Democratic National Convention: Sanders supporters boo every mention of Clinton’s name as event opens
Some audience members booed and chanted Bernie Sanders's name when Hillary Clinton was mentioned during the opening invocation at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 25. (Video: The Washington Post/Photo: Michael Robinson-Chavez/TWP)
By Sean Sullivan and Anne Gearan July 25 at 6:01 PM Follow @WaPoSean Follow @agearan
PHILADELPHIA — The floor of the Democratic National Convention was awash with anti-Hillary Clinton sentiment and sporadic protests as it opened Monday afternoon.
Every mention of her name drew boos from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s supporters, who toted signs railing against trade pacts and distracting from the speakers on stage. Televisions news cameras and anchors swarmed each uprising, broadcasting it live and furiously tweeting the latest chants. The barrage of activity and Klieg lights only seemed to encourage the rabble-rousing, which continued for more than an hour.
It was a circus-like scene, with the party chair absent and Sanders ranks feeling emboldened even though the convention was not contested. Cries of "noooo!" rang out each time a motion was brought up for voice vote. The ayes, the Clinton backers, however, made sure to make themselves known and yelled "aye" with increased intensity each time.
The official kickoff began after Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake stepped in for outgoing Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to gavel in the convention at about 4:15 p.m.
Wasserman Schultz stayed offstage following heavy criticism over the leak of a trove of embarrassing DNC emails. She excused herself from gaveling the convention earlier in the day, bowing to heavy opposition from party activists. She also gave up her speaking slot, according to Hilary Rosen, a longtime Democratic operative and friend of Wasserman Schultz.
“I have decided that in the interest of making sure that we can start the Democratic convention on a high note that I am not going to gavel in the convention,” Wasserman Schultz told the Sun Sentinel newspaper in Florida, which first reported her plans.
The decision was one of many dramatic developments during a day of discord that threatened to distract from a lineup of high-profile speeches meant to convey Democratic unity on the first day of the convention. The FBI said it was investigating the email breach that triggered much of the intra-party friction over the weekend.
[ Complete live coverage of the Democratic National Convention]
The leak of emails that showed DNC staff apparently scheming to help Clinton win the Democratic primary looms over the four-day convention. Wasserman Schultz resigned her post effective the end of the event.
Sanders, Clinton’s main primary challenger, was cheered by supporters at a rally Monday afternoon when he smiled and told the crowd that the Florida congresswoman’s departure would “open the door” for new leaders to take the reins.
“Her resignation opens up the possibility of new leadership at the top of the Democratic Party that will stand with working people,” Sanders said.
Minutes later, when Sanders encouraged Democrats to elect Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the crowd started booing loudly.
On day one of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, protesters opposing presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton echoed the "Lock her up" chant heard the week before at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. (Adriana Usero,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
Sanders tried to talk them back, arguing that Republican nominee Donald Trump “must be defeated.”
According to a Democratic Party official familiar with the talks, the Sanders team reached out to the Clinton team Monday afternoon to voice worries that its supporters may cause a stir Monday night, since tensions are still running high over the email leak, even after Wasserman Schultz resigned.
Clinton aide Marlon Marshall and Sanders deputy campaign manager Rich Pelletier met in the afternoon to develop a joint plan to try to avoid excessive disruptions, the official said. This person spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Sanders sent out a signed text message to some supporters that reads: “I ask you as a personal courtesy to me to not engage in any kind of protest on the floor. Its of utmost importance you explain this to your delegations — Bernie,” the official said.
He also sent out an email saying: “I would ask you as a personal courtesy to me to not engage in any kind of protest or demonstration on the convention floor.”
A spokesman for Sanders did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Clinton and Sanders camps have also proactively merged their floor whip teams, and Sanders surrogates — including former NAACP President Ben Jealous — will be urging Sanders supporters to not cause a ruckus on the floor.
Still, the efforts don’t appear to have produced calm. Sanders supporters chanted his name as speakers took the stage and apparently at every mention of Clinton’s name.
Wasserman Schultz faced an angry backlash at a meeting of her home state activists hours earlier. And liberal delegates stood ready to shower her with boos if she had stepped onto the stage at the convention, according to a top Democrat familiar with their plans.
The FBI released a statement Monday saying that the agency was “investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter. A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”
[ Here are the latest, most damaging things in the DNC’s leaked emails]
As she took the podium at a Florida delegation breakfast, the South Florida congresswoman faced boos, which competed with many of the cheers she received.
“If I could ask everybody to settle down,” she told the rowdy crowd as she struggled to maintain order. Moments later she repeated herself: “All right everybody, now settle down. Settle down, please.”
Another official then stepped in to try to restore order.
Trying to speak over the noise, Wasserman Schultz acknowledged, “There’s a little bit of interest in my being here, and I appreciate that interest.”
There was confusion about whether Wasserman Schultz was preparing to leave Philadelphia and return to Florida, with two people familiar with ongoing discussions saying she was headed out. But Rosen strongly disputed that the chairwoman would be leaving Philadelphia.
“Her family just arrived. She’s going to see the first lady tonight. She’ll be there for the president on Wednesday and to see Hillary Clinton on Thursday,” Rosen said.
Spokespeople for the Clinton campaign and DNC didn’t return requests for comment.
Convention officials are hoping to move past the drama as the evening approaches. Two of the Democratic Party’s most popular liberal stars — Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the keynote speaker — will give speeches Monday night. First lady Michelle Obama will also address the convention.
Addressing supporters Monday afternoon, Sanders reflected on what he sees as key accomplishments during and after his campaign. He praised supporters for helping secure “by far the most progressive platform ever written in the history of the Democratic Party” here at the convention.
“We showed in a way that will change politics in our country forever that you can run a competitive national campaign without begging billionaires for campaign contributions,” said Sanders.
Volunteers from the Sanders campaign were trying to pressure convention organizers for roll call votes on the presidential and vice presidential nominations, which would stretch out the process and highlight pockets of disagreement.
The Clinton campaign said there will be a roll-call vote on the nomination of Clinton to be president.
[ Why Debbie Wasserman Schultz failed]
“We anticipate there will be a roll-call vote tomorrow night and that every vote will be counted, that we’ll go through all 50 states. We’re happy to have it,” said Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon. Fallon said he wasn’t sure whether the plan extended to the vice presidential process.
Sanders’s address will be closely watched following months of bruising competition with Clinton that left many of his supporters deflated and angry with the process. Those hard feelings threatened to boil over again here Monday after the email leak showed party strategists appearing to plot against him during the campaign.
In an interview on MSNBC Monday morning, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said the campaign had not seen a copy of the Vermont senator’s speech.
Wasserman Schultz was pushed to resign by the release of thousands of emails among party officials that appeared to show co­ordinated efforts to help Clinton at the expense of her rivals in the Democratic primaries. That undercut claims by the party and the Clinton campaign that the process was open and fair for Sanders.
“It’s best for Hillary Clinton that we have a new chair of the party. We’ll have that with Donna Brazile,” Podesta said on MSNBC. Brazile, a veteran party strategist, will take over as interim chair.
The email messages released by hackers were posted Friday on the website WikiLeaks.
The Clinton campaign — and several cybersecurity experts — said the leak was a political ploy carried out by the Russian government to aid in the election of Trump. National security officials are increasingly concerned about possible efforts by Russia to meddle in the election, according to several individuals familiar with the situation.
Mook said that the DNC has begun a comprehensive review of its internal emails to determine what damaging correspondence might be in the hands of Russian hackers.
Wasserman Schultz has been told to be prepared for an unwelcome reception, had she opened the convention, the Democrat familiar with the plans to protest her said.
Republicans, led by Trump, seized on the leaked email episode.
“So Debbie was totally loyal to Hillary. And Hillary threw her under a bus. And it didn’t take her more than five minutes to make that decision,” Trump said during a campaign event in Roanoke, Virginia
As Democrats started their convention, Trump was be campaigning in two swing states: Virginia and North Carolina.
Also campaigning in North Carolina Monday, Clinton took a swipe at Trump, who once said he counted heavily on himself for foreign policy advice.
“You will never hear me say that I only listen to myself on national security,” Clinton said.
A pair of new polls released Monday showed a competitive race heading into the convention. A CNN/ORC survey conducted after the GOP convention showed Trump jumping ahead of Clinton. A CBS News poll showed that the contest is effectively tied.
Even Clinton’s party was doing battle with itself, she picked new Democratic support, as former vice president Al Gore endorsed her on Twitter.
Throughout the first day of the convention, Democrats are expected to try to cast a spotlight on Clinton’s work on behalf of families.
Later in the week, the party stalwarts will hear from President Obama, Vice President Biden and former president Bill Clinton, among others. The convention will culminate Thursday in a speech from Hillary Clinton, who is poised to make history as the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party.
Democrats were hoping to showcase a smooth, error-free convention that would contrast sharply with last week’s Republican gathering in Cleveland, which was marred by plagiarism and intra-party skirmishes.
Instead, the email leaks and the upheaval at the top ranks of the party threatened to upend Clinton’s plan to paint the Democrats as the party best prepared to lead a divided and anxious country and herself as the leader who can offer an optimistic alternative to Republican nominee Donald Trump.
While Brazile is taking over as interim chair, discussions were underway Sunday about who might be suitable to step in as chair between now and the November election. Among the Democrats mentioned: former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, Rep. Steve Israel of New York and EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock. All are loyal supporters and trusted allies of Clinton.
The emails revealed a DNC official apparently discussing how to use Sanders’s religion against him to help Clinton ahead of the Kentucky and West Virginia primaries. In another email, a Clinton campaign lawyer suggested to the DNC how it should respond to claims from the Sanders campaign that it was improperly using a joint fundraising committee with state parties.
The Washington Post reported last month that Russian government hackers penetrated the DNC, stealing opposition research about Trump and compromising the party’s email and chat systems.
In addition to the friction with Sanders and his supporters that was revealed in the email hack, donors were upset about the way they were talked about in some of the emails.
Clinton issued a statement Sunday in which she announced that Wasserman Schultz would serve as honorary chair of the campaign’s 50-state program as well as continuing as a surrogate nationally and in Florida.
Dan Balz, Robert Costa, Ed O’Keefe, Lois Romano, Philip Rucker and David Weigel in Philadelphia; Scott Clement, Abby Phillip and Karen Tumulty in Washington; and John Wagner in Raleigh, N.C., contributed to this report.
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