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Democrats’ Pursuit of Unity Falters on First Day of Convention Democrats Struggle for Unity on First Day of Convention
(about 2 hours later)
PHILADELPHIA — Anger and frustration reigned on the first day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday as a divided party grappled with the fallout from an email leak that showed its officials trying to ease Hillary Clinton’s path to the presidency and undermine Senator Bernie Sanders, her rival for the nomination. PHILADELPHIA — Democratic Party leaders scrambled on Monday night to rescue their convention from political bedlam as supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders erupted in boos, jeers and protests against Hillary Clinton after an email leak showed that party officials had sought to undermine Mr. Sanders in their race for the nomination.
Democrats were supposed to be forging a unified front this week to take on Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee. But instead, more than 1,000 supporters of Mr. Sanders took to the scalding streets of Philadelphia to vent their frustration, with some adopting a Republican rallying cry about Mrs. Clinton: “Lock her up!” Convention organizers shifted Mr. Sanders to a more prominent speaking slot in hopes that he would soothe his most ardent backers. Those supporters have become increasingly frustrated with the party’s embrace of Mrs. Clinton, whom they see as too accommodating to big business and Republicans.
Others jeered Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the departing party chairwoman, as she gave a speech to Florida delegates. They even booed Mr. Sanders himself as he encouraged them to back Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Sanders himself sent a text message imploring his delegates, “as a personal courtesy to me, to not engage in any kind of protest on the floor.” The Clinton and Sanders operations also combined their teams on the convention floor to coordinate appeals to delegates who might be disruptive.
The convention was called to order Monday afternoon, and nearly every mention of Mrs. Clinton brought a smattering of cheers and boos. But so far, it did not match the more organized floor fight that greeted the opening of the Republican convention last week. The tension reverberated from the floor of the hall to the stage. By 9:30 p.m., the outbursts had turned so loud and persistent that the comedian Sarah Silverman scolded the Sanders supporters who were shouting over her remarks.
Perhaps none were as divided, or as loud, as the California delegation. Some members waved “Nay!” signs and booed, while those seated on either side cheered, waving Hillary buttons and chanting, “Hill-a-ry!” “Can I just say to the Bernie-or-bust people,” she said, adopting their own nickname, “you are being ridiculous.”
“I’m going to boo, and I’m going to do it for the next four days,” said Jody Feldman, 62, of Sacramento, a lifelong Democrat. Clinton campaign officials, in another bid to placate the party’s left wing, picked Senator Elizabeth Warren to deliver the keynote address on Monday night, hoping that her searing denunciations of Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, would unify the delegates in the hall. Mrs. Clinton had privately chosen Ms. Warren days ago, campaign officials said, but announced her on Monday morning to try to set a positive tone for the first day of the convention and start closing ranks for the fight against Mr. Trump.
But Mr. Sanders issued a statement Monday afternoon warning his delegates against “booing, turning our backs, walking out or similar displays,” because “that’s what Mr. Trump wants.” Throughout the day, more than 1,000 supporters of Mr. Sanders took to the scalding streets of Philadelphia to vent their frustration. Some targeted Mrs. Clinton with a taunting chant from last week’s Republican convention: “Lock her up!” Other protesters gathered outside the downtown Ritz-Carlton, where many major donors to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign were staying, and attacked her use of a “super PAC” and her reliance on six-figure fund-raising events.
Hopes that Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s decision on Sunday afternoon to resign would calm nerves were dashed as she publicly addressed her Florida delegation at a breakfast on Monday. For those who believed for months that she was rigging the nominating fight, nothing would be forgiven so quickly. Even Mr. Sanders, who has vowed to do whatever it takes to stop Mr. Trump from winning in November, had little luck making the case to his followers that they should vote for Mrs. Clinton. In a rare display of rebellion at a lunchtime gathering of his delegates, he was drowned out by boos when he mentioned Mrs. Clinton, and seemed jarred by the response.
Protesters wearing Sanders T-shirts and buttons stood and held signs that read “Emails” and “We Don’t Want Cheaters in Our Party Anyway.”
They booed loudly and screamed “fair elections” as Ms. Wasserman Schultz took the lectern and said: “It is so wonderful to be able to be here with my home state. All right, everybody, now, settle down. Everybody settle down, please.”
They refused.
Mr. Sanders, who has vowed to do whatever it takes to stop Mr. Trump from winning in November, had little luck making the case to his followers that they should vote for Mrs. Clinton. In a rare display of rebellion at a gathering of his delegates, he was drowned out by boos when he mentioned the name of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“We have got to defeat Donald Trump, and we have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine,” Mr. Sanders said to a round of jeers.“We have got to defeat Donald Trump, and we have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine,” Mr. Sanders said to a round of jeers.
Over chants of “we want Bernie,” he added: “This is a real world we live in. Trump is a bully and a demagogue.” Over chants of “We want Bernie,” he added: “This is a real world we live in. Trump is a bully and a demagogue.”
Mr. Sanders did please his fans when he addressed Ms. Wasserman Schultz, who on Monday took the additional step of abandoning her remaining ceremonial duties at the convention in hopes of avoiding an ugly scene on the floor. Several veterans of Democratic conventions said they had not seen anything at recent gatherings like Monday’s disruptions. From the moment the gavel fell to open the convention at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday afternoon, Mr. Sanders’s supporters let out boos and jeers at almost any mention of Mrs. Clinton’s name.
Some Democratic officials said the fury was an illustration of the work that still needed to be done to unify the party behind Mrs. Clinton, as well as a sign of the dedication Mr. Sanders engendered over the last year.
“The bonds between Senator Sanders and his supporters are stronger than any I can ever remember,” said Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. “It takes a little bit more time.”
The Sanders supporters’ scorn was enough to prompt some of the speakers to gently scold them.
“They both deserve our cheers,” said former Mayor Wellington E. Webb of Denver, repeating the phrase twice more to make his point to the crowd.
But the liberal anger in the hall was not only due to the belief among Mr. Sanders’s supporters that the party establishment had treated him unfairly. It was also driven by policy disagreements, underscoring the rifts between progressive activists and some Democratic leaders.
When Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, one of the most prominent black Democrats in Congress and a close ally of Mrs. Clinton’s, recounted his father’s history as a sharecropper, he was nearly drowned out at times. Sign-waving progressives countered his speech with chants in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade accord that President Obama supports but Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton oppose.
Sanders supporters directed their fury most intensely at Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the departing Democratic National Committee chairwoman, as she spoke to Florida delegates on Monday morning. Hopes that Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s decision on Sunday afternoon to resign would calm nerves were dashed as she publicly addressed her delegation at breakfast. Among those who believed for months that she was rigging the nominating fight, nothing would be forgiven so quickly.
They booed, loudly, and screamed “fair elections” as Ms. Wasserman Schultz took the lectern and said: “It is so wonderful to be able to be here with my home state. All right, everybody, now, settle down. Everybody settle down, please.”
They refused.
Mrs. Clinton’s campaign and her allies were not caught completely unaware by the hostile reception. Even though Ms. Wasserman Schultz announced under pressure on Sunday that she would resign after the convention, she had hoped to still gavel the convention in on Monday. But, recognizing that she would be booed, she abandoned her plans to fulfill even that ceremonial role.
And the committee released a statement on Monday, signed by an array of party leaders but not Ms. Wasserman Schultz, offering “a deep and sincere apology to Senator Sanders, his supporters and the entire Democratic Party for the inexcusable remarks made over email.”
Mr. Sanders did please his fans when he addressed Ms. Wasserman Schultz.
“As I think all of you know, Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned yesterday,” he said to rousing applause. “Her resignation opens up the possibility of new leadership at the top of the Democratic Party that will stand with working people and that will open the door of the party to those people who want real change.”“As I think all of you know, Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned yesterday,” he said to rousing applause. “Her resignation opens up the possibility of new leadership at the top of the Democratic Party that will stand with working people and that will open the door of the party to those people who want real change.”
Democrats are facing an increasingly tough challenge from Mr. Trump. A national CNN/ORC poll released on Monday showed Mr. Trump receiving a big bounce from his convention, leading Mrs. Clinton 44 percent to 39 percent in a four-way race including Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, the Libertarian and Green Party candidates. As the convention was called to order Monday afternoon, some delegates booed every mention of Mrs. Clinton, while others waved Hillary buttons and chanted, “Hill-a-ry!”
After weeks in which she led Mr. Trump in most polls, questions about Mrs. Clinton’s honesty are weighing on her. Convention season is known for its polling volatility, however, and Mrs. Clinton is expected to receive her own uptick next week. “I’m going to boo, and I’m going to do it for the next four days,” said Jody Feldman, 62, of Sacramento, a lifelong Democrat. “The only person who can promote party unity is the person who can win against Donald Trump, and that’s Bernie Sanders.”
The reaction from Mr. Sanders’s supporters was consistent with the anti-Clinton message delivered by demonstrators during the day. Some pro-Sanders protesters took a harder turn with the “lock her up” chants. Some top Sanders supporters used their own speeches to plead with unhappy delegates to rally behind Mrs. Clinton. “We must be united in this battle,” said Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the only member of the Senate to endorse Mr. Sanders.
“She’s crooked as all get out,” said Brianne Colling of Canton, Mich. “All the proof that’s coming out is that she’s stolen this election from Bernie.” As the atmosphere on the first night of the convention demonstrated, ample disdain for Mrs. Clinton remains among the ranks of Mr. Sanders’s supporters. But the bitter-enders in the hall, and their counterparts across the country, are not exactly rushing to support Mr. Trump. Some 67 percent of Mr. Sanders’s supporters intend to support Mrs. Clinton, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted this month. That is higher than the number of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters, 61 percent, who said shortly before the 2008 Democratic convention that they were willing to back her primary opponent, Barack Obama.
Richard Ross Jr., the Philadelphia police commissioner, estimated that about 1,500 people had marched. By around 5 p.m., roughly 30 people had climbed over metal police barricades outside the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention was getting underway, and submitted to symbolic arrests. The authorities also closed a subway station a few feet away. The presence of protesters in Philadelphia was strikingly larger than in Cleveland, where Republicans gathered for their nominating convention last week. By around 5 p.m., roughly 30 people had climbed over a barrier outside the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention was getting underway, and submitted to symbolic arrests.
The protesters reached the convention center after marching at least three miles from City Hall in temperatures that reached into the mid-90s. Pressing anti-Clinton signs up against a temporary fence, they shouted at arriving delegates and erupted in cheers when the occasional Sanders delegate passed through. The protesters reached the arena after marching at least three miles from City Hall in temperatures that reached into the mid-90s. Pressing anti-Clinton signs up against a temporary fence, they shouted at arriving delegates and erupted in cheers when the occasional Sanders delegate passed through.
Chants of “Bernie beats Trump” and “hell no, D.N.C., we won’t vote for Hillary” echoed through the surrounding parking lots. Chants of “Bernie beats Trump” and “hell no, D.N.C., we won’t vote for Hillary,” echoed through the surrounding parking lots.
Molly Tyson, 44, of San Francisco, said she was hoping the group’s message, and presence at the perimeter, would persuade arriving superdelegates to shift their support to Mr. Sanders. “She’s crooked as all get out,” said Brianne Colling, of Canton, Mich. “All the proof that’s coming out is that she’s stolen this election from Bernie.”
“We feel like this is a turning point,” Ms. Tyson said, especially now that there is evidence of the kind of bias against Mr. Sanders by the committee that his supporters have been alleging “from the beginning.”
But not everyone who came out was opposed to Mrs. Clinton.
As protesters were about to begin a march, a prominent and respected Sanders surrogate, Nina Turner, showed up, apparently to quiet the anti-Clinton passions.
“Republicans got their own problems — don’t bring that nonsense here,” she said when asked about the “Hillary for Prison” message. She urged the crowd to support Democratic candidates and not to defect to a third-party alternative. “I want the Senator Sanders supporters to stay in the revolution,” she said. “It isn’t about him. It’s about us.”
She also rebutted protesters who were arguing that Mrs. Clinton was guilty of criminal activity for her handling of her emails as secretary of state, despite the finding by the F.B.I. that she was not.
“People might not be happy about that, but where I want to see our energies go toward is holding Democrats and Republicans accountable,” Ms. Turner said.
Mr. Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts were scheduled to address the convention on its opening night, and their mission was to rally progressive Democrats who are feeling scorned to come to Mrs. Clinton’s side.
But the controversy surrounding the leaked emails showed no signs of dissipating. The Democratic National Committee sought to put the issue behind by publicly apologizing to Mr. Sanders and his supporters and promising that it was committed to remaining neutral in primary contests.
The F.B.I. said that it was investigating the intrusions into the party’s emails, which private investigators have attributed to two Russian intelligence agencies, and that it would “hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”
Federal officials said the investigation had been underway since the spring, when the F.B.I. was notified of the Democratic committee’s suspicions that it had been hacked.
The suggestion of an incursion by Russian hackers has played into Mr. Trump’s picture of a country that lacks law and order and is spiraling into disarray. At a campaign event in Roanoke, Va., he mused about the situation with glee.
“Honestly, whether you like her or not, she worked very hard to rig the system so that Hillary got it,” Mr. Trump said of Ms. Wasserman Schultz.
He added sarcastically, “Little did she know that China, Russia — one of our many, many friends — came in and hacked the hell out of us.”
For Mrs. Clinton, who spent the day campaigning in North Carolina, the divisions were a disappointment at a time when she wanted to project a message of orderly optimism.
“I’ll tell you, we’re going to have a very different kind of convention than they had last week,” Mrs. Clinton said at an event for volunteers at a theater in Charlotte, adding that the Republican convention had included “divisiveness,” “finger-pointing” and “fearmongering.”
She went on to attack Mr. Trump’s penchant for praising dictators, lobbing personal insults — “rotten Clinton” was his moniker of the day — and threatening to retreat from international alliances. And she insisted that the Democrats would put their best foot forward this week.
“I am very excited about contrasting our vision and values with what we saw from Donald Trump and the Republicans,” she said.