What happened at the DNC Last Night

Some of this is still developing, and there are still conflicting reports, but here's what definitely happened:

Barring the Doors to Bernistas:
800 of Bernie’s best volunteers traveled to Philadelphia because they were told that they would be given credentials to be on the floor of the convention. At the last minute, when Bernie’s name was to be entered into nomination, their credentials were denied. So much for welcoming “New Blood” into the “Big Tent”.

Disrespecting Senator Turner:
Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, one of Bernie’s most powerful and energizing surrogates, was scheduled to enter Bernie’s name into nomination. Following Nina’s fiery speech at the People’s Convention, Tulsi Gabbard nominated Sanders instead, and did a decent job that emphasized “Love”, not revolution.

During the roll call, Nina Turner may or may not have turned in her credential and been ejected from the convention. Common Dreams posted that Turner’s credentials were stripped from her; Ben Jealous, former head of the NAACP and another Bernie surrogate, tweeted that Turner’s credentials were not stripped. What is certain is that Turner did not nominate Sanders, although that had been planned; that she did not stand with the Ohio delegation for the roll call vote; and that, by request of the Clinton campaign, both Turner’s and Rosario Dawson’s video segments in the Sanders video were edited out.

Senator Turner herself is expected to clarify what happened today, Wednesday, July 26, 2016.

The walkout: A secretly organized walkout of Bernie supporters left the DNC hall after Bernie had said that Hillary “should be selected” as the Democratic Presidential nominee. 500-1000 (depending whom you believe) left the hall, leaving many empty seats at the height of the convention. (see [video:https://youtu.be/zGRo1mH2_8w width:420 height:315]). Some of the "walkouts" occupied the media corridor; some joined a large protest march down Broad Street. The DNC had been prepared for this, and brought in “fillers” to keep the illusion of a full hall during speeches by Bill and Hillary Clinton.

This was made easier by the DNC's decision to place all of the "Bernie states" at the back and upper tiers of the hall, instead of by alphabetical order, which is the usual plan. When you put people at the back of the bus, don't be surprised if they stage a boycott.

Sanders leaving the Democratic Party: According to multiple sources (WSJ and Fusion), Bernie Sanders will return to the Senate as an Independent. “I was elected as an Independent”, he said. My take is that he had achieved as much as he could within the Democratic Party; there are some good things in the platform, although no plan to implement any of them, the DNC is still taking contributions from lobbyists, there is a vague plan to maybe talk about reducing the clout of superdelegates, Hillary is conceding that she will, after all, vote for “some version” of the TPP, his people were denied a voice on the floor of the party that wants their votes, and he’s done.

The DNC had an opportunity to bring Bernistas into the "big tent", and it FAILED to do so. What the DNC had to do was to tolerate and allow dissent and a bit of chaos. Instead, it opted for a scripted and controlled coronation. This will send many more to the shelter of the Green Party. It's getting harder for me personally to justify my vote for HRC.

These unnecessary shenanigans undermine faith in our Democratic institutions, and makes impartial media coverage into a joke. I had to go to alternative media to find any coverage of these events.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Citizen Of Earth's picture

"It's getting harder for me personally to justify my vote for HRC."

What exactly is it going to take for you to give up on the most corrupt Dem nominee of all time!? Hahaha.

Thanks for this report. Might want to update it once Senator Turner gives her explanation.

up
0 users have voted.

Donnie The #ShitHole Douchebag. Fake Friend to the Working Class. Real Asshole.

convention. Per the USC/LA Times tracking poll, her numbers have actually gone down for the last few days. Nationally, Trump has gone from +3 (45 to 42) on Sunday to +7 (47 to 40) today. While it could certainly be the residual effect of a convention bump, it does not bode well for Democratic "unity."

Also, for the last few days the whips and DNC staff were forcibly taking away pro-Bernie signs from his delegates, with some even being threatened with arrest.

up
0 users have voted.
CaptainPoptart's picture

appears to have come despite what all called a disastrous convention. See Matt Taibbi's article in Rolling Stone

up
0 users have voted.

I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance. - e.e.cummings

longtalldrink's picture

and I was watching the local news, the news reporters were all aglow with the praises of the DNC convention. (I felt vomit come up the back of my throat) They showed the BIG glass ceiling moment cracking and ALL the "little" people in the audience cheering and cheering! I was impressed, I did not realize THAT many people loved her. I went home from the gym feeling a little dejected. Later, I got on my computer and saw the above video of (is it Josh Fox?) the empty seats in the Wells Fargo Center, and immediately felt better. I began to doubt my own feelings about how everyone TRULY feels about the Shill. Funny how the local news spins it to everyone that she has enthusiastic voters. If I had not gone further I would have been left with the impression that she was "killing it" at the convention.

up
0 users have voted.

Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin

I'd read that extras had been ordered in 'to add enthusiasm' to the California delegate section, and elsewhere that more extras were called in to the convention after the walk-out. I also saw videos showing shots of screens telling people when to cheer.

That 'enthusiasm' was arranged and scripted, as seems typical of anything Hillary-related that doesn't involve her corporate/billionaire/war-mongering buddies.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

I am waiting with bated breath for Nina's own account of exactly what happened to her last night.

up
0 users have voted.

" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

edg's picture

Your correct usage of bated instead of baited warms the cockles of my heart. Smile

up
0 users have voted.

Now, without Red Wigglers!

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Per the press release from National Nurses United.

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/why-is-the-dnc-trying-to...

An all-star list of performers, including Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Rosario Dawson, Shailene Woodley, and Kendrick Sampson, will headline a media availability today to respond to efforts by the Democratic National Committee to silence former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, a leading and prominent African American surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Akron City Councilwoman Tara Samples, filmmaker Josh Fox, Women for Bernie co-founder Portia Boulder, and National Nurses United Co-President Deborah Burger will also participate.

What: Media Availability: Why is the DNC Trying to Silence Nina Turner?

When: Today, July 27, 5:45 p.m.

Where: Inside media tent, adjacent to Wells Fargo Center, DNC Convention

Participants:

Susan Sarandon
Danny Glover
Rosario Dawson
Shailene Woodley
Kendrick Sampson
Portia Boulger, founder, Women for Bernie
Filmmaker Josh Fox
Akron Councilwoman Tara Samples
NNU co-president Deborah Burger, RN
(partial list)

Turner has also been a sharp critic of DNC interference in the primary process, as has been well documented in the recent e-mail leaks.

up
0 users have voted.

Usually, the states where the candidates are from (pres and VP) are seated in the front. It's probable that this year special attention was given to putting heavily Bernie states in the back. In that video of the empty seats, it appears those seats are in the back. And it still cracks me up that they were threatening to arrest people unwilling to surrender their signs. Really? Those signs are priceless to those who held them. We still have both placards and yard signs from several elections. That's what garages are for, right? And even the Smithsonian, the country's garage, collects them. Is that the way they promote unity?

up
0 users have voted.
Lily O Lady's picture

up
0 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

about trying to suppress Bernie's support in the primary that they just had to keep up the same crap during the convention.

We must ask ourselves: "Is our party learning?"

Clearly not.

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

And it's even grammatical when you do it!

Must...Bern...Bush...ideology...out...of...policymaking...

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Bisbonian's picture

as an Independent, that would make me (for one) very happy. He's been a damned good Senator.

up
0 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

remain an independent for the two years remaining in his term, as he was elected as an independent. Vermont has no party registration, so it just depends on how the candidate wants to identify.

up
0 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Lily O Lady's picture

up
0 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

Says it all really:

CoYwwv-UkAEN7MO.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

I looked pretty thoroughly in the Craigslist Philadelphia talent and event gigs sections for post 570267050381, posted on July 25 or 26, and in between the "foot model" and "nude cleaning" ads, couldn't find anything like this ad.

So I'm calling BS on the ad - someone made a post, but probably never actually posted it. There's even an ad from some newspaper reporter looking to talk with one of the "actors" who responded to the ad.

There's enough disheartening and dishonest crap out there. Probably, the people who filled the seats of the walkouts were delegate alternates. That will come out eventually.

up
0 users have voted.
Amanda Matthews's picture

How do you find out for sure? Answer the ad?

Thanks for answering (if anyone does).

up
0 users have voted.

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

So I filled out my change in voter registration form just now. It felt good to check Green instead of dem. I have been registered dem since 1984 when I turned 18. Here's the problem though: I live in New York, and we have closed primaries. In our last gubernatorial primary I was able to vote for Zephyr Teachout instead of that other jerk only because I'm registered as a dem. I really don't want to give up my right to vote in the primaries, and even if I manage to change my party affiliation back to dem in time, there's no guarantee that my name won't be "lost" or something. It happened to me in 2008 voting for Obama. I had changed my address five months before the election, but I wasn't on the voter rolls. They gave me a provisional ballot, but I got a letter in the mail informing me that my vote wasn't counted.
So, I just don't know what to do. I am not at all proud to be a democrat. I feel very depressed about this election and much of humanity in general at this point.

up
0 users have voted.

Vote green in the general.

When what -October 2017 - comes up, decide if you want to file the paperwork. That piece of paper doesn't define you.

Do you know how many Catholics consider themselves dem because they voted 1 time for 1 dem?

up
0 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

You are quite lucky to have him.

up
0 users have voted.

"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate

Dhyerwolf's picture

They get to vote on the same ticket, right? I'm in a different region, so I don't know exactly how it works.

up
0 users have voted.

I'll give them another look. I didn't like that they endorsed Cuomo in his re-election bid, so I hadn't considered them. My hatred of Cuomo runs deep.

up
0 users have voted.
Dhyerwolf's picture

Liberals need to learn something: Establishment Democrats will always, always, always stab you in the back if given the opportunity. We are here to make a positive difference, they are here in order to enrich themselves. And yet, once again, there are plenty who will line up to vote for Hillary, and the cycle goes on and on...

up
0 users have voted.
Cachola's picture

I am waiting to see who they have on the ballot. The times I have checked while voting in NY they have the Democrat, at least at the top.

up
0 users have voted.

Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.

that if the Green Party were YUGE like the Dem Party is now, that Bernie would have run as a Green and we'd be voting for Bernie come November?

That's reason alone to cut ties with the Dems and start the Green Party growing. Only good can come of it.

As for the Dems you MIGHT want to vote for in a primary in the future, how many times has a Dem seemed good then sold us out in the end? Thank the DNC and corporate money for that. For the Obama's, etc. who have let us down time and time again.

Vote Green and you're voting for a candidate that only takes small money.

The more people join the Green Party, the more candidates they will attract and be able to elect.

up
0 users have voted.

Agreed Mr. Crowder. Working on signatures to get Jill Stein on the ballot in RI. Channeling my faded bern. We can do better with a multi-party system. Most other democracies do.

up
0 users have voted.

And a fair voting system, with ranked preferences counting, so that voting your conscience doesn't split the vote for better candidates to let the worst, least-wanted one win!

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.