Nevertheless, the delegates pledged to Sanders were still largely loyal to the 74-year-old fiery politician who spoke of social justice and could be anyone's nice Jewish crotchety grandfather. The delegates were still upset by party rules that favored Clinton, who Sanders' supporters believed was too close to corporate interests and corporate money to earn their trust; many believed that Sanders, who enthusiastically endorsed Clinton and said he'd work for her, as a sell-out. When speakers mentioned her name, they booed. More important, they correctly perceived Sanders' campaign as one of a bottoms-up political revolution, swelling from and empowering the grassroots masses, similar to the one carved out by Sen. Gene McCarthy against President Johnson in 1968; Clinton, they also knew, was a "top-down" politician. Their rebuke, and possible defection to the Green Party or staying at home for the general election, came not from the politicians, but from a comedian. Sarah Silverman, a strong supporter of Sanders, in one sentence on stage silenced many of them--"Can I just say to the Bernie or Bust people: You're being ridiculous."
The Republicans paraded a couple of actors, Scott Baio and Antonio Sabato Jr., to praise Trump. The Democrats countered with Meryl Steep, Debbie Massing, Lena Dunham, America Ferrara, and the support of most of Hollywood's "A-list."
Bill Clinton spent the first 25 minutes of his speech on the convention's second day rambling about how he and Hillary Clinton met and were intertwined as a team, perhaps hoping to humanize the woman who constantly faced claims, by persons across a wide political spectrum, that she was cold, calculating, untrustworthy, and someone who was well-shielded by layers of gatekeepers who kept the public away from her except for photos.
The stars on the third night of the Democratic convention were people the Republicans wished they had--the president and vice-president of the United States. The president told the delegates that "homegrown demagogues will always fail," a blunt reference to Trump. He brought even more cheers when he talked about Teddy Roosevelt's idea of a great leader being one who "strives valiantly, who errs, but who in the end knows the triumph of high achievement," and said he knows Clinton is such a leader. But, even having Barack Obama and Joe Biden didn't mend the Democrats' division; the DNC revoked credentials of several dozen delegates who were pledged to Sanders, and walked out of the convention hall after the votes were recorded the day before.
For three days, the TV cameras recorded a sea of delegates who reflected America--Christians, Jews, and Muslims; straight delegates and those who were part of the LGBTQ community; working class Americans who were supported by labor unions, and business executives who drew six-figure salaries; Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and persons whose parents came from Asia. No one had to say it, but the cameras showed a difference between Democratic and Republican issues and values.
On the final day of the Democratic
convention, senior retired military officers, law enforcement officers, and the
mothers of children killed by gun fire on America's streets told the delegates
why they supported a Clinton presidency. But, it was Hillary Clinton who
brought the delegates to the feet, shouting and clapping and laughing in all
the right places, and closing the last night of the last convention. Donald
Trump, who egotistically proclaimed, "I, alone, can fix it," was diminished by
Clinton's "It takes a village" approach to solving problems.
And that's one of the major reasons the
next president will be the first woman elected to the office--division or no
division.
[Dr. Brasch has covered politics and government for more than four decades. His current book, his 20th, is Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit.]
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