Carville Advises Obama to 'Panic' Over Recent Polls, Election Losses

(Newsroom America) -- Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville says President Obama should begin to "panic" over recent election losses, sagging poll numbers and other political signs that indicate his administration may be in trouble.

In a CNN column Carville, who came to prominence as Bill Clinton's principle advisor, said Obama's team is not serving him well and that several administration officials should be fired.

"We are far past sending out talking points. Do not attempt to dumb it down. We cannot stand any more explanations. Have you talked to any Democratic senators lately? I have. It's pretty damn clear they are not happy campers," Carville wrote. "Fire somebody. No — fire a lot of people."

The Democratic strategist said Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Clinton all fired personnel as a way to shake-up their staff and refocus campaigns and administrations.

"Mr. President, your hinge of fate must turn," Carville said. "Bill Clinton fired many people in 1994 and took a lot of heat for it. Reagan fired most of his campaign staff in 1980. Republicans historically fired their own speaker, Newt Gingrich. Bush fired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

For God's sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It's not working," said Carville.

He goes on to advise Obama to "indict people...who haven't been held responsible for utterly ruining the economic fabric of our country," and to make his case "like a Democrat."

"While we are going along with the Republican austerity garbage, who is making the case against it? It's not the Democrats!" he wrote.

Carville also had characteristically harsh words for the field of GOP candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination and Obama's job.

"As I watch the Republican debates, I realize that we are on the brink of a crazy person running our nation. I sit in front of the television and shudder at the thought of one of these creationism-loving, global-warming-denying, immigration-bashing, Social-Security-cutting, clean-air-hating, mortality-fascinated, Wall-Street-protecting Republicans running my country," he said.

Obama's popularity and job approval ratings have been declining steadily for weeks. A new poll released Thursday found that Obama's job approval rating in the key state of Virginia, normally a red state that he won in 2008, has dipped to 40 percent.

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