‘Ninety-one percent of the voters in Iowa are white….’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) MSNBC analyst Zerlina Maxwell argued that the Iowa primary caucus should be done away with — not because the Democratic Party is unable to efficiently organize it, but because the caucus schedule is front-loaded for caucasians.
“The Iowa caucus is essentially the perfect example of systemic racism,” Maxwell said on Tuesday. “Ninety-one percent of the voters in Iowa are white.”
MSNBC’s @ZerlinaMaxwell: “The Iowa caucus is essentially the perfect example of systemic racism. 91% of the voters in Iowa are white.”
Unlike “white children,” minorities “feel a sense of urgency because their kids are being put in cages, right?” pic.twitter.com/YkMlw3Qqub
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 4, 2020
When asked if the Democratic Party should be concerned about Iowa’s low voter turnout, Maxwell claimed that the drop in turnout numbers is the result of a lower “sense of urgency” among white voters.
“The reason why you see a drop in turnout, I’m just speculating here, it could be perhaps that white children are not in the cages,” she said. “So when you’re talking about the tangible pain that black and brown people are feeling, they feel a sense of urgency because their kids are being put in cages, right?”
Maxwell wasn’t the only one who suggested ditching the Iowa caucus because of racial issues.
Failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, too, urged the Democratic Party to adopt a system that is more “representative of the American people as a whole.”
Our first contests must be representative of the American people as a whole. People of color have been loyal to the Democratic Party and deserve more of a voice in our primaries from the start. We can accomplish this by multiple states holding primaries the first day of voting.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) February 4, 2020