Sarah Silverman Tells Bernie Sanders Diehards: ‘You’re Being Ridiculous’
Image by CNN
Comedian Sarah Silverman chided diehard supporters of Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention — but only succeeded in riling up the ‘Bernie or bust’ crowd.
Sharing the stage with Sen. Al Franken to introduce singer Paul Simon, Silverman pleaded with Sanders fans to stop booing any mention of Hillary Clinton or Democratic unity.
She said she would support Clinton “with gusto” and admonished the Sanders fans.
“Can I just say, to the ‘Bernie or bust’ people: You’re being ridiculous,” Silverman said.
She and Franken of Minnesota then introduced Paul Simon to sing his 1970 classic “Bridge over Troubled Water.”
But instead of silencing Sanders supporters, Silverman’s pleas were greeted with a raucous chorus of boos.
The display of discord was just one episode in a daylong spasm of anger at Clinton and her allies at the Democratic National Committee, whose machinations were bared in damaging leaked emails.
Sarah Silverman: “To the Bernie or bust people — you’re being ridiculous” https://t.co/gyUMMophnv #DemsInPhilly https://t.co/NZTj1DHUcM
— CNN (@CNN) July 26, 2016
DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was ousted over the scandal but that was apparently not enough.
Supporters of Sanders disrupted the first day of the convention, repeatedly chanting and booing mentions of Hillary Clinton’s name as the party’s hopes for a show of unity dissolved into frequent chaos.
Speakers in the convention’s first hours struggled to carry out business as angry Sanders supporters roared their disapproval, drawing a deafening response from Clinton delegates.
“We’re all Democrats and we need to act like it,” U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio, the convention’s chairwoman, shouted over the uproar.
Earlier in the day, Sanders drew jeers from his own supporters when he urged his delegates to back the White House bid of his former rival, Clinton, and focus on defeating Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election.
“We want Bernie,” they shouted in a show of anger at both Clinton’s victory in the race for the Democratic nomination and emails leaked on Friday suggesting the party leadership had tried to sabotage Sanders’ insurgent campaign.
For months, Sanders, 74, a U.S. senator from Vermont, mounted an unexpectedly tough challenge to Clinton, 68, a former secretary of state, who this week will become the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.
The scenes of booing in Philadelphia were a setback to Democratic officials’ attempts to present the gathering as a smoothly run show of party unity in contrast to the volatile campaign of Republican nominee Trump.
Sanders tried to head off the disruptions, sending an email to delegates as the convention opened urging them to refrain from interrupting the proceedings.
“Our credibility as a movement will be damaged by booing, turning of backs, walking out or other similar displays. That’s what the corporate media wants. That’s what Donald Trump wants,” Sanders said in the email.
Trump gloated at the Democrats’ opening day disorder.
“Wow, the Republican Convention went so smoothly compared to the Dems total mess,” he wrote on Twitter.—With Reuters
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