Background Briefing: July 13, 2026
How to Heal Democratic Divisions as Carville Blames Bernie Sanders for Hillary’s Loss and “Left Wing Idiots” of Today For Jeopardizing Senate Must-Wins in Maine and Michigan
We begin Democratic fratricide ahead of a must-win election if we are to prevent a fascist takeover of the country by a criminal insurrectionist busily plotting a second coup. With Democratic Socialists pitted against centrist Democrats, it is already likely the must-win senate seats in Maine and Michigan will be Republican victories handed to them by Democratic disunion, prompting a visibly angry James Carville to blame Senator Bernie Sanders. The Democratic strategist blasted Sanders for supposedly causing the “most catastrophic event of this century,” blaming him for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss while accusing “left-wing idiots” of today of jeopardizing Democrats chances in November arguing, “How did Trump win? I’ll tell you how, because goddamn Bernie Sanders is the reason that Donald Trump is president. You hear me?” Joining us is the chief strategist for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, Tad Devine, a Democratic political strategist with over thirty years of campaign experience. Prior to serving as chief strategist for Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, he was a senior adviser in Al Gore’s 2000 campaign and John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. In addition to his political work and media consulting, he has held academic positions at Boston University, the Harvard Kennedy School, and George Washington University, among others. He is the author of the new book, just out, How the Democrats Screwed Bernie.
The Just-Announced Replacement for the Late Senator Lindsey Graham
Then following the announcement of the replacement for the late Senator Lindsey Graham by the Governor of South Carolina, we will speak with Danielle Vinson, a Professor of Political Science at Furman University in South Carolina. The author of Local Media Coverage of Congress and Its Members, she has written numerous articles about the intersections of politics and the media and as a native South Carolinian, frequently speaks to the press about South Carolina politics.
The Oligarchical Takeover of the U.S. by “Ruling Class Clowns”
Then finally we will speak with James Livingston, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers University and the author of six books, including No More Work: Why Full Employment Is a Bad Idea and Pragmatism and the Political Economy of Cultural Revolution, 1850–1940. He has an article at Project Syndicate we will discuss, “Ruling Class Clowns.”