Whether one watched the first night of the Democratic Convention on television or listened to it via livestream, it was apparent to all of its viewers and listeners that this year's DNC event was not about to be a blissful or united one. From the beginning, the Bernie Sanders supporters that were amongst the DNC's delegates were very animated about their support for their desired candidate. During the earlier portion of the first night of the convention, before any speakers spoke, it truly sounded like an audience of a highly intense sports game. The level of passion for politics that is being displayed within a mass of young people all at once is touching, but the level of denial that is occurring at the same time is quite heartbreaking.
It definitely was not fair how Bernie Sanders was treated by some of the DNC staffers, which was exposed via leaked emails and that kind of unfair treatment should in no way be invalidated or looked past. Every presidential candidate deserves a fair and equal campaign run for president. However, the insistent protests at the DNC that are in favor of Bernie Sanders is about more than just unfair treatment.
Bluntly stated, there are Bernie supporters who simply do not want to believe and embrace the fact that there is another candidate that is getting the votes and the nomination that Bernie Sanders is not. As disappointing as this is to those who have been avidly supporting Bernie's overall message since the beginning, it is the year of the 2016 General Election, and it is time to get used to the reality of the decision in which the American people are about to face come November. In order to beat a racist misogynist from holding any high position of power in this country, it is time to finally unite under one woman who is truly over-qualified for the job of running this country. A divided Democratic party is not a productive party, and it simply cannot reach the point where it is no longer a well-run party at all.
During the first three nights of the DNC, various political and celebrity figures spoke on behalf of Clinton, including comedian and Sanders supporter Sarah Silverman. Silverman, throughout her speech, identified herself as an avid Sanders supporter, but did not hesitate to display her genuine support for Hillary Clinton's inevitable nomination. Upon the jeers in which she received from Sanders supporters in the audience, Silverman added an unscripted part of her speech that soon became one of the most iconic and blunt jab at faithful Sanders delegates: "to the Bernie-or-Bust people, you're being ridiculous." Though Silverman's comment was unpredictable and not particularly welcomed by the Sanders supporters in which she was addressing, I would personally agree with the point in which Sarah Silverman made with her "Pro-Bernie, but not anti-Hillary" speech. At the end of the first night of the DNC, Bernie Sanders himself made an even more convincing and supportive argument in favor of Clinton.
Bernie Sanders showing his support for his fellow competitor should in no way represent him abandoning the incredible political revolution he has initiated among members of society. Rather, Sanders actively endorsing Hillary Clinton's nomination should be a sign that his revolution will only continue if Clinton wins the presidency. This motive alone should be enough for relentless Bernie supporters to know exactly who to vote for, even if it cannot be Bernie Sanders himself. As a fellow Bernie supporter who has avidly supported his revolution since he was a third party candidate polling in at 5 percent in various polls, I understood the pain and the frustration in which the Sanders delegates were expressing at the DNC.
However, I could not let my political beliefs harbor ignorance and simply ignore which democratic candidate was in the lead in every singly popularity poll conducted. Bernie Sanders' message will live on through the first woman president that this country has ever seen. Clinton has not even entered office yet, and she is already making US history. As a Sanders supporter, I will proudly say that #ImWithHer.
