#BernieorBust Philly: Sanders’ Backers Touch Down At D.N.C. Ground Zero
Thousands of die-hard #BernieorBust Bernie Sanders backers have begun to mobilize in Philly as the city prepares for the official start of the Democratic National Convention (D.N.C.).
Sanders’ backers have descended upon the city in the city in the hopes that their presence – which USA Today estimates to be in the “thousands” – might dissuade the much publicized super delegates to change their opinion on who the Democratic nominee should actually be.
As has been documented by WikiLeaks and extensively covered by The Inquisitr, the Democratic nominee situation has been silently decided upon for well more than a year, and, in fact, months before a single voter even turned out to vote and attempt to have his or her voice heard.
According to USA Today, the city of Philadelphia is expecting between 35,000 and 50,000 demonstrators – who are expected to be almost exclusively backers of the popular Vermont senator Bernie Sanders – assembling at six sanctioned protest sites that are located in close proximity to Philly’s Wells Fargo Center, which will host the Democratic National Convention starting today.
Per USA Today’s Aamer Madhani, the sheer number of permits issued by Philly serve as an indication that Bernie Sanders’ backers are both inspired by the progressive candidate’s platform, and not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Bernie Sanders may have ended his battle for the White House with his endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but that’s not stopping thousands of his backers from planning to flock to Philadelphia… to protest the Democratic National Convention and send a message to party leaders. The fact that Sanders said… he would do ‘everything I can’ to help Clinton beat Republican nominee Donald Trump is not dissuading pro-Sanders protest organizers. They say Americans are frustrated with the Democratic Party establishment, and they’ll still be out to protest in large numbers.”
“It’s ‘We the People’ who are going to continue to lead this revolution,” added Bernie Sanders activist Billy Taylor. Taylor, who was issued permits to hold rallies on each day of the convention, continued “We are not going to vote for the demon named Hillary just because you are threatening us with the devil named Trump.”
A recent Pew Poll, however, indicates that this belief on the part of Sanders’ backers might not necessarily be 100 percent true.
This poll indicated that about 85 percent of those surveyed who voted for Sanders in various state primary elections would make the switch to Hillary Clinton in a general election; 9 percent indicated a desire to switch to Trump out of totally reasonable hatred for Clinton and her various scandals and lies; and 6 percent said they would vote for either a third party candidate or were unsure as to what their decision would be.
This indecisiveness – which Hillary Clinton and her D.N.C. believe can be overcome with time – is what continues to fuel the Bernie Sanders movement, even after his endorsement of Clinton earlier in July.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/bernie-sanders/forever-forward/1086061604782176
Perhaps more telling than who will “switch to the dark side” and vote for Clinton is the fact that, of those surveyed by Pew, about 41 percent said that it is “difficult to choose between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton because neither would make a good president.”
In lieu of such a shocking and unlikely turn of events, however, Taylor indicated to USA Today that the movement will next begin to focus on helping voters to “deregister” from both political parties to “send a message that Americans are fed up.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re going to hold your nose and vote for Hillary,” said Taylor. “We want people to know that you can still join denounce the party and join us and make an example out of the party. The Democratic Party has to earn back our respect.”
In addition to permits that the Philadelphia has issued to various Sanders backers’ groups to assemble around the city, other approved demonstrations include groups supporting Green Party candidate Jill Stein; the Americans for Solutions PAC anti-gun violence group; and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (P.P.E.H.R.C.). One other group – Black Lives Matter – did not apply for a permit but is expected to protest in the area surrounding the Wells Fargo Center and the Democratic National Convention, while at least one Bernie Sanders rally was denied approval by city officials who are notoriously heavy Hillary supporters.
Demonstrators without a permit, a spokesperson for Philly’s Mayor Jim Kenney told USA Today, will not necessarily be arrested.
They will likely, however, be fined.
Issues such as income inequality and fair minimum wages have long been an issue for Bernie Sanders and his backers, but not necessarily for Clinton herself unless a TV camera is in front of her and on.
Sanders backer Laurie Cestnick, meanwhile, plans to organize a protest that will start across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey and work its way to Philly city hall and, ultimately, the primary protest site near the convention hall.
“I won’t say that I’d rather see Trump get in, but I want [Hillary Clinton] to squirm for the rest of the election season, wondering what’s going to happen,” Cestnick told USA Today, no doubt echoing the sentiments of some Bernie Backers. “I just want them to know that our votes matter and you can’t do that to the American people again.”
The “that” in this case is numerous instances of perceived election fraud.
Another Sanders backer, Eric Kestner, added that “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we may not get this at this time. You never know what’s going to happen after the convention.
[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
