Democrats Emerging From Philadelphia Divided

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

29 July 16

 

he glitz, the glamour, and all the lofty speeches did not tell the true story of what happened in Philadelphia. Bernie tried to bring his supporters into the fold, but as I wrote in the past, they are not sheep. The Democratic Party is divided. Filmmaker Josh Fox talked about the cultural differences between the supporters of the campaigns. He nailed it: the Clinton delegates were dressed in suits and expensive dresses, while the Sanders delegates were in shorts and t-shirts.

Ding, ding, ding … That’s it; that explains everything. Let’s test Fox’s theory with the differences on the issues.

Minimum Wage

Sanders delegates want $15 an hour now. Clinton delegates have no issue with getting there eventually, but they think it would be better to work our way up to $15. Let’s face it, they make more than $15 an hour already. The Sanders supporters know what it’s like to try to raise their families on less than a livable wage. They not willing to wait.

Single Payer Health Care

Most Clinton delegates have good jobs that include health care benefits. Many of Bernie’s delegates know what it’s like to have no health care. Many know what it’s like to be underinsured and not go to the doctor because they can’t afford the co-pay or premium.

Free College Tuition

There is more common ground here. The middle class is also struggling with college debt. That is what led to the compromise on the platform plank. Sanders supporters still believe a public education should be free, from kindergarten through college. I think Clinton supporters agree, but don’t think we can afford it for everyone. The compromise was free college education for everyone whose family makes less than $150,000. I hope a family with more than one child isn’t punished and forced to pay the full ride for all of the kids.

I think it’s the economic issues that separate the delegates, so we will move on. The new Democratic Party leadership had better fix the class divide that is developing in the party or they’ll risk losing this November.

Time to Heal

It is also a time for grieving and healing in the Sanders camp. So many for the first time invested a part of themselves in a cause. They passionately believed in a cause greater than themselves and they still need to go through the grieving process. I have been through this numerous times. Experiencing victory is rare for me; loss is commonplace. Many of Bernie’s supporters are either in their first campaign or experienced victory for the first time when Obama won the last two elections.

I know that a political convention these days is a show to highlight the nominee. For many Berniecrats it was too soon to have Hillary Clinton crammed down their throats. The wounds were still too raw. For some Sanders supporters, Hillary Clinton will never be an option. Josh Fox is right – they don’t trust her.

While there was an effort win over the Sanders supporters, it was the way it was done that led to failure. Sanders delegates are activists. They understand that the platform is not action. It wasn’t enough to pass a progressive platform. It wasn’t enough to set up a commission to propose changes to the nominating process. It wasn’t enough to allow a few Sanders surrogates to speak (as long as they endorsed Hillary). The Sanders camp needed to feel welcome. They did not feel welcome.

Here are some things that would have helped.

1. They should have let Nina Turner speak. Okay, she has not endorsed Hillary Clinton yet, but neither have most of the Sanders delegates. They needed to hear from someone who was still with them 100%, someone they trusted. When Nina Turner walks into a room of Sanders supporters the room erupts. Nina Turner is the heiress to the Sanders movement. They understand that Bernie is going back to the Senate and wants to get things done. They know he has to play the game. Ben Jealous, Tulsi Gabbard, Keith Ellison … they are playing the game too. Nina would have spoken with none of those restrictions. She may not have pushed Hillary Clinton, but she would have raised the hopes and dreams of the 45% of delegates who don’t know where they want to go. They needed to hear from Nina.

Why didn’t they let Nina speak? My theory is they are scared of her. The Clinton wing of the party is pushing Cory Booker and Tim Kaine as future leaders of the party. They don’t want the unbought and unbiased Nina Turner rising to power within the party.

2. They could have done something to keep the cost down for delegates to attend. I spoke with delegates who went into debt to afford the travel and hotel rooms. Some were forced to pay as much as $600 a night to stay in the same hotel as their delegation. Again, Clinton delegates were used to the cost, while it was not easy for the Bernie delegates to spend that kind of money.

3. Let the Sanders delegates have their signs. I witnessed Clinton delegates trying to take Sanders signs away. Once during the roll call I saw Iowa delegates attempt to keep Sanders delegates from holding up their signs. I was there on caucus night. It was a tie, so to exclude any sign of support for Sanders is just flat out wrong. The Clinton camp wanted all-out surrender. They didn’t get anything close.

If anything the Clinton campaign and the DNC pushed the Sanders supporters out the door. I know it wasn’t all of them, and some tried to welcome the revolution into the party.

On with the revolution. The struggle continues.

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Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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