NJ Delegation Feeling The "Bern" Over Emails On Day 1 Of DNC
By David Madden
ESSINGTON, Pa. (CBS) -- Members of the New Jersey Delegation are ready for the week ahead, even with the national party's email controversy in the background.
While this group of 142 delegates, and others, are mostly Hillary Clinton supporters, the Bernie Sanders camp is not just standing idly by. And with the events of this weekend, there is a sense of concern over whether all will be well by the end of the week.
The delegation is meeting each day at the Airport Renaissance Hotel in Essington for what amounts to a morning breakfast/pep talk. The lead speaker on day one was former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell who brought up the elephant in the room, so to speak, and reminded those backing Bernie there's practical politics to consider.
"Hillary Clinton is infinitely more likely to achieve progress on the things that Bernie Sanders and you have fought for on each and every issue than Donald Trump is," Rendell said.
That seems to be the predominant theme among those representing party leadership and those in Camp Clinton. But truth be told, for those backing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the weekend's revelation of emails showing DNC leaders bashing Sanders and backing Clinton during the primaries was like pulling a band aid off a fresh wound.
Sanders delegates like Wayne Lewis of Galloway Township, are not happy. His beef? That there were Clinton moles in the Sanders campaign.
"While that's not illegal and it's not against DNC rules, it is clearly of questionable ethics."
Clinton delegate Donna Chiera of Perth Amboy considers the email controversy an unnecessary distraction that Bernie supporters need to put in the rear view mirror.
"They may not like the noise around Hillary," she said. "They may not like her VP selection. But the alternative is Donald Trump."
Or none of the above. Some Sanders people are quietly talking about supporting a third party candidate come November.
