Sanders supporters repeatedly disrupted speeches despite senator’s calls for unity as Michelle Obama endorsed Clinton as ‘the president I want for my girls’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A stormy opening night of the Democratic convention battered the Philadelphia arena on Monday as defiant Bernie Sanders supporters resisted attempts to persuade them to embrace Hillary Clinton.

Impassioned pleas for unity from a trio of Democratic women led by Michelle Obama raised hopes that the tumultuous first day of the convention may provide catharsis.

But despite a direct plea for calm from Sanders, many of his 1,846 delegates in the arena repeatedly jeered at mentions of the party’s presumptive nominee for the first hour or two of the evening.

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Only after the Vermont senator appeared on stage at the Wells Fargo Center to urge them that the decision to choose between Clinton and Trump was “not even close” did the rebellion that has divided the party for much of the year show signs that it had reached its peak.

“Any objective observer will conclude that – based on her ideas and her leadership – Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” Sanders said, after three minutes of trying to quiet the floor.

Signs that a week of big-name Democratic speakers may help overcome the uncomfortable split also emerged when the first lady delivered a speech that brought the room to a standstill.

“Because of Hillary Clinton our daughters, and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that woman can be president of the United States,” said Obama with evident emotion in her voice.

“In this election we cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best ... Between now and November we need to do what we did eight years ago and four years ago,” added the first lady. “We need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States of America.

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Earlier, even a live rendition of Bridge over Troubled Water from Paul Simon, ripe with symbolism, could not disguise scenes of open revolt that proved far more vocal than expected and caused consternation on stage.

“Can I just say to the Bernie or Bust people: you are being ridiculous,” said Sanders-supporting comedian Sarah Silverman as she called for unity and backed Clinton “with gusto”.

“I will be respectful of you. And I want you to be respectful of me,” demanded Ohio congresswoman Marcia Fudge of the vocal Sanders supporters after she was repeatedly interrupted. “We are all Democrats and we need to act like it.”

The tone of the evening was set when the religious invocation at the start of the session was interrupted by rounds of competitive chanting for different corners for the room: “Bernie! Bernie!” drowned out by “Hillary! Hillary!” and back again, as the pastor stood awkwardly on stage.

Congressman Elijah Cummings had his speech about the struggle of his family against racism interrupted by Sanders supporters protesting against trade deals. Other speakers nervously approached applause lines not knowing whether they would be booed or cheered by the fractious crowd.

At times, there was a faint echo of the mood at the Republican convention last week, where every mention of Clinton’s name also prompted boos, albeit much louder and without the balancing cheers of her supporters.

During a two-minute pause while an official photograph was taken of the hall, a lone shout of “Bernie” punctuated the awkward silence.

And as a violent thunder storm forced the evacuation of marquee tents outside the arena, party officials sent a warning to those outside:

A text to Sanders delegates was also sent to try to calm the storm inside. “I ask you as a personal courtesy to me to not engage in any kind of protest on the floor,” said the text signed “–Bernie”. “It is of utmost importance you explain this to your delegations.”

Yet the anger was intensified by leaked emails suggesting bias against the Sanders campaign by party officials, and the Democratic National Committee began the night with an apology.

“These comments do not reflect the values of the DNC or our steadfast commitment to neutrality during the nominating process,” it said. “The DNC does not – and will not – tolerate disrespectful language exhibited toward our candidates. Individual staffers have also rightfully apologized for their comments, and the DNC is taking appropriate action to ensure it never happens again.”

The turning point came when Obama took to the stage, to a rapturous welcome from Democrats waving a sea of “Michelle” purple placards.

She called Clinton “the president I want for my girls” and someone “who knows that the world is not black and white and easily boiled down to 140 characters”.

“Only one person I trust with the responsibility to be president and that is our friend Hillary Clinton,” said Obama.

Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, a popular figure on the left, also focused her attention on defeating Trump in a calm speech that drew out what was at stake in November’s election.

“For me this choice is personal; it’s about who we are as a people,” said Warren, blasting Trump as “a man who thinks of nothing but himself”.

In an extended call for Sanders supporters to join her on the journey toward backing Clinton, Silverman memorably described her Republican opponent as “calling people names from his gold-encrusted sandbox because [he] was given money instead of human touch”.

Richard Trumka, president of the labor organisation the AFL-CIO, struck a similar note: “He thinks he’s a tough guy. Well Donald, I worked in the mines with tough guys. I know tough guys, they’re friends of mine. And Donald, you’re no tough guy. You’re a bully.

But it fell to Sanders himself to list the ways in which Clinton’s policies increasingly matched the priorities of his supporters.

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“I understand that many people here in this conventional hall and around the country are disappointed at the result ... I think it’s fair to say no one is more disappointed than I am,” he said.

“Our revolution continues … Election days come and go but the struggle of the people to create a government that represents all of us and not just the one percent continues.”

After he left the stage, an email to supporters announced he was creating a new organisation, called Our Revolution, which would “transform American politics to make our political and economic systems once again responsive to the needs of working families”.

John Parker, a delegate from Florida, said he was not too concerned with the rancor within the party on the first day of its convention.

“Democracy is not always pretty and people have the right to their opinion,” he said. “It is what it is. But look around, we’re all good now.

“There’s no choice but Hillary Clinton. We can’t take Donald Trump.”

Gary West, a Sanders supporter and delegate from Texas, said the email leaks revealed “a major bias in the party”. Having volunteered out of pocket to organize for Sanders across the country, West said he had not yet warmed up to Clinton and the controversy “made it more difficult”.

“We all suspected that these things were going on, the rigging of the primaries and the collusion between the DNC and the Hillary campaign,” West said. “And we were all told we were crazy.

“Nobody on stage has brought it up as an apology to Bernie, as an apology to the delegates.”

“It’s an uphill battle for Hillary to get the support of the progressive movement,” he added. “She has to prove herself.”