PHILADEPHIA — Bernie Sanders made an impromptu stop at the California delegation breakfast Tuesday to talk to the largest faction of “Bernie-or-bust” delegates and urge them to unify the Democratic Party.
“Elections come and go. What we must do or forever look back in regret is defeat Donald trump and elect Hillary Clinton,” Sanders told the delegates the morning after his address on the convention floor. “It’s easy to boo but it is harder to look your kids in the face who will be living under Donald Trump presidency. Trump is the worst candidate for president in the modern history of this country.”
Sanders’ remarks come a day after spirited protests by his supporters, with some in the California delegation going so far as to repeat the Republican chant against Hillary Clinton, “Lock her up! Lock her up!”
Sanders’ remarks come on the coattails as a day of dissent at the convention, as Sanders protestors loudly boo-ed on the convention floor during the opening prayers, heckled the Vermont senator for asking them to unify the party. At the same California delegation breakfast on Monday, Sanders delegates chanted, “Lock her up! Lock her up!”
As these disaffected Democrats protested on the convention floor, the Sanders campaign sent text messages to their delegates asking them not to join in. All Sanders surrogates who spoke on Monday night emphasized the importance of party unity and defeating Trump. Sanders capped off the evening by rallying against Trump’s policy proposals and repeating his endorsement of Clinton.
“What we need is a revitalized democracy and a revitalized Democratic Party,” Sanders said. “Democrats lose elations when people don’t come out to vote. Our job is to give people a progressive agenda to rally around.”
Not all die-hard Sanders supporters were convinced by his speech. California delegate Natalie Higley explained “it’s super sweet and nice that he’s trying to reach out and make in fact known that [unity] is his real intention,” but Sanders’ plea won’t change her opinion. “People seem to lose track of the fact that as a delegate you’re not representing the campaign, you’re representing voters.”
“I think Sanders fans are completely independent thinkers and actors,” said San Francisco Sanders delegate Amy Erb. But everyone who I know who is a Sanders delegate feels that at this point Hillary needs to earn our vote. So not to say that she won’t, but there’s still some work to do.”
