Calls for unity are met with protest on first day of Democratic National Convention

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The Democratic National Convention began on Monday amid protests from supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders and calls for unity to back Hillary Clinton. The boos and division continued whenever Clinton’s name was mentioned by speakers even as the convention got underway.

The publishing of thousands of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails by the website Wikileaks over the weekend criticizing Sanders during the primaries inflamed his supporters. The controversy resulted in the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Sunday.

On Monday, Wasserman Schultz was booed by Sanders’ supporters at a Florida delegation breakfast and had to be escorted out of the room by security. Sanders himself was booed after he urged party unity at an event with his supporters.

Jeers continued throughout the first day of the convention, including during the invocation and while Ben Jealous, the president of the NAACP and a Sanders’ supporter, spoke. Sanders sent out e-mails and text messages urging supporters not to boo or to stage walkouts.

The DNC counted on speeches later in the evening by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a key leader in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, First Lady Michelle Obama as well as Sanders himself to bring Democrats together, according to NPR’s Rachel Martin.

The FBI has opened an investigation into how WikiLeaks gained access to the DNC’s emails. Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook has suggested Russian hackers hoping to give Republican Donald Trump a boost were responsible. Trump dismissed the claim as a joke.

Key Terms

national convention — a convention of a major political party, especially one that nominates a candidate for the presidency

political party committee — an organization officially affiliated with a political party and registered with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), which raises and spends money for political campaigning