Does it matter if it's Ron Johnson and Jeff Merkley?
I think there's a difference between the two.

**Janelle Stelson** (3:07)
I really don't.

**James Carville** (3:08)
I don't think it's... The Judiciary Committee. Is there a difference between Chuck Grassley and Sheldon Whitehouse? I don't think it's the American League and the National League.
I don't. And I think that people who tend toward the Democratic Party and tend more toward the left of the Democratic Party have no idea what the fuck they're talking about.
And I think what they're doing is they're playing a very dangerous game by running around and telling people, frankly, apatholize. There's no other way to say it. And they use idiotic words that they have no idea what they mean, establishment Democrat, this and that. And the biggest, and all Trump does, he tells one lie after another. And these people are telling the biggest lie they can tell is there's no difference between Sheldon Whitehouse and Chuck Grassley. There's no difference between Ron Johnson and Jeff Merkley. And that is just not true. There's no difference between Hakeem Jeffers and Mike Johnson. That is just not true.
All right, that is not true. And stop goddamn lying to people. That's where I'm getting down. And I'm afraid there are people that will vote in this election who won't, who are not inclined to vote for Trump, that will believe that stupid shit. And that is why I am depressed. Yes, I am.

**Al Hunt** (4:44)
Well, James, let me tell you, I'm going to try to walk you off the ledge.
I think that if the socialists, Democrats win the governorship in Wisconsin and the Senate race in Michigan, my concern level will increase some. That will fuel the Republican and right-wing media phony narrative that Democrats are crazy. But I still think it's a banner year. Let me tell you why. First, as we know, Hakeem Jeffries, Susan DelBene and Jason Crowe have recruited great candidates, as good as it gets, all around America.