The first night of the Democratic National Convention was headlined by high profile members of the party from First Lady Michelle Obama, Clinton rival Bernie Sanders and rising stars Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren. But perhaps most notable from last night were the vocal Sanders supporters. Western Kentucky delegate Brian Clardy spoke with Matt Markgraf this morning about his take on Sanders supporters in the Kentucky delegation and last night's speakers.
Clardy said "this is what democracy looks like" adding that it's sometimes 'messy, nasty, loud and beautiful' at the same time - with regards to the vocal Bernie Sanders supporters. He says Michelle Obama, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren had good speeches and that the night was "exhilarating."
Kentucky's Delegation Evenly Split
Kentucky's delegation is nearly evenly split in their support of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. In a close Kentucky primary, Clinton defeated Sanders with fewer than 2,000 votes. Clardy said there were loud and vocal supporters in the commonwealth's delegation.
"It got a little jarring for a minute, but I said, you know they earned the right to be here. They worked their way through the ranks to be here. Senator Sanders is a good man. Even though I'm a Clinton delegate he had a lot of great ideas and his supporters got a lot of what they wanted."
Interacting with Sanders supporters, Clardy said he could see the emotion and pride they felt and the disappointment that the revolution was in "suspended animation." He said he was moved by Sanders' speech and that it showed the main goal was to keep the progressive vision alive and keep Republican nominee Donald Trump out of the White House.
Clardy said Senator Al Franken (Clinton supporter) and Sarah Silverman's (Sanders supporter) conciliatory tone set an expectation for what Sanders would say. While Sanders did express his disagreements with Clinton, Clardy said, it also gave - unlike Senator Ted Cruz last week (notably not endorsing Donald Trump for president) - Sanders gave a 'strong, ringing endorsement' of Hillary Clinton.
Michelle Obama's Speech
Clardy said Obama's speech was historic, prophetic and clear, calling her the "Jacqueline Kennedy of the 21st Century," drawing a comparison to the iconic First Lady from the early 1960s. Clardy said he met Obama many years ago in Chicago and found her to be very much the same woman he heard last night. He said "she has earned her place in history" and remarked as a history professor, he found her statement "I lived in a house that was built by slaves" particularly poignant.
What's Ahead
The Kentucky delegation is anticipating a speech tonight by the commonwealth's secretary of state Alison Lundergan Grimes and also a speech by former president Bill Clinton. He says he's also looking forward to President Barack Obama speak tomorrow night.
There's a roll-call of states today, which Clardy called the 'final act,' in which the Democratic party officially nominates Hillary Clinton for president.
Unity in Kentucky Delegation?
Clardy said he has not seen or witnessed any "ugly run-ins" between Sanders and Clinton supporters.
"It was tense, it was intense, but in our individual delegation, we understand that we are Kentuckians. We understand that we are Americans more importantly. We understand that we are Democrats at the end of the day." not to say there haven't been substantive disagreements over policy, says the hostility people perceive as hostility isn't seeing it in the delegation.
Overall, Clardy said it's an honor to be a part of history.
Note: Brian Clardy is the Wednesday night host of Café Jazz on WKMS. Hear more conversations with Clardy throughout the week. Last week, we spoke with a delegate at the Republican National Convention. Hear our series of interviews here.
