Carville - On 2004 What To Expect, How To Win

They used the power of the federal courts and law enforcement to settle political scores," said Democratic strategist James Carville, speaking of the most "insidious" possibility he sees in the emerging presidential campaign. "They used it in Texas with redistricting. They just used it in D.C. They used it in Florida.

"They will use the court system and federal law enforcement to try to win this election. I went through a $70 million sham investigation. I know what they will do."

"If you look at every policy, pension reform, guess who gets the shaft? Tort reform, guess who gets the shaft? Environmental reform, you know the level of hypocrisy," he said. "If it comes to who is going to get a break, people who make $1 million today or young kids who will make the country tomorrow, you don't even have to look."

And that lead to what Carville said was the big issue for Democrats in '04, what he called the Bush administration's reversal of "the generational promise of America -- each time we do what we can do to make the next generation better."

"That promise, today like no other time in our lifetime, is under attack," he said. "The idea that we are a society beyond our own self-interest is under attack. We are told America is best when people are interested in ourselves. We know America is better when we're based on a common interest.

"We have a president that is no longer interested in what happens to the next generation. We have a president that is no longer interested in what happens to the promise of America.

"I am telling you that there is so much at stake here. There is so much for us to fight for. There are so many people who don't want to give up the dream of generational promise.

"People always ask, 'What can I do? What can I do?'" Carville told the 1,000-plus crowd. "Sit down, shut up and write a check. And then after you do that, get to a phone bank and do whatever you can in your city or state."