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Local Sanders Delegates Have Mixed Feelings After First Night of Democratic Convention

In his convention speech, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said defeating President Donald Trump should be the priority.
Katie Orr
Bernie Sanders supporters celebrate his victory in California at the Sanders headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission District on Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020.
Bernie Sanders supporters celebrate his victory in California at the Sanders headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission District on Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

The first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention was unlike any seen before. Instead of thousands of delegates cheering inside a sports arena, people logged into Zoom meetings and tuned into the prime-time speeches on television.

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Yet, there were still elements that have become commonplace at conventions, like former primary rivals coming together to support the nominee. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders continued that tradition Monday night as he gave a rousing speech in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee.

“The future of our democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is at stake,” Sanders said during his remote speech. “We must come together, defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president.”

Sanders said the party’s platform, while not as progressive as he would like, still makes progress. But most importantly, Sanders said, President Trump must be removed from office.

“My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine,” Sanders said.

It was a message that resonated with Sanders delegate Mark Malouf. The two-time Sanders delegate from Sonoma County said defeating Trump is the priority.

“It’s not because we’re particularly thrilled about Joe Biden. I’m not really on the same page as him politically,” he said. “But, that’s how politics works in this country.”

Still, Malouf said he’s not completely on board with the Democratic party. He was one of several hundred delegates who voted against the party’s 2020 platform, which he doesn’t feel goes far enough in meeting progressive ideals. For instance, the platform does not call for a single payer health care system.

“I think it’s inexcusable that in the 21st century, in the middle of a pandemic which has resulted in millions of Americans not only losing their jobs but their employer provided health insurance, our party can’t even commit itself to supporting an explicitly universal single payer health care system,” he said.

It wasn’t the convention HaeMin Cho was hoping for either. The first time Sanders delegate campaigned tirelessly for the Vermont senator, knocking on doors every week. She said it’s disappointing he’s not the nominee.

“We need Medicare for all. We need to actually do a coordinated response for COVID. We need to keep fighting to be a part of reversing climate change,” she said.

Still, Cho said she deeply respects Sanders for supporting Biden as the nominee.

Sanders won the majority of delegates in the California primary with 225. Biden won 172 from the state.

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