Joeff Davis
The Wisconsin delegates at the Democratic National Convention were almost evenly divided between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporters. During the state-by-state roll call vote July 26, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced 49 votes for Sanders and 47 votes for Clinton.
The former first lady, senator and secretary of state officially became the first woman to win a major political party presidential nomination on Tuesday. But the relatively close race meant some unhappy delegates.
Heidi Wegleitner — a Sanders delegate and Dane County supervisor — says for a lot of Bernie backers, this is their first experience with a national political convention, and they are still “feeling the Bern.”
“People have put a lot of time and energy into getting Bernie this far. They just aren’t ready to be part of the Hillary celebration just yet,” Wegleitner said Tuesday. “There’s a big difference between these candidates. Many of us feel like Bernie Sanders is the better candidate to go against Trump.”
Dissatisfaction with the Democratic nominee was on full display on the first day of the convention. At several points during the opening night speeches, boos could be heard at the mere mention of Hillary Clinton’s name. The convention was brought to a standstill after comedian Sarah Silverman, an early Sanders supporter, scolded the raucous crowd: “Can I just say to the Bernie-or-bust people, you’re being ridiculous.”
Heather Colburn, a Clinton delegate, was also a pledged supporter of Hillary during the 2008 convention in Denver. That too, she said, was a hard-fought primary, but Clinton supporters readily accepted Obama when he won. “We were on team Obama before we got to that convention.”
Colburn says Silverman expressed the dismay Clinton supporters felt about the disruption. “It's not a comment on people’s beliefs, which are awesome and to be respected. It’s a comment on the behavior,” Colburn said. “They booed Elizabeth Warren. They booed a reverend who was giving a convocation. I just wish we were acting a little bit more like Wisconsinites in our process.”
But Colburn said the Clinton contingent has avoided talking down to other Sanders delegates.
“We honestly aren’t telling them much. Our strategy is to be nice and respectful of their views,” Colburn said. “There are going to be people who boo. And there are going to be so many more people who cheer at the top of their lungs in celebrating this beautiful moment in history.”
John Hendricks, a Sanders delegate, said from what he observed on the convention floor, the Wisconsin delegation has largely abstained from disrupting the proceedings.
“I was sitting in front of the New Mexico delegation, and they were kind of rude. They weren’t Midwest nice,” said Hendricks. “[The Wisconsin delegation] kept it civil, but there is certainly a range of opinions. Every single speaker had to say [something nice about] Hillary Clinton, and I think that bothered people. It seemed a little bit heavy-handed to me, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say offended.”
Hendricks says the role of superdelegates is also “not quite right” and hopes their influence is diminished in future presidential primaries. Sanders earned 10 more pledged delegates than Clinton because of his 13-point win in the Wisconsin primary. But nine of the 10 superdelegates from Wisconsin ultimately cast votes for Clinton, making the state a virtual tie in the primary contest. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth), one of Wisconsin’s superdelegates, cast his unpledged vote for Clinton, even though every county he represents voted for Sanders by a margin of at least 60%.
Sanders’ testimony at the convention has persuaded Hendricks to support Clinton. He’s pleased with the progressive reforms, like a $15 minimum wage added to the party’s platform, and credits Sanders with nudging Clinton to the left on many issues.
“On a policy basis, Sanders convinced me to vote for Clinton in the fall,” Hendricks said.
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin — a Sanders delegate — said he hasn't met one member of the Wisconsin delegation contemplating a vote for Donald Trump.
“[Trump’s] a fraud,” Soglin said.
Wegleitner plans to vote for Clinton but was frustrated by some of the rhetoric at the convention. She said some of the speakers showed a “real tone deafness” as they attempted to counter Trump’s message of “Make America Great Again.”
“So many of the speakers are saying America is already great,” she said. “It’s not for the people being profiled and brutalized by police. It’s not great for people without health care or housing or a living wage job. The Democratic party needs to get real. [It needs] to understand why people are frustrated and speak to economic issues in a much better way.”
The Rev. John Stanley, a Wisconsin delegate for Sanders, launched a 10-day hunger strike in a last-minute attempt to tip the nomination to his candidate.
“I don’t think Hillary Clinton should be president. She’s made very poor decisions on ecology, on the economy and on our security,” said Stanley, who won’t be casting a vote for Clinton or Trump.
Dozens of Sanders delegates walked out of the convention hall in protest Tuesday, including a few from Wisconsin.
“I only saw two people walk out,” Hendricks said. “The majority of Wisconsin Bernie delegates stayed. Some people took a break and came back for Bill Clinton.”
Stanley ended his fast after Clinton’s historic nomination became official Tuesday night. He plans on sticking around the convention in order to help support progressive candidates like Myron Buchholz, who is challenging Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) in the Aug. 9 primary.
“The revolution Bernie started isn’t over,” said Stanley. “This is only the beginning.”