Front Porch FootballThe Dogs of War
by Chris Paschal
James Carville doesn’t give a rip about what you think of him.
He is a spin master. Carville was a political operative, a campaign manager — whatever you want to call it. He was Bill Clinton’s lead strategist in his 1992 Presidential Campaign. In “The War Room” (a documentary that followed the 1992 Clinton Political Team), Carville’s closing statement is “I’m a political professional. That’s what I do for a living. I’m proud of it.”
So why on earth are we at Front Porch Football, a website dedicated to southern college football, bringing up James Carville, Bill Clinton, and national politics? Because Carville decided he wanted to dictate the storyline involving this weekend’s showdown between the Louisiana State Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. And he’s doing a pretty good job of it.
Carville with former President Clinton. Image from New York Times.
Who The Hell is James Carville?
Who is he actually? All most people know is that he’s the quirky guy who ran Clinton’s campaign and who shows up on CNN and Fox News to talk about politics. But who is he actually. I’ve never met Carville, but I have studied him extensively. He, like Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, and Ed Rollins, normally gets pigeonholed into being this outrageous, sleazy, piece of filth that doesn’t care about anything except power.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Carville is a small town Louisiana man. Everything he does is based on it – his ambitions, his fervid personality, his interests, and his love. All that is rooted in southern Louisiana. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Carville grew up a huge LSU Tiger fan. He would go on to receive his undergraduate and law degree from LSU. Yet, Carville isn’t your typical intellect. Sure, he is educated, but Carville isn’t someone who spent all of his days rubbing elbows with the Harvard elites and Yankee Brahmin. He was amongst the common man.
Just like he would in a campaign, Carville tackles life with reckless abandonment. And he’s kind of insane. Cutting class, getting drunk, losing money from gambling, all of these things were common with Carville when he was younger. “When I graduated from LSU I had a 4.0,” Carville once joked, “a 4.0 Blood Alcohol Level.”
What’s Carville Complaining About?
During the LSU-Mississippi State game in which LSU handled business in Tiger Stadium, Devin White, LSU’s premier linebacker was flagged and ejected for targeting. What’s the big deal? That ejection came in the second half. That means White will have to sit the first half of the Alabama game. LSU will be without its NCAA-leading, All-American linebacker for the first half of what might be the biggest game for both LSU and Alabama, if not the entire SEC this season.
What adds insult to injury is that the hit for which White was ejected for was suspect at best. It wasn’t late. It was with the crown of his helmet. It wasn’t malicious. It wasn’t dirty. In fact, if White wasn’t one of the strongest players on the field he might not have even knocked over the quarterback. You be the judge for yourself, but to me, that’s ridiculous. He pushed another football player.
Enter stage right (or left if you’re an Alabama fan), James Carville. Like he did in the political arena, and like he did while a student at LSU, James Carville has taken a big bite out of something only a big dog should take a bite out of. Carville doesn’t really care. Hell, he might be a big enough dog to take this bite, but even if he isn’t, he’s crazy enough to make you think he is. Carville defends LSU and LSU Athletics like he was still on the campaign trail. “Every LSU fan knows that the SEC has literally been in the tank for Alabama the whole time,” Carville wrote in an op-ed for The Advocate. I have talked to two LSU fans I know. They agree that the SEC sides with Alabama every chance they get. One of those fans, LSU Alumna, Claire Dorbandt, texted me that she definitely thinks the SEC is biased towards the Crimson Tide. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” she concluded.
Carville went on to write, “After the botched targeting call on LSU linebacker Devin White, the SEC is presented with a rare moment to atone for past sins and put to rest its prior affairs. It has an opportunity to take a stand for fairness and democracy.”
The dude is certifiably insane. That being said, I kind of agree with him.
Let’s make this very clear. Carville doesn’t want sympathy. He doesn’t want the SEC Network out of Charlotte to side with him. He doesn’t want someone from the SEC offices in Birmingham to come out with a statement saying the referee missed the call. He doesn’t even want an apology from the commissioner himself. James Carville is demanding that the suspension be ripped up. That it be thrown out. That Devin White be fully reinstated for the Alabama game. That he be allowed to play the entire game, not just the second half. Anything less than that is an abomination. “Don’t taint SEC football history with this skid mark of a decision,” said Carville.
Devin White is the backbone to this LSU defense. Image from Sports Illustrated.
You Know What, I Kind of Agree
James Carville is a zealous advocate for things he believes in or is paid to believe in. I’m not oblivious to that. I have watched this guy in action since I became fascinated with campaign politics while a freshman at Wofford College years ago. I know that this isn’t some third party bystander offering his two cents. This is freaking James Carville. He is built to spin, manipulate, and advocate. You want him on your team. During the Clinton Impeachment Trials, Carville would go on TV and say he was going to “unleash the dogs of war” on anyone that crossed him. The dude is certifiably insane.
Carville has a couple of wires touching that shouldn’t be. Image from Daily Beast.
That being said, I kind of agree with him. This is ridiculous. LSU, who will probably be in the top top 4 if not the top 2 when the first College Football Playoff standings are announced, has to play the first half of the Alabama game without its best defender. Further, it was on a bogus call. The targeting rule is stupid. Fine, if after the review the referees still think that it was targeting, then assess the 15 yard penalty. But only eject the player if the hit was done in an egregious or malicious manner. Not only was the Devin White hit absent of ill-will, but it also is missing almost every piece of criteria needed to throw a flag in the first place. The SEC should overturn this call.
For all of you out there saying that Devin White is guilty of targeting, I’m sorry, but we just disagree. For those of you arguing that the SEC can’t overturn this suspension, I point you to the Pac-12. Earlier in the season, during the middle of a Washington State-Southern Cal game and during the review of what was definitely targeting, a PAC-12 official stepped in and overruled the referees and allowed the defender to stay in the game. So let’s get this straight — 1) not following the game but during the actual game, 2) a PAC-12 executive overruled a targeting call, 3) despite the referees ruling that it was targeting, 4) and despite the fact that the hit in question was actually targeting. Greg Sankey can overturn this call if he wants to, but he won’t because he is afraid of the Alabama backlash, and the possible headache from the NCAA.
Greg Sankey is scared of the Alabama Backlash. Image from USA Today.
Carville likes to be on the headliner and he will say the things to put himself in that position.
I read with interest your reference to Wofford. Then you should know that Lee Atwater graduated from Newberry College. The comments made in referring Lee, ” like Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, and Ed Rollins, normally gets pigeonholed into being this outrageous, sleazy, piece of filth that doesn’t care about anything except power.” That is far from the truth but more reverent to Carville. To put Carville as a Southern good ole boy is a joke. And yes, I am a proud Newberry graduate and fraternity brother of Lee.