Sanders Delegates Prepare to Ruffle DNC Feathers at the Democratic National Convention
By Elizabeth Preza
AlterNet
March 14, 2016: US Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders enters stage during a campaign rally at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri.
Photo Credit: Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock
Bernie Sanders supporters from New York are planning an all-out floor fight at the Democratic National Convention in July, Politico reports.
The group of delegates, hand-picked by the Democratic challenger, are preparing to make their voices heard in Philadelphia, even if it means drowning out frontrunner Hillary Clinton as she attempts to unify the party and lead Democrats in their fight against Donald Trump. Politico notes:
Some 20,000 protesters are reportedly planning anti-Clinton protests outside of the convention hall. But interviews with members of Sanders’ New York delegation reveal that supporters of the Vermont senator are also considering bringing some of those protests inside the Wells Fargo Center itself—raising the prospect of an embarrassing spectacle on prime-time TV.
Among those supporters is Allen Roskoff, longtime LGBT activist who was once charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing for crashing an awards dinner for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Roskoff told Politico that if Democratic leaders—including Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the controversial chairperson of the Democratic National Committee—“have their way at the convention and degrade activists, it may be a serious problem.”
The delegates are concerned Sanders’ platform won’t be embraced by the DNC ahead of the general election. Linda Sarsour, who will also be at the convention as one of Sanders’ delegates, said she plans to misbehave if she feels her voice isn’t heard.
“Not behaving is protesting,” said Sarsour, who serves as the executive director of the Arab-American association of New York. “I’m not expecting violence or assaults, but chanting, doing mass walk-outs. It depends on what happens there. What you’re going to watch unfold is democracy. The onus is on the party to make sure our voices are heard.”
“You cannot win without the Bernie revolution,” Sarsour added. “I’ve visited 20 cities over the past five months, and the Bernie or Bust movement is real.”
Many of the delegates say they aren’t buying Clinton’s brand of centrist-pragmatism. Roskoff said he believes Clinton is “what a Republican should be” while Sanders is “what a Democrat should be.”
“Decisions have to be made about who is the best candidate to come out of the convention,” said Roskoff. “I’m not convinced that Clinton has it, with the polls the way they are. I really believe anything can happen between now and then.”
While some people are on the fence about Clinton, progressives activist Dave Handy is actively hoping the frontrunner meets her demise on the campaign trail.
It’s going to be funny to watch when Hillary gets indicted, and all her supporters are like: #FeelTheBern pic.twitter.com/gbSRx2kseq
— Dave Handy (@anondescript) May 26, 2016
Despite the gory imagery, Handy clarified he doesn’t intend to incite violence in Philidelphia—unlike the unrest that took place earlier this year at the Nevada convention. “Most people who support Bernie Sanders are pretty reasonable people and are not going to be hurling bricks through windows,” Handy said, noting that the State Department inspector general report released last week regarding Clinton’s emails was “scathing.”
“If Clinton were to be indicted, people’s heads would explode,” Handy said, though he added he expects people to “vote for Hillary over Trump.”
Union organizer Eddie Kay echoed Handy’s sentiments, suggesting Clinton must be willing to compromise in order to win over Sanders supporters. “Of course [the convention] will be contentious,” Kay said. “This is a battle and we’re not going to give in. Clinton’s tactic so far is to move five inches when she’s forced to. Five inches will not solve it. We will not stop yelling about what we think the people need.”
For their part, DNC officials anticipate a contentious convention, but emphasize they intend to include Sanders’ supporters in the conversation. “As Democrats, we embrace the idea of the peaceful exchange of differing views and opinions,” DNC spokeswoman April Mellody told Politico. “Diversity makes us strong, as a party and as nation. We have procedures in place for every eventuality as well as a platform process intended to ensure that every voice is heard.”
Source: www.alternet.org