Jonathan Easley writes at The Hill about the bedlam on the floor at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, as supporters of Bernie Sanders shout down every mention of Hillary Clinton.
Supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders fought to be heard inside the Wells Fargo Center at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday.
Every mention of Clinton provoked cheers from her supporters, with rounds of boos raining down from Sanders supporters.
The jeers and chants of “Bernie” frequently outlasted and overwhelmed cheers for Clinton inside the arena.
Factions of Sanders supporters brought signs with their candidate’s name on it and pointed their thumbs down, chanting “Bernie” at every mention of Clinton.
It was a divisive start to a convention where Democrats had hoped to achieve unity.
Convention Chairwoman Marcia Fudge, who took over for Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, struggled to be heard over the competing factions of Clinton and Sanders supporters.
Fudge urged the crowd to stay in line as the cheers and jeers threatened to overcome her opening speech.
“We’re Democrats, and we need to act like it,” Fudge said.
“I will be respectful of you, and I want you to be respectful of me,” she added.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a top Democrat in the House who is widely respected, struggled to speak over chants that broke out in protest of the Obama administration’s international trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Convention-goers chanted and held signs with a red line through “TPP” as Cummings sought to speak about the Black Lives Matter movement.
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