DNC Notebook: Sanders delegates still skeptical of Clinton

Published 3:50 pm Monday, July 25, 2016

The first of day of the Democratic National Convention opened with plenty of reasons for supporters of Bernie Sanders to be angry.

Recently leaked emails showed party officials working to undermine Sanders’ campaign during the primaries. That led to Democratic Party Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s resignation and the announcement that she won’t gavel in the opening of the convention.

Wasserman Schultz was heckled and booed at a Monday breakfast with delegates from her home state of Florida.

Of Pennsylvania’s 189 pledged delegates to the convention in Philadelphia, 83 support Sanders, according to the state Democratic Party.

The Vermont senator, in a Monday meeting with delegates supporting him, tried to smooth over the controversy by asserting that presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton will be a better president than Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Many in the audience loudly objected.

Branin Boyd, a Sanders delegate from the 10th Congressional District, said he appreciates Sanders’ effort to unify the party, but he isn’t ready to line up behind Clinton.

“I know the Hillary delegates are gung-ho, and they feel like we should shut up,” Boyd said. “I’m not ready to give up.”

Boyd said he hopes that the conversation Sanders started with his campaign doesn’t end with this political convention. “The revolution goes on,” he said.

But he expressed skepticism that many issues that drew progressives to Sanders will get much traction with Clinton.

“There are many things she could do, I don’t expect her to do much,” he said.

‘Different feel’

Dauphin County Democratic Party chairman Rogette Harris offers a much more optimistic view of Clinton.

Harris, a delegate for Clinton from the 11th Congressional District, acknowledged that she isn’t the “first choice” of Sanders supporters.

“In the end, Donald Trump will unify us,” she added.

While the Democrats’ convention opened to talk of divisions within the party, Harris said she expects the tone of this week’s speeches to be more positive than those at last week’s Republican convention.

“I watched the Republican convention on television, and this has a different feel,” she said. “I think you will hear more uplifting speeches. We need to tell the American people what’s right about our country.” 

Emergency management: ‘We’re ready’

Democrats may hope their convention has a different feel, but security officials are hoping the convention in Philadelphia mirrors the calm of last week’s event in Cleveland.

On Monday morning, the state Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency activated its response coordination center in Harrisburg to help manage public safety activities during this week’s convention.

“We’ve been working with local, state and federal partners for several months to plan for this event,” said Richard D. Flinn Jr., director of the state agency. “We will be ready to provide whatever assistance is needed to Philadelphia in support of their response activities throughout the week.”

John Finnerty covers the Pennsylvania Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach him at jfinnerty@cnhi.com or @cnhipa on Twitter