On Monday's MTP Daily, frequent MSNBC guest Zerlina Maxwell made the latest claim of "voter suppression" perpetrated by Republicans as she ludicrously declared that voter ID laws were "making it sort of impossible" for blacks to vote in Wisconsin and Michigan. Her claim was not disputed by substitute host Steve Kornacki or either of the other two panel members.
Near the end of the show at 5:54 p.m. ET, host Kornacki observed that Senate Republicans may have to endure more competitive than expected elections against Democrats if there are strong primary challengers, Maxwell began her response by advising that Democrats "stay focused on building our own base." She then went after voter ID laws as she continued:
I think we have to ignore what the Republicans are doing and essentially the civil war that's going on over there and focus on turning out our own voters and making sure that the voter suppression and voter ID laws that were so successful in keeping so many African-American voters home in Wisconsin or, you know, and basically making it sort of impossible for them to vote in states like Wisconsin and Michigan...
After she concluded with her advice about Democrats focusing on turning out their base, no one made an argument about the need for voter ID laws or against the claims that a substantial number of black voters have been prevented from voting, as Kornacki simply wrapped up the segment:
Yeah, no, it is fascinating. It's been seven years now -- it'll be eight years in 2018. In 2010, you had that first sort of uprising, these primaries, and we thought it might be dying down there a little bit, but those winds, they seem to be blowing again. Caitlin, Zerlina, John, thank you for joining us. Appreciate the very good discussion here.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, October 23, MTP Daily on MSNBC:
ZERLINA MAXWELL, FORMER CLINTON CAMPAIGN ADVISOR: But I think the only way that we're able to reap the rewards is if we stay focused on building our own base. I think we have to ignore what the Republicans are doing and essentially the civil war that's going on over there and focus on turning out our own voters and making sure that the voter suppression and voter ID laws that were so successful in keeping so many African-American voters home in Wisconsin or, you know, and basically making it sort of impossible for them to vote in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, that we're making sure that those younger millennials and those African-American voters are excited to turn out because the Democratic message is something that they're excited about, and that they're able to go cast their ballots.
But until we do that, I think it's going to be competitive no matter where it is. I think that the civil war is opening up opportunities in places beyond the normal map that Democrats look at, and it's telling them that you should look to those states that you've pretty much written off in past previous generations of Democratic politics, but now, with Trump in the White House, really everything's on the table.
STEVE KORNACKI: Yeah, no, it is fascinating. It's been seven years now -- it'll be eight years in 2018. In 2010, you had that first sort of uprising, these primaries, and we thought it might be dying down there a little bit, but those winds, they seem to be blowing again. Caitlin, Zerlina, John, thank you for joining us. Appreciate the very good discussion here.
