海角大神

Chants of "Bernie!", and boos whenever Hillary Clinton鈥檚 name was mentioned, filled the opening hours of the Democratic National Convention,聽with delegates supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont repeatedly drowning out other speakers with their vocal dissent.

Never mind that after the weekend鈥檚 Wikileaks scandal revealed bias against Senator Sanders, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) issued a formal apology, forced the resignation of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and moved Senator Sanders鈥� speech to the final keynote spot. His supporters were largely unappeased.

Indeed, the Vermonter whose insurgent campaign tapped into latent frustration with America鈥檚 political system, is now finding that many of those he inspired are unwilling to fall into line. Sanders delegates here emphasize that he鈥檚 not directing them, and that any protest activity on the floor is a result of grass-roots activism. That makes the push for unity, now coming from both Mrs. Clinton and Sanders, an even more daunting challenge.

鈥淚f we learned one thing from Bernie Sanders, it鈥檚 that the movement is about all of us, not him,鈥� says Justin Molito, a union organizer from Connecticut who is attending the convention as a Sanders delegate. 鈥淪o when he asks us not to protest, I鈥檇 respectfully disagree. You have to make a moral choice about what your role is here.鈥�

Mr. Molito says Democrats shouldn鈥檛 be scared of the divisions on display, and that he sees the opinions expressed by Bernie delegates as a healthy display of differences, part of a robust democracy. 鈥淯nity is a slogan, and if you have an infomercial, the Democratic Convention falls flat,鈥� Molito says. 鈥淭hat said, people will unify to beat [Republican presidential nominee Donald] Trump.鈥�

'No one is more disappointed'

Some Sanders delegates listened to the senator鈥檚 keynote speech 鈥� which recapped his calls to action and the highlights of his campaign stump speeches, and touted the progressive Democratic platform that he helped influence 鈥� with tears streaming down their faces.

鈥淚 understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it鈥檚 fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am,鈥� Sanders told the crowd, once their cheers died down enough for him to speak. But he went on to list the choices facing the American people and the policies and leadership he believes are needed. 鈥淏y these measures, any objective observer will conclude that 鈥� based on her ideas and her leadership 鈥� Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close.鈥�

While a few boos could still be heard during his calls to elect Clinton, they were scattered, and the prime-time speeches seemed to be received by a far more unified crowd than the one shouting down speakers a few hours earlier.

Still, between the thousands of antagonistic Bernie-or-Bust protests and rallies filling the streets of Philadelphia and the angry Sanders delegates inside its convention hall, the day underscored the challenge faced by Clinton as she heads into the fall, a deeply unpopular candidate facing off against another deeply unpopular candidate, with poll numbers showing the two to be neck and neck.

Republican nominee Donald Trump, who has tried to magnify and capitalize on the divisions in the Democratic Party, issued a flurry of tweets aimed at disaffected Sanders supporters.

鈥淗ard to believe that Bernie Sanders has done such a complete fold. He got NOTHING for all of the time, energy and money. The V.P. a joke!鈥� Mr. Trump tweeted early in the evening. 鈥淪ad to watch Bernie Sanders abandon his revolution. We welcome all voters who want to fix our rigged system and bring back our jobs,鈥� he wrote later, during Sanders鈥� speech.

'A raw deal'

Many Sanders supporters are angry by what they say is too little real action and some tone-deaf moves on the part of Clinton.

In particular, some Sanders delegates see her running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, as not progressive enough. A poll last week by the Bernie Delegates Network, which represents about two-thirds of the Sanders delegates, found that among potential vice-presidential picks Tim Kaine was an 鈥渁cceptable鈥� choice to just 3 percent of the delegates who responded, with 88 percent saying he was 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�

Take the vice-presidential pick and add to it the WikiLeaks scandal, and 鈥渋t all reconfirms in the minds of many Bernie delegates that we were given a raw deal, that we are dealing with a rigged system,鈥� said Karen Bernal, a Sanders delegate from California, speaking at a press conference organized by the Bernie Delegates Network.

And while Sanders supporters are glad that DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign over the scandal, Clinton鈥檚 decision to immediately gave her a position as an 鈥渉onorary chair鈥� of her campaign was seen as yet another sign of a 鈥渞igged system.鈥�

鈥淒ebbie Wasserman Schultz stepped down, but now Hillary is adding her to her campaign staff. If she really did want to show party unity, she would have picked a progressive for VP, she would have pressed charges against [Schultz],鈥� says Daniel, a Sanders supporter who travelled to Philadelphia from Corvallis, Ore., to join in protests, and who declined to give his last name. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 her pushing for party unity. So why should we?鈥�

And as much as Clinton has tried to gain support by painting a dire picture of the alternative 鈥� America under 鈥淧resident Trump鈥� 鈥� some say that would be a better catalyst for change than a Democratic administration they see as too centrist.

If Trump is elected, 鈥渋n four years we would have a better Democrat elected,鈥� says Jessica Griffith, a Sanders delegate from Las Vegas who went to a rally at JFK plaza. 鈥淚t's like we need to burn it down and start over.鈥�

Others were more measured.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to see Trump in the White House,鈥� said Ms. Bernal, the delegate from California. 鈥淏ut we can still do everything we can to make this a more progressive party.鈥�

'All we can really do'

Inside the convention, party unity was a running theme throughout the speeches Monday evening.

Delegates heard from vocal Sanders supporters, including Congresswoman Diane Russell of Maine, who promoted a proposal to reform the DNC鈥檚 controversial superdelegate system, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, all of whom aligned themselves firmly behind Clinton.

Comedian Sarah Silverman, a die-hard Sanders backer, took the stage with Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, a former comedian himself.

This year, said Franken, 鈥淚鈥檝e been, 鈥楬ashtag I鈥檓 with her.鈥欌�� And 鈥淚鈥檝e been 鈥榝eeling the Bern,鈥欌�� added Ms. Silverman.

Silverman then launched into a passionate tribute to Bernie and the progressive policies he advocated even as she declared her support for Clinton.

鈥淚 will vote for Hillary with gusto as I continue to be inspired and moved to action by the ideals set forward by Bernie, who will never stop fighting for us,鈥� Silverman said.

As the convention hall erupted into dueling chants of 鈥淏ernie!鈥� and 鈥淗illary!鈥� Silverman took the microphone for an addendum: 鈥淐an I just say, to the 鈥楤ernie or bust鈥� people 鈥� you鈥檙e being ridiculous!鈥�

And unity was an undercurrent in the keynote speeches as well, including Michelle Obama鈥檚, perhaps the best-received speech of the night.

鈥淲hen she lost eight years ago, she didn鈥檛 get angry or disillusioned,鈥� Obama said of Clinton. 鈥淗illary did not pack up and go home. Because as a true public servant, Hillary knows this is so much more than her own desires and disappointments.鈥澛�

For many Sanders delegates, their main outlet for protest will come on Tuesday, when they stand up for their candidate and vote for him during the roll-call vote.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 all we really can do,鈥� says Sarah Knowlton, a young Sanders delegate from Indiana who says that she draws the line at booing during speeches, but is OK with chanting.

Stephen Woodruff, an attorney and Sanders delegate from the Northern Mariana Islands, says he expects Sanders supporters to find better ways to channel their anger as the convention continues.

鈥淭he bottom line is that Trump has the ability to win by capitalizing on the hatred of Hillary by Republicans and capitalizing on the distrust of Hillary in general,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to have our heart behind Hillary, but we do have to understand practical politics.鈥�

Staff writer Story Hinckley contributed reporting from Philadelphia.