Do not criticize ESPN hot-take artist Stephen A. Smith’s political acumen, or he will call you names.
Days after veteran Democrat political analyst told Smith to stay in his lane and said, when it came to politics, the ESPN talker “didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground,” Smith fired back at the longtime political operative, calling him a “curmudgeon.”
“Sir, do you have to be so rude? Dropping f-bombs and going off like that. I mean, I know that’s your nature. I understand that, but let’s just say two can do that, you know? I mean, if you really wanted to get raw. Ain’t nobody hiding from that. I could be that way; it’s just that my momma taught me to respect my elders,” Smith said.
Smith continued, “You sound like one of those old curmudgeons that want things to stay or be the way that they used to be, and you’re resentful, harboring an abundance of animosity because you’re not being heard. That’s not Stephen A. Smith’s fault, sir! That’s that damn Democrat Party that I was talking about!” he said.
The veteran sports analyst then suggested that Carville’s harsh critiques could lead to him using his brain for politics instead of sports.
“I don’t study Capitol Hill like I study sports,” Smith said. “Do y’all want me to? Do you know what kind of havoc I’d wreak if I sat down for a few weeks and just buried my brain and, my face and my mind into the nuances of politics and what transpires on Capitol Hill? Are y’all sure you want that smoke? You sure about that? Because it’s like you’re daring me to, Mr. James Carville, like you’re daring me to! You sure? Are you sure?! You might want to think about that.”
Smith suggested that Carville’s criticism was borne of jealousy.
“Is what I said really the problem? Since most of what I said are things that I also heard you say?” Smith asked. Or is it the fact that some novice who doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the wall when it comes to politics is resonating in the political stratosphere more than you?”
On this point, Smith is correct. The brouhaha began after the First Take host criticized the Democrat bench for 2028.
“Y’all don’t have anybody. You don’t have anybody. Who you got? Who you got? Kamala Harris better not run. She better not run,” Smith said on his podcast.
Carville has indeed been critical of the Democrat bench on his podcast. However, instead of agreeing with Smith, he launched a profane rant.
“Before you start running your fucking mouth off about politics, a topic of which you really don’t know anything about, you ought to sit back and think about it and call some people and run it by them,” Carville said on his podcast, Politicon.
It’s unknown when the great debate between Carville and Smith will occur. But if and when it does, fireworks will ensue.