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Editorial: Democratic convention off to rocky start

 
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, who was forced to resign as DNC chair over the weekend, was shouted down at a Florida delegation meeting and did not open the convention Monday to avoid being booed off the stage. This is not the way Democrats hoped to start off after last week’s dark, chaotic Republican convention — and the wounds are self-inflicted.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, who was forced to resign as DNC chair over the weekend, was shouted down at a Florida delegation meeting and did not open the convention Monday to avoid being booed off the stage. This is not the way Democrats hoped to start off after last week’s dark, chaotic Republican convention — and the wounds are self-inflicted.
Published July 25, 2016

So much for unity. The Democratic National Convention opened Monday with emotions running high over embarrassing emails between party officials that indicated they favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the contested primary season. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, who was forced to resign as Democratic National Committee chair over the weekend, was shouted down at a Florida delegation meeting and did not open the convention Monday to avoid being booed off the stage. This is not the way Democrats hoped to start off after last week's dark, chaotic Republican convention — and the wounds are self-inflicted.

The DNC emails posted Friday by the website WikiLeaks revealed that Wasserman Schultz was less than truthful during the primary season when she insisted the party was neutral as Sanders mounted a strong challenge to Clinton. Instead, the emails confirmed the suspicions among many Sanders' supporters that the fix was in — and Wasserman Schultz had to go.

Some emails directly from Wasserman Schultz harshly criticized Sanders and his campaign. Emails involving other staffers included an exchange where a DNC official discussed how to use Sanders' religion against him to help Clinton win in Kentucky and West Virginia. National political parties should not be taking sides in presidential elections before their nominees are selected, which erodes voter confidence in the system. It's even worse when religion is suggested as an arrow to shoot at an opponent. A candidate's personal religious beliefs should be off limits, and the email exposed the very type of bigotry that Democrats attack when Republican nominee Donald Trump engages in it.

Just as concerning as the content of the DNC emails is how they got out. The Washington Post reported in June that Russians had hacked the DNC computers, and the FBI said Monday it is investigating. If it turns out that Wiki- Leaks received a national political party's emails from hackers tied to a foreign government, that should concern every American regardless of political party.

To Sanders' credit, he followed through Monday with an unequivocal endorsement of Clinton despite the disappointment of many of his supporters about the email mess and Clinton's selection of Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate. Sanders recounted his 23 wins during the primary season and noted that his campaign resulted in progressive changes to the party platform and to reforms such as a future reduction in super delegates to the convention. And he kept the focus on defeating Trump.

That mission should be helped by Clinton's selection of Kaine, which was made with an eye toward winning over centrist voters in November rather than appealing to Sanders' liberal base. Kaine has experience as a mayor, governor and U.S. senator, and he is a solid choice. The joint appearances of Clinton and Kaine over the weekend in Miami and on CBS's 60 Minutes captured an ease and fellowship between the two that stands in contrast to the public awkwardness between Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

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With her pick, Clinton also signals she is not ceding the voting bloc of white men and independents so vital to Trump's campaign. As a moderate known for working across party lines, Kaine could appeal to voters in a swing state who are looking for competence above all. His support for free trade should find an audience in a coastal state such as Florida, which has invested billions of dollars in its airports and seaports. His experience in the Senate on defense and aging issues also should appeal to a state where military bases and seniors are key pieces of the social fabric.