Bartholomew Sullivan

USA TODAY

PHILADELPHIA – Springfield’s Bernie Sanders supporters are “in pain” and trying to figure out how to proceed now that their candidate has endorsed Hillary Clinton, who was nominated by acclamation at the Democratic National Convention here Tuesday night.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, an early Clinton supporter who predicted last year that Sanders’ campaign would fizzle, spoke to her Missouri constituents at their breakfast Wednesday, then met privately with Sanders' delegates.

“I was trying to listen and make sure I understood what we need to do to capture the passion and enthusiasm that has been the Bernie Sanders campaign,” she said in an interview after the meeting. “I’m thrilled that I had a chance to do it. I appreciate them welcoming me, and we had a great conversation. We’re going to be incredibly unified going forward.”

But asked about the evident anger of some delegates about hacked Democratic National Committee emails that show the party establishment sought to undermine Sanders in the primaries, McCaskill said she understood their feelings.

“First of all, I know what it feels like not to prevail and it’s tough, especially if you put your heart into it,” she said. “So everyone should be patient here. This isn’t overnight. To expect them to come to Hillary overnight is unrealistic. We’ll be patient and understanding, and listen. If we do that, our party is going to be better and stronger.”

Sanders' delegates Derrick Nowlin and Amy Powell, both of Springfield, said they listened to McCaskill but haven’t determined their next step.

“Bernie delegates are in pain. People need to give us a moment to process this. It’s hard to take with everything that’s come out in the last few days,” said Nowlin, 46, a former land surveyor. “We still have issues with this party and this candidate.”

Powell, who cleans houses after years running a progressives’ coffee shop in Portland, Oregon, put the feelings of Sanders' delegates about Clinton succinctly: “We don’t trust her.”

Powell said even Republicans respect Sanders for his honesty, integrity and consistency and suggested “the entire nation” would have gotten behind him.

“Not everyone respects Hillary or (Donald) Trump,” Powell added. “The whole (Clinton) campaign now is going to be ‘not Trump.’ That’s what’s so disgusting about politics. Both parties don’t want people to vote.”

“We’re being told we’re uninformed and that Bernie supporters aren’t real Democrats,” while failing to even acknowledge the DNC hack that led Debbie Wasserman Schultz to step down as the national party’s chair on Sunday, she said.

Personally conflicted, Powell said she’s already hearing Sanders' supporters gravitating to Massachusetts physician and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Some Democrats fear an exodus to Stein would split the liberal vote and create a Trump victory as Ralph Nader’s candidacy in 2000 was deemed to have peeled off votes for Al Gore.

”It means Jill for a lot of people,” Powell said. “Some want to start a new party from scratch. And some are not going to vote.”

St. Louis labor lawyer Brent W. Welder, 35, a member of the platform committee, also attended the meeting with McCaskill and came away disappointed.

McCaskill endorsed Clinton in 2013 and scolded the news media in June 2015 for giving Sanders a pass on his socialist leanings. Welder said McCaskill later said the attack was intended to show the kind of Republican critique his candidacy would engender.

“I would have liked to see her take a full step” toward a sincere apology for her early attacks on Sanders, he said. “Having meetings is a good first step."

Welder said he didn’t expect the party to adopt all of Sanders’ policy positions.

“There can be unity, but it has to be done through complete honesty,” he said.

Missouri’s delegates also heard Wednesday from Minnesota Sen. Al Franken and Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James.