Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., march during a protest in downtown on, Monday, July 25, 2016, in Philadelphia, during the first day of the Democratic National Convention.
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The release of hacked Democratic party emails inflames the rift between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders – and gives Donald Trump ammunition. When Sanders took the stage as the night’s final speaker, he acknowledged that many of his supporters were disappointed.
Some delegates had tears in their eyes as Sanders signaled that he felt the pain of those who had committed everything to his upstart political movement that at one point threatened to upend Clinton and the Democratic establishment.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta reached out to Sanders supporters in a brief speech from the podium, lauding the Vermont senator and stressing that Trump is the enemy of every Democratic delegate inside Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
Sanders spoke shortly after US first lady, Michelle Obama, took the stage in Philadelphia and told the convention that Clinton is the only candidate prepared to be president. Comedian-turned-Sen. Al Franken, a Clinton supporter, and actress Sarah Silverman, a Sanders supporter, made a joint appearance to promote party unity.
Sanders, 74, fought a fierce primary battle against Clinton for the Democratic nomination, attracting legions of loyal followers with progressive proposals to reign in Wall Street excesses, diminish the role of money in politics, and make health care and higher education more accessible. “So, the idea now of putting a socialist on the Democratic ticket, I don’t think that would go over well with the rest of the country”.
Ed Mullen, 49, a delegate from IL, said he supported Sanders but would vote for Clinton in November.
Kingson said he was happy that Wasserman Schultz resigned Sunday, and decided not to gavel the contention to order as originally planned on Monday.
“We insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country”, the first lady said in a message that Democrats will hope resonates with fathers and mothers voting in November.
For this moment, the hope of party unity – at least among this small subset of hard-core Sanders supporters – seemed far, far away.
“We’re all Democrats and we need to act like it”, the convention’s chairwoman, U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge of OH, shouted over the ruckus as the opening session began. Protester Destine Madu, of Maplewood, New Jersey, said it doesn’t matter if Sanders, a Vermont U.S. senator, is calling on his backers to support Clinton. “You’re just being ridiculous”, Silverman said.
“Bernie had all these votes and now they’re going against her”, he said.
But in Philadelphia, Delegates waved “Love Trumps Hate” signs and leapt to their feet as immigration supporters, gay rights advocates, and labor leaders took the stage.
“Trump wants to divide and conquer us with his anti-Muslim, anti-Mexican, anti-worker message”, Ellison said.
The crowd had erupted into chaos Monday afternoon earlier in the afternoon amid controversy over leaked emails from the Democratic Party’s organizing committee.
“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters, two attractive and intelligent black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn”, Obama said. His call to support Clinton was nevertheless met with loud jeers.
Sanders thanked his supporters – 1,894 delegates, 46 percent of the total – saying he looked forward “to your votes during the roll call on Tuesday night”. Lynch, 74, donned a shirt showing Sanders’ as a Muppet and wore a sticker that said “Bernie Stops Trump”.
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Corey Jones, a 19-year-old Sanders delegate from Anamosa, Iowa, said he was not satisfied with the DNCs apology to Sanders and his supporters. “We are all in this together and we will all have a voice in the Clinton administration”. “Clinton hasn’t even been nominated yet although you might not know it tonight”, she said. “Individual staffers have also rightfully apologized for their comments, and the DNC is taking appropriate action to ensure it never happens again”.
