Lawmakers shouted “Timeline! Timeline! – pressing him to hurry up and endorse the party’s presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton – and there were boos when the Vermont senator said his goal was “not to win elections” but “to transform America”.
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But he has withheld his endorsement while pushing for policy concessions from the Clinton campaign and in the Democratic Party platform.
Even though Senator Sanders has not yet endorsed Clinton and there are still a couple weeks to go until the convention in Philadelphia, according to our data, Clinton has already brought the vast majority of Sanders voters to her side.
Clinton’s new plan, called The New College Compact, would offer free tuition at in-state four-year public colleges and universities, as well as community colleges, to families making up to $125,000 a year by 2021. That directly conflicts with the agenda of the Obama administration, and at one time it was an issue that clearly contrasted Sanders with Clinton.
Sanders, to the consternation of many working on the outside of the two-party political process, has said from the beginning that he would back the eventual nominee.
Democrats are set to meet Friday and Saturday in Orlando to finalize their platform ahead of the party’s convention. But Sanders supporters exploded in cheers when they won environmental amendments that included support for pricing greenhouse gases, prioritizing renewable energy and limiting fracking.
After Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sanders vowed repeatedly to stay in the race until the convention.
But it looks like Sanders will soon throw in the towel, because he’s reportedly planning on endorsing Clinton for president next week! 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.
But his drift toward Clinton after a brutal primary battle in which key – and for many, deal-breaking – differences were highlighted has dismayed many Sanders supporters who are adamant that Clinton is beholden to special interests and anathema to a bold, progressive vision.
“The Vermonter and his aides turned their attention to the Democratic platform, launching a spirited fight to move the document to the left”, reports MSNBC.com.
Sanders was effusive in his praise of Clinton’s proposal, saying it would “have a profound impact on the future of our country”.
Sources close to the negotiations between the Clinton and Sanders campaigns told NH1 News on Thursday afternoon that “it’s likely” Sanders would endorse Clinton on Tuesday in the Granite State.
But Sanders says there is still work to be done to influence the Democratic platform that is now being drafted.
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The group said language featured in Sanders’ subcommittees on each issue will supersede the language they provided. It happened during House Democrats’ regular weekly caucus meeting, to which Sanders had been invited some time ago. Still, Clinton will have more delegates in attendance.
