James Carville is right, Dems should worry first then fight to win

By Richard K. Barry 

In a recent radio interview, legendary Democratic strategist James Carville said what any thinking politico in the Democratic ranks should be thinking:

Everything worries me in this environment. Nobody's gotten elected with these kinds of numbers. So, I'm worried about the general election. I profoundly admit that. Again, Romney's just making a technocratic kind of confidence argument, and he's really a windsock kind of guy. If you don't like his position on something, give it a day and he'll change it.

Carville then went on to take predictable shots at Perry and Cain, but the point is that being worried is a rational response from Democrats right now. Still, as a strategist, Carville knows that you want to get your Democratic base worried and motivated in part, I think, because the GOP presidential hopefuls are so pathetic that it's hard to take them seriously.

As Carville surely implies, however, in this economy all challengers have to be taken seriously.

Perhaps the more we watch the GOP field, the more comfortable, even complacent, Democrats are becoming with their expectations of re-election for Obama.

Bottom line is that this would be a mistake. Yes, they are a pathetic bunch, the GOP presidential candidates, but the state of the country now and likely leading up to the general election is not good for incumbents. And Democrats are going to have to fight with everything they have to retain the White House.

Along with Mr. Carville, let's be worried, very worried, and then get to work.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)