Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was booed by many of his own delegates on July 25 after he called on them to vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Philadelphia (video below).
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“I am proud to be a part of Bernie’s movement, and a vital part of that moment is making sure Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States”. When Sanders took the stage as the night’s final speaker, he acknowledged that many of his supporters were disappointed. Bernie Sanders is urging supporters to rally behind Hillary Clinton as the Democratic convention heats up in Philadelphia, but ardent followers seem intent on keeping his upstart campaign alive.
Sanders met with about 1,900 of his delegate Monday afternoon, including supporters from IN, urging them to back Clinton.
There were signs the night’s biggest speakers – Sanders, first lady Michelle Obama and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren – may have quelled some of the anti-Clinton fervor heading into the rest of the week.
“I’ve always respected everything Bernie says”, Hanna told a reporter.
Tensions reached their peak shortly after the party dispatched two comedians to relieve it. Sarah Silverman began her remarks to the DNC by reminding the crowd that she had “felt the Bern” throughout the primary. “Civil disobedience is the cornerstone of Democratic values”, said Gabriel McArthur, a Sanders delegate from suburban Denver. “Clinton hasn’t even been nominated yet although you might not know it tonight”, she said.
He said the country needs someone who can unite them – whether they’re Hispanic, Muslim, women, African-American, or veterans – instead of dividing them.
Silverman was one of a number of prominent entertainers who backed Sanders in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton. “We are surrounded by people who are so selfish and so self-absorbed”, said Melissa Robbins, who worked for the Sanders campaign in Philadelphia.
Some Sanders supporters appeared willing to set aside their qualms about Clinton, largely out of a desire to see Trump defeated in the election. The anger on the Democrat side is about corruption, or a political party that is nothing but a subsidiary of The Clinton Foundation.
“Our motto is, ‘when they go low, we go high'”. The leak prompted DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s resignation Sunday, and on Monday she told the Sun Sentinel that she would no longer be opening and closing her party’s convention.
“This election is about which candidate understands the real problems facing this country and has offered real solutions – not just bombast, fear-mongering, name-calling and divisiveness”, said Sanders.
Sanders’ supporters and Trump’s supporters may share a sense of economic anxiety, but Sanders’ words illustrated that he and Trump – while both painted as populists and political outsiders – approach the issue very differently. His supporters, many new to party politics, spent much of Monday protesting his treatment by top officials, even booing Clinton’s name. The hackers took at least a year’s worth of detailed chats, emails and research on Trump, according to a person knowledgeable of the breach who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter. If they are determined to make mischief, Bill Clinton could start having to once again wag his finger at them when he takes the stage on Tuesday.
After the jeers erupted, Sanders tried to calm his delegates.
Martin Dunleavy, 60, the whip for the 27 Sanders delegates from CT, a state that went for Clinton, suggested time would heal the political wounds.
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Separating Bill Clinton’s accomplishments from Hillary Clinton’s record proved hard for her campaign during the primary season, particularly after years of the couple famously marketing themselves as “two for the price of one”. “I love you, Michelle”.
