Carville, co-host warn 'abolish ICE' is new 'Defund the Police'

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville and his co-host spoke on Thursday about the dangers of Democrats falling for the same far-left rhetoric that weighed them down in past elections.

Throughout the 2024 election and long afterward, Carville has continually told his fellow liberals and Democrats to steer clear of divisive identity politics and radical social agendas, warning that they alienate voters and simply aren’t viable policy.

He and his co-host, Al Hunt, highlighted Texas congressional candidate Bobby Pulido for his rhetoric across the board during their podcast.

Pulido has been widely quoted for offering an explanation to fellow Democrats as to why aspirational Latino voters have shifted rightward, saying, "People down here don't consider themselves poor — they consider themselves broke. When you're broke, you say, 'Tomorrow I'm going to make it.' Democrats treated people like they're poor, not like they're broke."

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James Carville has warned time and time again that Democrats need to part ways with far-left identity policies and focus on what is politically viable. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon)

Carville said that he loved this insight, but Hunt praised Pulido’s answer on whether ICE should be abolished.

"He basically said, ‘No, we should reform ICE,’" Hunt said. "I think that question abolishing ICE is to ‘Defund the police’ of 2026. And Democrats that come into that are giving Republicans an opening. And boy, he didn't. He really answered that well."

Later in the show, they both praised retired Democratic politician Barney Frank, who has recently entered hospice care and begun to call out the far-left for having "embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable."

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James Carville has consistently praised Democrats, both young and old, who take a more pragmatic approach to politics. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)

"I want to tip my hat to one of my favorite people in my life in American politics," Carville said, summarizing that that politician’s advice to Democrats boils down to "Keep the goal in mind, you're trying to help people. You don't overreach. You do things that you need to do."

Carville went on to contrast this "wise man" with the "blooming idiots at Working Families Party. Look up these dopes."

"There's not a single person that identifies with them that lives more than 15 miles away from salt water," he said, appearing to lean into stereotypes about coastal far-left progressives.

He went on to argue that Frank, even at 87 years old and possibly nearing the end of his life, "represents the future and the success of the Democratic Party."

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Rep. Lateefah Simon is one of the more prominent progressives associated with the Working Families Party, and delivered their response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address in 2025. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

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