It was a message some Sanderistas still weren’t ready to hear. Throughout the first night of the Democratic Party confab — even during their candidate’s primetime address — a small number of them jeered Clinton whenever her name was uttered.
Sanders acknowledged their heartache and confessed that he shared it.
“I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I. But to all of our supporters, here and around the country, I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.”
It appeared that they did. The arena erupted in applause late Monday when the senator took the stage. Sanders and Clinton delegates alike gave him an extended standing ovation, holding aloft light blue signs featuring his first name and the bird that came to symbolize his campaign.
When he hailed his 1,846 pledged delegates, one of them — recent South Burlington High School graduate Aster O’Leary — jumped to her feet to cheer. All around O’Leary in the Vermont stands, Sanders’ neighbors basked in the glow of his remarkable run.
“It’s incredible. Unreal,” said Noah Detzer, a delegate from White River Junction. “I’ve followed this from the day that he announced. This is kind of the end, which is sad, but every step of the way I’ve been so blown away by him as a candidate. And I’m just so privileged to be part of this movement.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sat nearby Detzer and applauded their congressional colleague.
“We’ve heard a lot of it before, but he pointed out how close he and Hillary are on the issues,” said Leahy, a Clinton delegate who has served with Sanders for more than 25 years. “I think it’s a good start for the campaign … He could not have made [Republican nominee] Donald Trump very happy.”
Welch, one of Sanders’ few congressional endorsers, called Sanders’ speech “beyond magnanimous.”
“It was really a statesmanlike address, explaining to his supporters that there’s a lot of heartbreak in politics, but you’ve gotta go on and take the next step,” Welch said. “So I thought it was just a measure of his character that he did this tonight.”
“No T-P-P!” they chanted, referring to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Even before he appeared onstage, Sanders sought to calm his partisans. In an email to delegates, he wrote that “everyone is frustrated” — particularly by recently revealed Democratic National Committee emails showing that party officials had favored Clinton’s campaign over his. But he urged his supporters to refrain from “protest or demonstration on the convention floor.”
“Our credibility as a movement will be damaged by booing, turning of backs, walking out or other similar displays,” he wrote. “That’s what the corporate media wants. That’s what Donald Trump wants. But that’s not what will expand the progressive movement in this country.”
A trio of entertainers seemed to help his cause.
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), a Clinton supporter, and fellow comedian Sarah Silverman, a Sanders supporter, appeared onstage together shortly before 9 p.m. and made an appeal for unity. Calling the Democratic primary “exemplary” for avoiding “name-calling,” Silverman said she would “vote for Hillary with gusto.”
“I am proud to be a part of Bernie’s movement — and a vital part of that movement is making sure Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States,” she said, adding later, “Can I just say to the ‘Bernie or Bust’ people: You’re being ridiculous.”
The two were followed to the stage by the singer Paul Simon, whose anthem, “America,” served as the soundtrack to Sanders’ most memorable campaign commercial. The artist chose a different song to perform Monday night — perhaps a more fitting one, given the divisions on display: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Rounding out the night were speeches from three stars of the Democratic Party: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and seemingly the only speaker more popular in the arena than Sanders, First Lady Michelle Obama.
But it was Sanders who got the last word.
“Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president,” he said as he concluded his address. “And I am proud to stand with her here tonight.”
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“Any objective observer will conclude that, based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States.”
Wasn’t it just a few short months ago that Bernie questioned Clinton’s qualifications to be president? Pardon me while I leave “The Revolution”. I have been Berned by politics yet again..
Bernie showed last night he stands for nothing. By backing an unethical, dishonest, perjurer who made classified emails available to EVERYONE, he showed his true colors.
Ted Cruz got in trouble for not endorsing Trump but instead said vote your conscience. Bernie said forget about your conscience vote for Hillary.
I’m no Hillary fan, but I would rather have her than Trump. Ya gotta no when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
The supporters were pushed under the bus..they know what kind of POS Killary is.. and Sanders is kissing her fat butt and he wants them to vote for her,,hope they are smart enough to not vote..
The difficulty Bernie is having controlling his delegates and the tone of the comments posted here demonstrates how negative Bernie’s campaign truly was. A campaign slogan of “Feel the Bern” is not positive, it’s violent. The Bernie Bros are a classic example – righteous, disruptive, violent. When Bernie proclaimed his campaign was “going to get messy,” he was egging on the more violent sector of his followers. Bernie’s entire campaign theme has been righteous opposition to the Democratic Party. The behavior of Bernie’s delegates at the Nevada convention, as well as the national convention illustrates that he is not bringing new voters to the Democratic Party, he has brought people who oppose democracy to the arena. They are booing Elizabeth Warren and Bernie himself. Looks like Bernie bit off more than he can chew. That’s the problem with bringing 1,000 rattlesnakes to a party – – it’s exciting at first, then it turns south fast.
Good point, Stacy but not really. I’d say the business with the head of the DNC working against Bernie angered his supporters. Voting when your vote doesn’t truly count for much is not a democracy. Also look at the candidate they are being asked to support. Polls indicate nearly 70% of the population does not trust her. When a large portion of voters are being asked to support a terrible candidate and have no voice in the process, anger ensues.
Stacy’s right. Bernie brought this on himself. He ran a dark, angry, bitter campaign and he attracted a dark, angry, bitter following. And he stoked their anger even further. Now he’s got an angry mob on his hands and they’re angry at him, too. That’s what happens when you play with fire. Even though I agree with some of his message, I don’t like the person who carried it or the way he did it. He acted the demagogue.
As for Bernie’s former followers, now that they hate Bernie, too, there’s no one left not to hate. They hate absolutely everyone. Nice outcome all around.
It didn’t have to be this way. Bernie didn’t have to campaign in such an angry, incendiary, self-righteous, intolerant way.
Let’s just ignore the incestuous corruption of the DNC as revealed by the released emails. If Hillary were even somewhat of a tolerable candidate, the amount of anger you suggest Bernie created wouldn’t be a talking point at all. There would be disappointed Bernie supporters ready to get behind an honorable democratic candidate. Instead, they have Hillary.
“Let’s just ignore the incestuous corruption of the DNC as revealed by the released emails. If Hillary were even somewhat of a tolerable candidate, the amount of anger you suggest Bernie created wouldn’t be a talking point at all. There would be disappointed Bernie supporters ready to get behind an honorable democratic candidate. Instead, they have Hillary..”
And, yet, for some reason your twisted, paranoid, erroneous opinion of Hillary and her Party is not consistent with that of the guy you swore your loyalty to — Bernie. Hmm. Wonder why that is? It’s because you’re wrong and Bernie’s right. For all his manipulative, demagogic fervor during the campaign, Bernie lost the race and he knows that Hillary’s the right choice for this country. You don’t, because you just don’t get it. You’re living in a paranoid fantasy world that Bernie never actually lived in.
You are being ridiculous, assumptions. People are tired of politicians like Hillary Clinton. As Philo points out, 70% of people polled find her untrustworthy. Bernie’s message resonated with this faction of voters. He does not control his supporters nor did they swear allegiance to him. I see nothing paranoid about Philo’s post. The DNC did manipulate the primary process and people are angered by this. This dishonesty, along with Hillary’s overall dishonesty, leads to the expression of this anger, not Bernie’s campaign message or lack of control over his delegates.
@Mark Lade: Bernie lost the race and he knows that Hillary’s the right choice for this country. You mean because she helped destabilize the middle east, because she sent an ambassador into an unstable situation without enough security, because she lied to cover up the truth about Behghazi, because she irresponsibly made classified emails available to everyone and then illegally tried to destroy them all to cover up her actions, because she perjured herself to congress, or because when every informed person knows what she did she is still denying it?
Veggiguy: Bernie lost the race but it looked like he was gaining some momentum on the convention floor. I can buy into Bernie thinks Hillary is better than Trump but I’m not so sure he believes Hillary is right for America I wonder why he pressed his delegates to vote Hillary instead of simply conceding.
“As Philo points out, 70% of people polled find her untrustworthy.”
70% of the American people also believe that space aliens walk among us. Does that make it true? No rational person would ever make any decisions about what is true and what is not true based on what other people believe.
First of all, your scenario is made up. Secondly, if 70% of people feel Hillary is dishonest then it is true that 70% of people feel Hillary is dishonest. Your attempt at reductio ad absurdum falls flat as does your attempt to draw a conclusion about anything presented in that poll other than a large majority of people polled feel Hillary Clinton is dishonest.