SEATTLE – Voices of displeasure echoed from the University of Washington Sunday after new drama within the Democratic Party brewed across the country in Philadelphia.
Hours after Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she was stepping down as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, some Sanders-backers from Florida to Seattle had fuel for demonstrations.
“With the email leaks [and] with the entire primary – we saw that the Democratic Party and the DNC was lined up against Bernie Sanders,” said Jordan Quinn, who identifies as a Democratic Socialist.
Quinn was part of dozens who demonstrated near the University of Washington Sunday chanting phrases like “we the people will not be silent.”
“To try and quash a candidate that’s running in your primary … it’s not a Democratic Party,” Quinn said. “I think the emails really illustrate that.”
Washington has 118 National Delegates who will officially vote for a presidential candidate on Thursday. Jessica Justice, a delegate from Seattle, said Sunday in Philadelphia that she felt like the group would be “professional” in terms of how they interact with each other.
“It’s kind of [confirmation of] what we already knew was going on. It’s not like a revelation,” Justice said. “We already knew there were some things that were said and done that … was detrimental to Sanders campaign. With the Debbie Wasserman Shultz situation – it’s more symbolic than anything. They need somebody to step down to represent they’re taking some kind of action but it really doesn’t change much so it’s really kind of neither here nor there.”
She compared the situation to ripping off a Band-Aid.
“The Democrats and Republicans are completely different. We all know that they’re miles apart in terms of policy,” Justice said. “We’re trying to accomplish goals that are on the left of the aisle. So we’ve kind of put Band-Aids over things to be able to accomplish that. But what’s happened over the last week and a half has really kind of pulled that Band-Aid off.”
Jessica Beckett, from North Bend, is at her third Democratic Convention. She was previously a delegate for Dennis Kucinich.
“All of the delegates for Kucinich across the nation were – I think – there were 74 of us total for across the nation and right now that is the size of the delegation of Bernie delegates just in Washington alone,” she said. “So the progressive movement itself has grown so much since I went in 2004.”
She called Sunday’s news about Wasserman Schultz disappointing but not unexpected.
“I think it’s going to force the party to be more honest with itself,” she said. “I think we know have enough of a quorum or majority to create the accountability that a party like this needs in order to be honest with itself. I think honest parties succeed. I think honest parties win.”
Copyright 2016 KING