She’d been under fire within the party for some time over her management of the committee, but the publication of the emails – which showed Wasserman Schultz and other DNC staffers griping about Bernie Sanders’ campaign and spitballing ways to undermine Clinton’s primary challenger – finally provided enough incentive to force her out.
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The outcry came just one day after Wasserman Schultz said she would step down from her chairmanship at the end of the convention after a massive email leak showed DNC officials giving preference to presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the prolonged primary contest against Sanders.
“Make no mistake. We have made history”, Sanders told the crowd.
Democrats are sure to get in plenty of jabs at Trump’s expense, but the attacks nearly certainly will not match the vitriol of the Republican crowd, some of whom dressed up as prisoners and chanted “lock her up” and “Hillary for prison” on a nightly basis.
Hours before she was to gavel in the Democratic National Convention, the Florida congresswoman was met by raucous activists who accused her of favoring Hillary Clinton over vanquished rival Bernie Sanders.
“I will make sure that Florida has a loud voice, to speak loud and proud on our values”, Wasserman Schultz added. In the middle of her speech, angry attendees began to chant, “Shame!”
“To tell us to do that”, said Ryan Lopez, a California delegate, of Sanders’ request, “it goes against everything that we’re fighting for”.
Presumed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens during a town hall style campaign event, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, at South Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
On Monday, Democratic insiders said they were confident the convention’s keynote speakers would give voters a stark choice between Clinton and Trump, who delivered an unusually dark nominating speech in Cleveland.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz had been poised to easily win a seventh House term in November – until she crossed paths with Bernie Sanders, resulting in a cascade of criticism and embarrassments that now includes an email expose that could upend her reelection bid. Cory Booker and first lady Michelle Obama.
The convention lasts through Thursday. Late Sunday CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reported ongoing discussions regarding allowing Wasserman Schultz speaking time Monday.
The National Weather Service says temperatures will hover in the mid- to upper-90s on Monday, the first day of the convention.
The demonstrations, largely driven by Sanders supporters, have been peaceful, so far.
“She knew she was becoming a distraction”.
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“She reached this position and couldn’t help herself”, Morgan said. She struggled to raise the kind of cash that national party leaders had hoped for, in part because of an outside group set up by President Barack Obama – Organizing for Action – that diverted resources away from the DNC fundraising machine.
