Analysis: James Carville knows * exactly * why Democrats lost on Tuesday

Carville’s argument is that by focusing on removing statues or funding police or appropriate pronouns for transgender students, Democrats are talking too much about issues that matter less to a wide range of Americans than, say, the economy.

“Some of these people need to go to a drug rehab center ‘awake’ or something,” Carville told Woodruff. “They are expressing language that people just don’t use, and there is a backlash and frustration to that.”

There is evidence from Virginia that Carville is on to something. Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) has centered his campaign on alleged awakening in education – from mask mandates to critical race theory to transgender issues.

Point: Carville’s complaints about awakening have generally been dismissed as the views of a former great strategist who is no longer in touch with modern politics. But, after Tuesday, Democrats are expected to bring Carville in and listen to every word he says.