Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Attribution ·158 of 348
"It's the economy, stupid."
They never said that.
What people say
"It's the economy, stupid."
What was actually said
"The economy, stupid." James Carville — Sign on the wall of the Clinton war room, Little Rock, 1992
Why it stuck
Carville's internal memo had three bullet points: "Change vs. more of the same. The economy, stupid. Don't forget health care." Journalists compressed bullet #2 into a slogan and added "it's."
Carville has said he never used it as a campaign slogan — it was a staff reminder, nothing more.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.