Democratic consultant and political commentator James Carville said Friday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that the House Republicans who voted against a short-term funding bill likely bringing a government shutdown are “very cruel people.”

Carville said, “If you just want to stand behind a mule and get kicked, that’s your own business. I’m not going to get in your way. They’re going to have to solve this. There’s seven people out of 435 that are bringing this about. Well, there’s another 428 that could end this immediately. The Republican caucus doesn’t have to be governed by the seven people. They can go cut a deal with Hakeem or anybody else they want to. Let’s get out of the way and let this mule continue to kick them. That’s what I say. because they’re going to get kicked by it.”

He continued, “I think there is a point, and cruelty is the point. I think they actually like the fact that you’re going to have people like my son-in-law that’s going to go out without a government check. I don’t think they care about the FAA or border enforcement or, drug enforcement or law enforcement or anything else. I think they just see this as a way to extract pain on people that don’t vote for them and to extract pain on the president.”

He added, “They’re going to find out I think that this is a horribly flawed strategy. This strategy of cruelty as an end in itself.”

Carville added, “I think they enjoy causing Kevin McCarthy pain. I do. I think these are very cruel people.”

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