Sanders allies hold 73 seats on the committee, while 105 are committed to Clinton and the rest are Democratic National Committee appointees. Regardless, he has remained committed to defeating Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. A Sanders endorsement may ensure “a prominent speaking slot at the Democratic convention” as well, the Times reports.
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In the weeks since Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic nomination, her irascible primary rival won a few policy concessions and influenced the party’s platform.
The warm words from Sanders come amid frustration from party leaders who continue to push the Vermont senator hard to formally endorse Clinton before the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to take place in Philadelphia in late July.
“The major political task that we face in the next five months”, he said, “is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly”.
“The goal isn’t to win elections”, Sanders said right before the booing, Politico reported.
It’s not really an unexpected move at this point but is still a significant moment in Sanders’ long and officially ongoing campaign.
This demonstrates the striking growth of the “Bernie or Bust” movement, and it spells potential trouble for Hillary Clinton, who has shifted her rhetoric to the left in response to the ambitious progressive agenda of her opponent.
On Thursday, Sanders telegraphed where he’s heading with a near-endorsement. The Democratic Platform proposes to “make community college free” for all, which constitutes only half of the Sanders’ proposal.
Strong support among Democratic candidate supporters is much lower among Hillary Clinton backers today (45%) than it was among Obama backers in 2012 (60%) and 2008 (58%) as well as Kerry voters in the summer of 2004 (59%). On Wednesday, she called for getting rid of the cost of attendance for in-state public college and universities if students come from families making less than $125,000 a year.
Sanders was effusive in his praise of Clinton’s proposal, saying it would “have a profound impact on the future of our country”.
According to RealClear Politics, Clinton has a lead over Trump in the polls. Sanders has been pushing for changes to the party platform that would specify the need for a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and more. The Democrats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations they were not authorized to disclose. Barack Obama joined Clinton for an endorsement event in Unity, New Hampshire, a symbol-rich town where Obama and Clinton split the vote in the primary.
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The Clinton campaign on Thursday confirmed the event but did not provide details, including any mention of Sanders. The Orlando meeting is not the final stop for Sanders, who should have support to file reports that would allow for votes on some of these issues at the convention. In another sign of voter discontent, large numbers of the supporters of both Trump and Clinton view their choice as more of a vote against the opposing candidate than an expression of support for their candidate.
