HILO — The Democratic Party gathering in Philadelphia this week could be seen as a tale of two conventions.
HILO — The Democratic Party gathering in Philadelphia this week could be seen as a tale of two conventions.
For many present, it’s a historic moment because Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major party.
But for some Bernie Sanders supporters, who see the party as working against his candidacy, it’s not a time to celebrate.
That feeling is reflected in Hawaii’s delegation, which saw several Sanders delegates walk out in protest following Tuesday’s state-by-state tally that officially made Clinton the party’s nominee. One delegate, Chelsea Kent of Honolulu, displayed an obscene gesture on national television during the roll-call vote.
Raina Whiting, an Ocean View resident and Sanders delegate, participated in the walkout.
“For myself, what it was about was drawing light, and getting our voices heard, to the way we’ve been treated thus far,” she said.
Whiting said her fellow Sanders supporters were frustrated that Clinton was treated as the nominee from the start of the convention before delegates cast their votes. Whiting estimated 15 Hawaii delegates joined her in the protest, which included dozens of others from other states.
Hawaii Democrats cast 19 votes for Sanders, who carried the state with nearly 70 percent of the vote during the Hawaii Democratic presidential preference poll, and 15 for Clinton.
“We did eventually get to give our vote to Bernie,” said Whiting, a candidate for Hawaii County Council. “The moment we walked in Hillary Clinton was already being referred to as the nominee.”
State Rep. Joy San Buenaventura, a Sanders delegate, said that’s standard practice for conventions. But the Puna Democrat said it should have been handled differently this time since many delegates, fired up by Sanders’ progressive platform, are new to the political process.
“The Berniecrats are the millennials,” she said. “The politicos, the people, who understand what’s going on, know that the delegate count has already been determined, that Hillary Clinton already has the amount of delegates needed to win the nomination.”
San Buenaventura said some still hoped for a miracle and that they could convince enough superdelegates to change their vote for Sanders, who has urged his supporters to vote for Clinton.
“When, at the beginning, they already started crowning Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, you are going to hear boos,” she said.
Frustration within the Sanders camp was already running high after an email leak revealed that officials with the Democratic National Committee, which is supposed to remain neutral, appeared to have tried to undermine his campaign.
The protest wasn’t limited to the walkout. Kent, a Sanders delegate, flipped off the camera as Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz read the state’s delegate count for Clinton. That drew rebukes from both camps.
“I feel very disappointed in her actions,” Whiting said. “It is certainly not a reflection of other individuals in our delegation.”
Hawaii Democratic Party Chair Tim Vandeveer, a fellow Sanders supporter, said Kent was removed from the convention after refusing to apologize.
“She was unwilling to do so,” he said in a press release. “Therefore, her floor credentials have been revoked for the duration of (the) convention and she will no longer be a part of our delegation.”
San Buenaventura, who could be seen standing adjacent to Kent, said the Honolulu delegate squeezed her way into the camera frame and essentially took San Buenaventura’s spot.
“Chelsea pushed me out,” she said. “It was obvious. She wasn’t supposed to have been there.”
San Buenaventura said she intends to vote for Clinton in the general election, while Whiting wasn’t sure.
“At this point, I’ll see how it plays out,” Whiting said. “I’m not saying no, and I’m not saying yes.”
Dolly Strazar of Hilo was one of 10 Hawaii superdelegates who weren’t bound to either candidate.
She was listed as “uncommitted” at the start of the convention but cast her vote for Clinton.
Strazar said Wednesday she is a fan of both Sanders and Clinton but made her decision based on the national vote, which clearly went to the former secretary of state. She said she was ready to watch history be made.
“I don’t understand the vilification of Hillary,” she said. “She’s really given her life to public service.”
Strazar, 71, said she is from a generation when women were limited to careers such as teaching or nursing. The idea of a woman president was unthinkable.
She worries that sometimes gets forgotten.
“She certainly will do us well as the first woman president,” Strazar said. “And that’s what we’re working towards.”
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.