Democratic Convention Live Blog, Day 2: Whither the DNC?
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After Monday’s tumultuous and charged launch in Philadelphia, the second day of the Democratic National Convention began with more than a few hefty questions still unanswered.
LOOK: A Lens on the Democratic Convention: Dispatches From Philadelphia on Day 1 of the DNC (Photos)
Among them: Will some Bernie Sanders supporters find a space within the Democratic Party’s framework for their revolution? That seems unlikely, given the sentiments on the floor and outside the convention hall on day one. Take, for example, The New York Times’ sum-up of the sentiments circulating around the Wells Fargo Center on Monday:
“I’m booing now, and I’m going to boo for four more days,” said Jody Feldman, a delegate from California, as she sat on the convention floor.
Sanders followers erupted into expletive-laden taunts of the party’s chairwoman, issued acid denunciations of Mrs. Clinton and, most vividly of all, offered a lukewarm and recalcitrant reaction to his prime-time endorsement of Mrs. Clinton. “Bernie for president!” a few shouted. “We are so disappointed!” a woman yelled.
For the Sanders faithful, piercing disappointment was the unmistakable theme of the day.
“Hell no, D.N.C.! We won’t vote for Hillary!” his supporters yelled to Democratic delegates as they walked into the convention hall on Monday night. “Lock her up!” they screamed from the streets.
… Here in Philadelphia, it was the Sanders-inspired activists who seized the message and the megaphone of his self-proclaimed rebellion against money and power — and who decided that the man who had inspired their cause, and who adorned their T-shirts, was no longer their movement’s unchallenged leader.
“As beloved as Bernie is,” said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate from California, “he’s not running the show.”
Neither, significantly, is Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
On that note, here’s another question: How far will the damage spread from those leaks? The much-ballyhooed resignation of the sharply divisive former DNC chairwoman may satisfy the professional sacrificial requirement that arises in such situations, but the fallout from the content of the WikiLeaked DNC emails is sure to be ongoing—and it is sure to present the Clinton campaign with fresh and considerable challenges in her task of mending fissures within the party and drawing throngs of already resistant voters into her camp.
The leaks might have undercut Clinton’s and Schultz’ political ambitions, but they’ve been a boon to one aspiring politician to watch, and that man’s name is Tim Canova.
Yet another question: Where can Clinton get traction? Judging by Tuesday’s theme, “A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families,” the presumptive Democratic nominee’s supporters will aim for the heart and the hearth in their messages of support. Featured speakers include former President Bill Clinton, as well as members of the group Mothers of the Movement, comprised of the mothers of several African Americans who were recently killed by police officers, including Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden, Sandra Bland’s mother Geneva Reed-Veal and Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton. (Click here for the Democratic convention’s complete schedule.)
Truthdig will continue its robust coverage of the DNC with updates to this live blog throughout the day, as well as with dispatches from Philadelphia courtesy of Sonali Kolhatkar, Robert Scheer, Josh Scheer, Michael Nigro, Chris Hedges, Alexander Reed-Kelly, and the inimitable Mr. Fish. Don’t touch that dial.
—Posted by Kasia Anderson
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- July 26, 2016 Democratic Convention Live Blog, Day 2: Whither the DNC?
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Source: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/democratic_convention_live_blog_whither_the_dnc_20160726/
