With Hillary Clinton at his side, Bernie Sanders Tuesday called for his millions of supporters across the U.S. to back the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while still keeping alive what he declared is the revolution that marked his campaign.

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With Hillary Clinton nodding and applauding at his side, Bernie Sanders on Tuesday called on his millions of supporters across the U.S. to back the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while still keeping alive what he declared is the revolution that marked his campaign."Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process. And I congratulate her for that,” Sanders told a crowd estimated at nearly 3,000 at Portsmouth High School, bringing an end to a long and at times bitter campaign for the party’s nomination.“She will be the Democratic nominee for president, and I intend to do everything I can to make certain that she will be the next president of the United States.”Setting aside the differences that marked their contest, Sanders said to loud cheers, “I have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president.”“Together, we have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution continues,” Sanders said, referring to his own campaign. “Together, we will continue to fight for a government that represents all of us and not just the 1 percent.”Sanders said the general election campaign “is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt in my mind that as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that.”Clinton, in turn, made a passionate plea to Sanders supporters.“To every one of the millions of Americans across the country who poured your hearts and souls into Sen. Sanders’ campaign, thank you,” Clinton said. “I was proud of the campaign we ran. It was about issues, not insults.”She said middle- and low-income Americans "will always have a seat at the table when I am in the White House.”Signs proclaiming “Stronger Together” hung from the rafters at the high school gymnasium as Sanders and Clinton arrived on the stage to the sound of Bruce Springsteen's "We Take Care of Our Own."For the two hours prior to their appearance, the big crowd appeared split, with Sanders supporters repeatedly chanting his name and Clinton supporters occasionally responding by chanting hers.Gov. Maggie Hassan, a top Clinton supporter, tried to appeal to Sanders supporters as she made a pitch for her Senate candidacy against Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte. She was at times cheered, and at times interrupted by Sanders supporters -- one of whom yelled several times, "What about the refugees?" -- a reference to Hassan's past opposition to allowing Syrian refugees into the United States.Sen. Jeanne Shaheen -- a longtime Clinton friend and backer -- praised both Clinton and Sanders.Once Sanders took the stage with Clinton, the rivalry in the crowd seemed to subside, although many with Sanders T-shirts and placards sat quietly through the speech, while the Clinton supporters, who outnumbered them, stood and cheered.At one point, many in the crowd briefly chanted, "Unity." Whether that will translate into support for Clinton by Sanders supporters across the country remains to be seen.Sanders, speaking first, thanked “the 13 million Americans who voted for me during the Democratic primaries. And thank you, New Hampshire, for giving us our first great victory.” He noted that he won primaries or caucuses in 22 states, and that he earned nearly 1,900 delegates.He decried what he called greed and illegal activities on Wall Street and said that on Wall Street regulation and the economy, “We have come a long way in the past seven-and-a-half years” under President Barack Obama.“But much, much more needs to be done. Too many Americans are still being left out, left behind and ignored,” he said. “In the richest country in the world, there is too much poverty, there is too much despair.”Ignoring his past harsh criticism of Clinton's ties to Wall Street, Sanders said that she in fact “understands that we must fix an economy in America that is rigged and sends all of almost all of the new wealth and income to the top 1 percent.”“Hillary Clinton understands that if someone in America works 40 hours a week, that person should not be living in poverty,” he said.But presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, he said, believes that states should have the right to lower or abolish the minimum wage.And Sanders warned: "If anyone out there thinks that this election is not important, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump will nominate, and what that means to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country."“It is no secret that Hillary Clinton and I disagree on a number of issues,” Sanders said.But he said that at Democratic National Committee platform committee meetings that concluded on Sunday, “There was a significant coming together and we produced by far the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.”“Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratically-controlled Senate, a Democratically-controlled House and a Hillary Clinton presidency,” Sanders said.“And I intend to be in every corner of this country to make certain that happens. Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her today.”Clinton, in turn, praised Sanders, and make a direct appeal to his voters."It is so great to be here with so many friends -- old and new," she said. "I can't help but reflect how much more enjoyable this election is going to be now that we are on the same side."“Throughout his campaign, Sen. Sanders has brought people off the sidelines and into the political process. He has energized and inspired a generation of young people who care deeply about our country and are building a movement that is bigger than one candidate or one campaign.”“Thank you, thank you, Bernie, for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice,” Clinton said. 'With your help, we are joining forces to defeat Donald Trump, win in November, and yes, together build a future we can all believe in.""Taking on the systemic racism that plagues our country, and rebuilding the frayed bonds of trust and respect between law and the communities they serve will require contributions from all of us," she said."We have to reform our criminal justice system, take back our democracy from wealthy special interests and make our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top."She proposed the development of “national guidelines on the use of force by police officers” and "better training on implicit bias.”Those steps will "give law enforcement the help they need while also stopping the tragedy of black men and women, and black children, being killed in police incidents," Clinton said.She also called for an end to gun violence, saying, “Surely, we can agree that weapons of war have no place on the streets of the United States.”She promised to close tax loopholes and “special breaks” for the wealthy, saying, “We need an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”Clinton promised that in her first 100 days as president, “We will make the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II.” That will be accomplished in part, she said, by making the U.S. "the clean-energy superpower of the 21st century.""Donald Trump thinks wages are too high," Clinton said. "He actually stood on a debate stage and said so. He does want to get rid of the federal wage altogether.""Sorry Donald. If you're watching, we're not cutting the minimum wage, we're raising the minimum wage.""And we're going to say no to a tax on working families and no to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices, including the Trans Pacific Partnership."She promised to make college "debt-free for all," and strengthen Obama administration reforms placed on the financial industry."We’re going to make sure Wall Street, corporations, and the super-rich pay their fair share of taxes," Clinton said. "When people say the game is rigged, the best evidence is our tax code. It is riddled with scams, loopholes, and special breaks. It is wrong that some millionaires do pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, and we’re going to stop it."Trump, while revamping his tax plan, will still "give huge tax cuts to the corporations and the rich at the expense of the middle class," Clinton said. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig."Clinton also called for expanding Social Security, paid family leave and a guarantee of equal pay for women. She promised to make campaign finance reform a top priority.Despite the show of unity by Clinton and Sanders, some Sanders supporters found it hard to put the primary battle behind them, and some said they still cannot bring themselves to support Clinton, despite the encouragement from their leader.“I’m not going to believe it until I hear it,” Pat Colon, an elderly Sanders supporter from West Burke, Vermont, said before the rally began. “I’m waiting for the police to come in and handcuff him and drag him out.”She said that even if Sanders asks his supporters to vote for Clinton, “I’m writing him in. I can’t vote for her. She is the lesser of two evils and I can’t vote for evil."“I can’t do it. I won’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I cast a vote for her.”Ed Colon agreed with his wife.“I believe in an honest man, and he’s an honest person,” he said. "Hillary, she has too much power and too much money and too much baggage."Mark King, a Sanders convention delegate from Nashua, said, “I believe the senator said he was going to take this fight right through the convention. So, when the convention is sorted out, I’ll know who I can support.”“As a delegate for Bernie Sanders and as a member of the Democratic Party in this state, if I said I wouldn’t support her, I’d get in a lot of trouble,” King said. “I do really believe in the one candidate who has integrity and who has a track record and has been consistent for 30-40 years.”Keith Yergeau, 30, of Bedford wore a T-shirt with the words, “Still Bernie 2016.” He said he will support Green Party candidate Jill Stein instead of Clinton.“Women are very under-represented, but I’d rather vote for a woman who holds my beliefs and so I was never going to vote for her in the first place,” Yergeau said. “She’s taking money from special interests while also denouncing them. So I can’t believe anything she says. She’s been on both sides of many issues and those things are very dangerous to everyone, including minorities, which she claims to represent, whether that’s race or gender or sexuality.”But after the event, former state Sen Burt Cohen of NEw Castle, known as one of New Hampshire’s most fervent Sanders backers and a Clinton skeptic, told WMUR.com that he is now ready to get on board with Clinton, saying the election is too important to lose to Trump.“We have achieved a tremendous victory,” Cohen said. “Hillary is endorsing Bernie’s issues, and it’s all about the issues. We have to unite to beat Trump now. We really do. To save America, to save democracy itself. It’s a real threat.”“I’ve been pushing Bernie as hard as I can, and I think we’ve made Hillary a much, much better candidate,” Cohen said. “It’s going to take some time for some people. Some Bernie people are saying, ‘Bernie or bust.’ I’m not there.”Republicans, meanwhile, slammed both Sanders and Clinton.Trump’s campaign charged that Sanders had sold out and was now “officially part of a rigged system.”“The candidate who ran against special interests is endorsing the candidate who embodies special interests,” Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said. “Bernie's endorsement becomes Exhibit A in our rigged system. The Democrat Party is disenfranchising its voters to benefit the select and privileged few."Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said, “This hollow display of left-wing solidarity flies in the face of Bernie Sanders’ months-long crusade against Hillary Clinton’s judgement, character, and fitness to serve as president.”“Voters won’t forget Sanders’ blistering criticisms of Clinton’s paid speeches to Wall Street banks, her reliance on big-money special interests to fund her campaign, or her support for overseas military interventions. While Sanders may have pushed the Democrat Party even further to the extreme left, his supporters must rightly be wondering if their candidate has all of a sudden sold out to the same rigged system he so strongly campaigned against,” Priebus said.