After turmoil, Sanders, Mrs. Obama, Warren thrill convention

Clinton heads into the Democratic National Convention starting Monday in Philadelphia as one of the party’s most liberal nominees in recent history, tacking so far in the direction of progressives that some are still astonished by the positions she has taken. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, Sen. Chants of “Bernie” echoed through the arena as the convention opened, and boos could be heard at times when Clinton’s name was raised.

Now Hillary Clinton faces an uphill battle. Since he was a largely unknown figure nationally before being named to the Democratic ticket, the early portion of his Wednesday address focused on filling in some basic biographic details: child of the Midwest with a sense of morality rooted in the social justice causes of Catholicism; missionary work in Honduras, where he became fluent in Spanish; and a pre-political career as a litigator in Richmond focused on civil rights causes-primarily fair housing.

Beyond Florida, his language skills could be an asset for Clinton in the battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and Virginia. But she stepped aside, bowing to pressure from Democrats who feared the mere sight of her on stage would prompt strong opposition.

“Most people, when they run for President, they don’t just say ‘believe me.’ They respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done”, Kaine said. The goal is to demonstrate a lifelong commitment to public service and to share more about Clinton’s Midwestern upbringing and middle-class roots that preceded her years as first lady, senator and secretary of State.

To his credit, Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat like Kaine, has taken the step of banning gifts and favors to executive branch employees to avoid finding himself or anyone within his adminstration in the same situation. “Is there anyone in this building who believes him?”

Jack Simel, a volunteer for the state Democratic Party from Rochester who formerly worked for Kodak, was anxious that Kaine is “another corporate Democrat” who “would just as soon represent the owning classes (as) the working classes”.

Larry Sykes, a Yonkers attorney and a Sanders delegate, described Kaine as “a reasonable choice under the circumstances”. She cited Kaine’s support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as a disappointment.

“It really, really had an impact on me in regard to what kind of person Tim Kaine was”, said retired state Sen.

She would have been happier with Sen. Sherrod Brown of OH or Warren. He says that Kaine has been active in the church, but never in a way that makes him the center of attention.

“I would have liked someone a little bit more progressive”, said Mitchell Stollberg-Appleyard, a Sanders delegate from Broward County.

Maggie Chain, 28, an independent who registered as a Democrat to support Sanders, said Clinton was a “liar” with “a lot of blood on her hands”.

“The emails have proven the system was rigged from the start”, Manafort told “Fox News Sunday”.

“I had no expectation about who would be the vice president because it didn’t mean much to me, ” Hulbert said.

It aligns the Virginia senator with Clinton and other reproductive-rights advocates, who argue that the decades-old Hyde Amendment, which primarily affects Medicaid, is an impediment for low-income women seeking abortions.