Inside the Convention: Day Three
July 27, 2016
We didn’t even bother with breakfast on Wednesday.
The first two days of the convention had been so exhausting and all-consuming, I needed to sleep in.
I made sure to pick up my daily credentials then hurried to today’s secret Bernie delegate meeting, once again held in a vacant room by the pool.
Our meeting had just begun when the hotel manager, along with two other men in suits, swung open the double doors and told us we “didn’t have permission to be here.” I was curious how they even knew we were here…but as we eventually discovered, there may have been a mole among our delegation the whole time. Yes, a mole.
But I’ll get to that in the next post. While our delegate leaders went back and forth with the hotel management, asking that we be allowed to finish our meeting, the rest of us filed out into the pool area to keep talking. It’s become a now-iconic image amongst the California Bernie delegates:
The hotel manager eventually told us we could relocate to a vacant conference room on the third floor for a short time to finish our meeting. Once we relocated, one of our delegate leaders wrote something to the effect of “THEY COULD BE LISTENING” on a poster.
We really were the rebel delegation, deep in enemy territory.
We’d been self-organizing for half a week now, and we were getting better at it. We agreed that tonight should be all about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as two of the featured speakers — Tim Kaine and President Barack Obama — both supported the deal. Tim Kaine was predictably walking back his support after being chosen as VP, but had spoken about it positively just days earlier, and was one of only a dozen or so Democratic Senators to vote to fast-track the measure (no amendments, just an up-or-down vote).
I’m not someone who’s instinctively anti-trade—I frankly don’t know enough about the intricacies of global trade to fully understand the ramifications of each and every provision of these monstrously complex deals. But I do trust Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Robert Reich, and the majority of Congressional Democrats who oppose the TPP. The trade deal, negotiated under a shroud of secrecy, could threaten the ability of nations to enact public health and environmental regulations if they hurt a corporation’s bottom line. It makes it even harder for cheaper versions of life-saving prescription drugs to cross borders (so much for “free trade”). Even Obama/establishment-friendly Paul Krugman has said that “there isn’t a compelling case for this deal, from either a global or a national point of view.”
Organizers had created hundreds of simple anti-TPP signs that could be folded up and smuggled into the convention hall. The plan: hold them up, silently, throughout the speeches of Tim Kaine and Barack Obama. Out of respect, the goal was to restrict any chanting to the moments before and after a speaker took the stage (rather than interrupt throughout). There were also “Ban Fracking Now” signs passed around, as well as “We Are the Clean Energy Revolution.” I made sure to grab one of each before the meeting ended.
Lindsay and I met some non-delegate Bernie supporter friends for lunch, then hurried to the Hilton down the street, where Democracy for America was holding a special workshop: Building the Political Revolution.
It was a great session, all about training newcomers to the political process to run for office and/or work for someone running as a “Berniecrat.” They’re offering online Night Classes for the next few weeks, all about getting organized and continuing the Political Revolution Bernie started. I’m looking forward to attending as many as I can.
There was no break for us — as soon as the workshop was over, it was time to head back to the Wells Fargo Center for the third night of the convention. This time we were armed with a variety of signs and even some blank poster-sized papers for customized messaging. I was hopeful that we would be able to put these issues (TPP & fracking) front and center without devolving into an unorganized mess. With 1900 Bernie delegates spread out across the arena, it could go either way.
There were also “I’m With Nina” stickers being passed amongst the delegates. Word had spread that Nina Turner was denied the chance to speak at the convention, likely because she has refued to endorse Hillary Clinton. She was supposed to be one of the three speakers who formally nominated Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night, but at the last moment was informed that she would no longer be allowed to participate. Nina Turner is an electrifying, revolutionary voice—and a fiery speech at the convention could have really put her on the map nationally (many of us are hoping she runs for national office in the near future).
The Nina Turner incident felt emblematic of how shallow the “unity” facade was throughout the convention from the perspective of Bernie delegates. If the Democratic Party really wanted to bring in the Bernie Sanders coalition—comprised of a substantial amount of independents and the vast majority of young Democrats—they should have made “Unity Night” (Monday) all about the success of Bernie’s Political Revolution. Yes, he didn’t win the nomination, but why not elevate his movement to a place of honor at the convention and truly welcome his supporters?
They could have honored the movement by allowing Nina Turner to speak, despite her differences with the party. They could have honored it by making Night 1 of the convention less about Trump fear-mongering and more about the incredible work of hundreds of thousands of Americans who organized in an unprecedented way for Bernie’s vision. They will need these now-seasoned organizers, in all 50 states, to have any chance of taking back state legislatures, governorships, and congressional seats from Republicans.
Instead, we were force-fed a “get in line” message from the very first speech Monday night. Very few of Bernie’s most vocal surrogates made any appearance on the convention floor, and when they did—such as Sarah Silverman’s appearance next to Al Frankin—it was in the context of “voting with gusto” for Hillary, not advocating for the principles of Bernie’s movement.
And so Day 3 proceeded much like the others. As the non-prime-time speeches droned on, Lindsay got creative with her blank poster paper and made a sign that reflected what many of us were thinking: “STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS OKAY.”
A picture of Lindsay holding it up soon went viral on social media. While some friends and family watching at home praised the Democratic Convention for being hopeful, diverse, patriotic (“Make America Great Again? It’s already great!!”), many of us Bernie delegates weren’t sold. America may be making great strides towards tolerance, particularly in regards to the LGBTQ community (which I can attest to myself as a gay man)…but we are failing the vast majority of our citizens in so many regards.
Yes, Trump and his most bigoted followers must be smacked down and told their outmoded social views are no longer acceptable in the 21st Century. But establishment Democrats also need a smack across the head.
STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS OKAY when it comes to our for-profit health care system — which yes, now insures more citizens — but still leaves millions uninsured and has done little to contain the skyrocketing costs associated with a for-profit insurance marketplace. The fact that Aetna is now pulling its insurance plans from 11 states (leaving some communities with a single, monopolistic insurance option—or no insurance at all) shows how silly the idea of a “free market” / “shop around” approach to health care is.
STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS OKAY when our generation is literally facing a future in which our coastal cities will be underwater, in which drought and extreme weather occurrences will mean mass migrations and refugee crises that will make the Syrian exodus look like small potatoes (climate change has already played a major role in that country’s destabilization). When we see all of Hillary’s appointees to the Democratic Party Platform committee vote in lock-step against every climate change proposal (except more bike paths) during their initial meeting in St. Louis…we don’t feel like everything is okay. We need to mobilize like we’re in a World War, because we are.
STOP PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS OKAY when we know the Democratic Party is just as cozy with extremely powerful moneyed interests as Republicans are; when the 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee is someone who profits both individually and politically by embracing an insanely corrupt campaign finance system. If she somehow is able to turn around and slam the door on all the private interests that have poured millions upon millions into her campaign coffers and SuperPACs — and act solely in the interest of the vast majority of Americans once in office, I’ll be very pleasantly surprised. I’m not holding my breath.
Speakers came and went, including California Governor Jerry Brown, which we greeted with a chant of “Ban Fracking Now!” He was there to talk about the threat of climate change — and in response to our chant said “That sounds good.” That’s interesting, because unlike Vermont, New York, and Maryland, Jerry Brown’s California (with our Democratic majority legislature) has consistently refused to ban fracking.
But things got really interesting when former CIA Director Leon Panetta took the stage. Right in the middle of Panetta’s speech, a chant began to emanate from the Oregon delegation: “NO MORE WAR!” Before long it had spread to Bernie delegates throughout the hall — including, of course, the 200+ of us from California. It was a spontaneous, unplanned moment of disruption that caused Panetta to pause for a long period as the chant grew louder and stronger: “NO MORE WAR!”
That’s when lights shut off over the Oregon delegation. Their entire section was now a dark spot in the arena, as if they were receiving a stern warning or punishment for bad behavior from the omniscient DNC overlords.
The Oregon delegation began turning on their smartphone lights, waving them in the darkness. Over in California, we pulled out out phones and waved our lights back in solidarity. A new chant began: “LIGHTS! LIGHTS! LIGHTS!”
I later noticed this moment was reported as protestors shouting “LIES!”…but in fact we were calling attention the fact that Oregon just had its lights cut.
It worked. The lights over Oregon flipped back on, eliciting cheers.
The disruptions didn’t stop there. Soon after Panetta’s speech, our self-elected delegate whip, Melissa Michelson, was being forced to leave the arena. She was there to help coordinate and organize the delegates, so had been moving from row to row and standing in the aisles — which I assume was being used an excuse to remove her from the floor.
That’s when a group of union nurses (who were, by the way, some of the most hardcore delegates of all) stood in unison, pointed at the guards removing Melissa, and shouted “STOP! STOP! STOP!” Before long, the entire California delegation had turned to face the guards trying to remove Melissa and had joined the chanting. They stood down, and allowed Melissa to stay.
I felt a rush of adrenaline. Holy shit, this is really happening, in real time, and I’m right in the middle of it. This was Occupy DNC.
I didn’t see it myself, but by the time Tim Kaine took the stage near the end of the night, a massive banner was unfurled over the Oregon delegation (competing with California for reputation of #1 troublemaker). The banner read: ELECTION FRAUD #WikiLeaks. I’m not sure what happened next, but I’m guessing it was quickly removed.
At the same time, hundreds and hundreds of Bernie delegates, across the entire arena, were standing and holding up identical anti-TPP signs.
We kept those signs up the rest of the night — all the way through the big keynote speech: President Barack Obama. While Obama has disappointed me in many ways, I also still hold a lot of respect for him as a smart, thoughtful human being and communicator. It really meant a lot to us when he gave Bernie and his followers a strong shoutout:
We all need to be as vocal, and as organized, and as persistent as Bernie Sanders supporters this election!
In many ways, the Bernie movement has embodied — without selling out to big money interests — the spirit of Obama’s historic ’08 campaign, and the hope we all had for a new chapter in American politics. Watching Obama’s speech at this year’s White House Correspondence Dinner, I couldn’t help but think he secretly “Feels The Bern.”
As the night wrapped up and we all filed out of the Wells Fargo Center, I felt very proud of the Bernie delegates and what we had accomplished that night. The very next day, The Nation posted an article — featuring a picture of the CA Bernie delegation holding their anti-TPP signs — with the headline: “Delegates Are Using the Convention to Make the TPP Politically Unacceptable.” Our presence there was making a difference. We were making noise, and it was being heard.
Whether the Democratic Party was actually listening, or just considered us a temporary irritant to be ignored, is an open question. The next day — Thursday — was the final night of the convention, during which Hillary Clinton would formally accept the party’s nomination. Wednesday had demonstrated moments of spontaneous action (“NO MORE WAR!”) and planned-ahead coordination (creating a wall of anti-TPP signs during key speeches). What would be planned, and what would happen spontaneously, on the long-awaited “coronation” night? What was the DNC planning to make sure their prime-time moment went off without a hitch? They knew what we were capable of now.
As I went to sleep that night, I actually began to feel a sense of dread about the final evening of the convention. I really had no idea what was going to happen, and I worried about the consequences — for Bernie, for the movement, for millions of young girls and women who would be watching someone they considered a role model accepting the Democratic nomination. The Bernie delegates didn’t see Clinton that way, but I knew so many who did.
All I knew was that Lindsay and I had to participate Thursday night, if only to have our voices as part of the conversation and decision-making amongst the California delegates.
One more day to go…
Read the rest of my day-by-day account of the 2016 Democratic Convention:
The Political Revolution: An Ending and a Beginning
Inside the Convention: Day Zero
Inside the Convention: Day One
