The DNC wasn’t supposed to start like this. Unity seemed like a Republican problem this year. And since Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren had already endorsed Hillary Clinton, what could possibly go wrong at the Democratic National Convention?
The first fissure emerged on Friday, with the announcement of Tim Kaine as Clinton's pick for Vice President. Universally regarded as a safe choice and nice guy, some of Sanders' most progressive supporters balked at his middle of the road credentials. And then, a veritable canyon opened up between the Clinton and Sanders camps: Thousands of emails sent among members of the Democratic National Committee pointed to a concerted effort to undermine Sander's campaign, something he alleged all along.
19,000 plus emails from seven top DNC representatives were hacked and shared by WikiLeaks. One questioned how Sander's faith, or lack of it, could be exploited to Clinton's advantage. In another, the outgoing chair called Sander's campaign manager a "damn liar." Facing a huge backlash, Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to step down from her role as DNC chair, because the party apparatus is supposed to be impartial until a candidate has been officially nominated.
On Monday, Sanders didn't have much such success trying to convince his supporters they need to help make sure Donald Trump doesn't become president. In a call to elect Hillary Clinton, he received boos from the crowd. This controversy comes as Donald Trump is enjoying a not-unexpected post convention bounce. A CNN poll now finds him at 44% to Clinton's 38%. Libertarian Gary Johnson is at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein is at 3%. Sanders delegate Sen. Jamie Eldridge (@JamieEldridgeMA) joined Jim to discuss.
Jim Braude: Senator, thanks so much for joining me.
Jamie Eldridge: Jim, thanks for having me on.
JB: When Sanders said support Hillary Clinton and he was booed at this delegate gathering earlier this afternoon, were you among the people who did the jeering, the booing?
JE: I was at the rally, but I was applauding Senator Sanders’ statement that we need to get behind Hillary Clinton. And I think, Jim really, there’s a process going around now to get delegates behind Hillary Clinton, and it’s gonna take I think you know, over the next couple weeks or couple months, but I do think the vast majority of Bernie delegates will be working for and supporting Hillary Clinton.
JB: So even though you weren’t booing, Senator, was the booing disappointment that their guy, your guy, wasn’t the nominee? Or was it an anti-Hillary, anti-party kind of thing?
JE: I think it was probably a little bit of both. I mean, surely when you lose there’s some frustration. But I think also there are some people that feel that Hillary Clinton has been too much a centrist for a big part of her career. And you know they had an opportunity to express that. But the polling that we’ve seen from Sanders supporters is that over 80 percent of them are planning to vote for Hillary Clinton in the fall. So I really think it’s not just about the booing, but the fact that people are getting to the point of agreeing to support Secretary Clinton.
JB: What happens when Bernie Sanders takes to the podium tonight and says that same thing? Are Sanders delegates gonna boo Hillary Clinton’s name yet again?
JE: Well I surely wont be. And first of all, tonight is Bernie Sanders’ night. He’s speaking, Senator Warren is speaking, so it’s really a night for progressives. And he’s gonna talk about his progressive vision and I think you know the connection to supporting Secretary Clinton in the fall is how we get closer to that. Obviously there’s differences between the two keynotes on issues, but it’s important to remember we now have the most progressive democratic party platform in the party’s history. That’s in large part due to Senator Sanders, and we’re gonna keep working on the movement going forward.
JB: You know, that’s what I wanted to talk about, the platform. You said it’s gonna be a process, Senator Eldridge, for the Sanders people to ultimately get where you think they need to be. I know you’re supporting Secretary Clinton now, but what more do they need to hear? The platform went to your guy on the minimum wage. The platform went to your guy on the public option – on and on down the list. The only thing it didn’t include is a condemnation of the trans specific partnership. Essentially, it could’ve been a Bernie Sanders platform. So if that’s not enough for them, what is?
JE: Well I think what you will see here in Philadelphia is you have people, including Secretary Clinton, that will be speaking to all the delegates, and it’s her opportunity to connect to the progressive issues that perhaps Sanders delegates care very passionately about. And this is an opportunity for her to carry out her vision and connect him to that to get them working for Hillary Clinton in the fall, and getting them to vote for her in November.
JB: So let’s assume she says all the things you once said. You’ve seen the recent polls, in the last few days her numbers on trust and honesty are just really in the toilet. Much worse, actually, than Donald Trump’s, we’ll mention in a minute – double digit worse than Donald Trump. So if people don’t believe her and don’t think she’s honest, when she stands up Thursday night and embraces all things Bernie, why are they gonna believe her any more come Friday morning than they do Monday afternoon?
JE: Well I think the fact that we went through a platform committee process where she did consent to the platform moving to the left. I think that’s something that I give her great credit for. And I think, again, the convention – that’s what the convention’s for, it’s an opportunity to connect her values and beliefs, the Democratic Party, to delegates and obviously the audience, and I think that’ll get Bernie supporters closer to supporting her. I will say, Jim, in Massachusetts right now, Bernie supporters are ready. Many of them are ready to help out Secretary Clinton, so I’m seeing that in the district I represent. So I really don’t think they’re too far apart.
JB: But is the conversion, is the movement from Sanders, passionate Sanders, people like you, to Clinton – is it about, ‘okay, Hillary Clinton now is embracing much of our agenda,’ or is it because Donald Trump is, in your estimation, the worst threat to whatever you care about, of your lifetime. Is it anti-Trump or pro-Clinton?
JE: Well I think it’s a bit of both, and one of the things that Senator Sanders said when he conceded to Secretary Clinton is this election can’t just be about Donald Trump. It also has to be about a positive vision for America. I think that his vision is well reflected in the platform, I think that Secretary Clinton is going to connect to that during this week’s convention. And as far as what Senator Sanders is doing going forward, clearly he’s gonna be supporting Secretary Clinton, but he also, I think, is gonna be talking about the longer progressive movement, a movement I’m very proud to be apart of, and I think that you know going forward it’s not just about electing Hillary Clinton or opposing Donald Trump, but it’s a longer progressive moment, including quite honestly holding every democratic official accountable. Whether it’s myself at the local level, or up to President Clinton.
JB: One last thing, one of the central themes of your guys’ campaign was taking on Wall Street and Hilary Clinton’s close ties to Wall Street, whether it’s the two hundred and fifty grand per speech or the ideological connection. Do you think she’s really shed that, or she’s saying the right thing? Are you confident that she’ll do with Wall Street what you and Bernie Sanders want her to do?
JE: I think she’s gotten a lot closer. I would concede that the speeches to Wall Street were damaging, but I think that her commitment to take on Wall Street has gotten stronger, and I think that quite honestly Senator Sanders’ endorsement of Secretary Clinton is a way to show her commitment to taking on Wall Street. So I think she’s moving, but I think that there needs to be more seeing, and I hope that is reflected in her speech this week.
JB: Senator Eldridge, enjoy the convention. Thanks so much for your time, we really appreciate it.
JE: Thank you, Jim.
