Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves as he walks off the stage after checking out the podium before the start of the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Monday, July 25, 2016. A trove of embarrassing leaked emails some said reveal an anti-Sanders bias at the supposedly neutral Democratic National Committee has ripped open some barely-heeled primary wound. Below is an earlier version.
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The Democratic National Convention opening Monday in Philadelphia is Clinton’s chance to hit reset after a vigorous primary against Bernie Sanders and the unlikely movement that formed behind the Vermont senator.
“This right now, is the greatest country on earth”, she said.
Now the Sanders delegates are pondering his speech and trying to figure out what to do.
Asked if he is ready to be president, Kaine said: “I’m ready first to be a supportive vice president so that the presidency of Hillary Clinton is is a fantastic one”.
Liberal reaction ranged from disappointment to outright condemnation of the VP pick, pointing out multiple instances where Kaine furthered anti-abortion causes and waffled on supporting LGBTQ rights. Clinton and President Barack Obama both quickly praised the departed party chief. In a tweet, he contended that Sanders supporters are “furious”. Even during the invocation, chants of “Bernie” echoed through the arena. That made the billionaire real estate tycoon and one-time television reality show host the first major US party presidential nominee in more than six decades to claim a major party’s nomination without previously having been elected to any public office.
Sanders will play a crucial role in determining whether Clinton can calm the tensions.
Kaine’s back-story covers some shortcomings on the Clinton ticket and, coming from a battleground state – since 2000, the candidate who has won Virginia has won the White House – he gives the former USA secretary of state a push in the race to the required 270 electoral college votes.
Many former Bernie Sanders supporters wish she’d picked someone more liberal. “But this, this is something that is really, really exciting”, Kaine said. “Trump is a bully and a demagogue”.
Sanders spoke just after Massachusetts. Sen. But he struggled to appeal to black voters and couldn’t match the former secretary of state’s ties to the Democratic establishment. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen.
Clinton is promising a stark contrast to last week’s Republican gathering, an often chaotic affair that featured a heavy dose of pessimism about the economy and national security. “There is only one person I trust with that responsibility, only one person I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is Hillary Clinton”.
Turning to Clinton, he added: “We’re going to be companeros del alma”.
How the emails were stolen hasn’t been confirmed, but the Clinton campaign pointed the finger at Russian hackers. Among them was Clinton’s unwillingness to say any such intervention by the party committee to favor one candidate would be “improper”. “They’re so excited and they’re so proud because maybe they just discovered we haven’t had any girl presidents”, Clinton said in an interview.
Trump dismissed the suggestion in a tweet: “The joke in town is that Russian Federation leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me”.
Wasserman Schultz had planned to be among those taking the stage, despite the email hacking controversy. “It was a feeling of a moment in history passed that I may not see again in my lifetime”, said Donna Smith, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America.
For Sanders’ supporters, it was a high-profile victory.
The Democratic ticket arrived on Miami time, more than an hour late.
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“I’m really annoyed”, MI delegate Bruce Fealk said.
