CNN’s John Berman Shades Iowa and New Hampshire: ‘Had to Use the Whiteboard … Literally!’

CNN anchor John Berman provided some dry commentary on the whiteness of Iowa and New Hampshire by quipping that in order to discuss the electorate in those early Democratic primary states, polling analyst Harry Enten “had to use the whiteboard… literally and figuratively!”

On Wednesday morning’s edition of CNN’s New Day, Berman brought Enten on to analyze the state of play following Tuesday night’s New Hampshire primary and repeatedly jabbed at the blinding whiteness of the first two states on the Democratic calendar.

“The first thing that’s important to remember, Iowa and New Hampshire, not like other Democratic voting States,” Berman said to Enten. “Very different than what we are about to say. How?”

“Yeah okay, look, I’m going to play a little whiteboard for you here,” Enten said, to which Berman interjected, “Literally.”

Enten then used said whiteboard to explain that 91 percent of the New Hampshire primary electorate was white, as compared to 2016 electorates in Nevada and South Carolina that were much more diverse.

Enten said that in Nevada, “59% of it was white,” while “19% of it was Latino back in 2016, 13% of it was African-American,” and in South Carolina in 2016, “61%, the majority, the majority Mr. Berman, African American. Just 35% white.”

“I like how you had to use the whiteboard, literally and figuratively, to describe the demographic makeup in Iowa and New Hampshire,” Berman cracked.

There were a few other moments to unpack, like Enten pointing out that in Nevada and South Carolina, “no polling taken after the Iowa caucuses,” which leaves open the question of how the outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire will affect the races there.

But unremarked on was the fact that there have been only a tiny handful of polls conducted in these two diverse states this entire campaign cycle compared to the overwhelmingly white first two states. It’s another indication of the outsize influence Iowa and New Hampshire have due to their privileged placement on the Democratic primary calendar.

And there was a telling aside from Berman when he tried to put Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ win in perspective, noting that “when you bring up that low vote total, the Sanders people, they get all mad at you.”

He went on to discuss the impact on the delegate count, but it was a reminder of the sort of blowback that journalists can face from Sanders supporters, and indicates that potential for blowback could have an effect on the way this race gets covered.

Finally, Berman and Enten discussed the “fantasy” of a brokered convention, in which no candidate achieves a majority of delegates before the nominating convention. Berman wrapped up the segment with a trademark offbeat remark, saying “One of the few fantasies that doesn’t involve feathers and peanut butter.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.