Moist eyes and unending applause welcomed Senator Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday night as he led a well-scripted effort by the party to pull together after a bitterly fought nomination contest.
Mr. Sanders was unambiguous and emphatic in his endorsement of his erstwhile opponent Hillary Clinton. He ran down point-by-point a list of issues that he championed during the campaign that turned him into a hero of the American youth and the middle class, and endorsed Ms. Clinton on each. “Any objective observer will conclude that — based on her ideas and her leadership — Hillary Clinton must become the next President of the United States,” Mr. Sanders said, as her husband and former President Bill Clinton joined the standing ovation. Many among the audience broke down.
“It is no secret that Hillary Clinton and I disagree on a number of issues. That’s what this campaign has been about. That’s what democracy is about,” Mr. Sanders said.
Emotional appealFirst Lady Michelle Obama, and Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren stirred up the crowd as they denounced Republican candidate Donald Trump, praised Mr. Sanders and endorsed Ms. Clinton, who could not have asked for anything better after a nasty prelude to the convention that ended in the resignation of party committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, following revelations that she may have taken sides in the primary contest.
In an intensely emotional appeal for Ms. Clinton, Ms. Obama blended issues of gender and race — two issues that animate the party's base. “The issues a President faces are not black and white, and cannot be boiled down into 140 characters,” Ms. Obama said in a reference to Mr. Trump, who habitually tweets on sensitive and complicated questions.
‘Rigged system’“The system is rigged,” declared Ms. Warren, raising one of the most repeated items on this year’s campaign. “There’s lots of wealth in America, but it isn’t trickling down to hard-working families like yours. Does anyone here have a problem with that? Well, I do too.”
Mr. Trump too has pitched his campaign as a battle of common Americans against a rigged system. “Trump thinks he can win votes by fanning the flames of fear and hatred. By turning neighbour against neighbour. By persuading you that the real problem in America is your fellow Americans — people who don’t look like you, or don’t talk like you, or don’t worship like you,” she said.
While the optics were good, the attempt to bring together the legacies of three strong leaders who dominate the discussions in the party — President Barack Obama, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Sanders — is going to be a tough balancing act. Trade is one issue that demonstrates this in stark terms.
Hundreds of participants at the convention carried placards against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that Mr. Obama is personally committed to. Ms. Clinton was earlier a supporter of the deal, but now has turned an opponent. Mr. Sanders reiterated his opposition to the deal, even though he was all praise for the Obamas.
Calling the Democratic platform the most progressive ever, he said: “It also calls for strong opposition to job-killing free trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
Fight for workers“We believe that the United States should never, never, sign trade deals that help giant corporations but leave working people in the dirt! Hillary will fight for American workers,” said Ms. Warren.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Sanders also sent an e-mail to his supporters, calling for calm and restraint. “During this convention, you represent not just the 13.3 million who voted for our campaign. You also represent the future of our movement. I am asking all of us to bear that in mind while we are on the floor of the convention. Our credibility as a movement will be damaged by booing, turning of backs, walking out or other similar displays.”
