Liberal author Matt Stoller: Iowa caucus screw-up was ‘Boeing 737 Max of the Democratic Party’

Liberal author Matt Stoller on Monday called the Iowa caucuses debacle from earlier this month the “Boeing 737 Max of the Democratic Party.”

Stoller, who is the research director at the American Economic Liberties Project, told Hill.TV that the Democratic Party behaves similarly to a monopoly. He said party members this month appeared hesitant to criticize the official in charge of the app used on caucus night seemed to have a “fear of retaliation.”

“That’s exactly what it feels like in all these other industries,” Stoller said. “And what you have in the Democratic Party elites is a set of networks … who all are effectively controlled by a very small group of people, which is exactly what you see in any cartel situation.”

Stoller said people don’t think of the Democratic Party as a “business,” but the business side showed after the Iowa controversy, including the “problems with concentrations of power.”

“And we saw, just like Boeing is a domestic monopoly, then had the 737 Max because they don’t actually do a particularly good job. That’s what we saw in Iowa as well,” he said.

Boeing has been under intense scrutiny ever since its 737 Max aircraft, which was involved in two fatal crashes, killed hundreds of people. The aircraft is still grounded.

The Iowa caucuses turned into a disaster for the Democratic Party after an issue with an app used to help tally up results led to a prolonged delay in announcing the official results. Two campaigns later called for recanvassing in dozens of precincts, and Troy Price, the Iowa’s state Democratic Party chairman, resigned over the debacle.

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg earned 13 delegates in the Iowa caucuses, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) winning 12 delegates.