James Carville Shuts Up

The scene was a private reception for James Carville before his speech at the Young Democrats convention in Raleigh on Saturday.

As James Carville is wont to do, he proclaimed to the assembled guests, all of whom had paid $50 apiece for the opportunity, that Kay Hagan, running for U.S. Senate, would make a great replacement in Washington for Liddy Dole.

Only problem was that Jim Neal, Hagan's chief primary opponent, was one of the paid guests in the room.

Neal spoke up: "We have primaries here in North Carolina. We don't have coronations."

At which point, James Carville fell silent. "It was the first time I've ever seen him quiet," Neal said.