Why Bernie Sanders Supporters Are Still Organizing in Philadelphia Ahead of the DNC

Despite losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders still has a lot to gain this week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Here's what his supporters are doing.
By Emily Stewart ,

PHILADELPHIA (TheStreet) -- So far, the Democratic National Convention feels like Bernie Fest 2016.

Democrats descended on Philadelphia over the weekend in anticipation of Hillary Clinton's coronation as the party's nominee this week, but looking around the city, you may have thought Bernie Sanders was the big story.

The Vermont senator's supporters are out in full force in the city of brotherly love, with Sanders gear on full display. On Saturday, they hosted a People's Convention, and on Sunday, they marched for clean energy. They are organizing behind the scenes as well.

Though Sanders has lost the nomination, he and his wife, Jane, plan to launch a handful of organizations following his presidential run. His goal now, and that of his supporters, is to keep the conversation and effort on the issues he is dedicated to alive.

Sanders volunteers huddled with his campaign staffers at the Pennsylvania Convention Center here over the weekend to lay out a game plan for the upcoming week.

"Every person in this room has knocked on doors, has made calls, has organized their friends and has really made this political revolution a reality, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you from the bottom of the campaign's heart, thank you from the bottom of Bernie's heart," Rich Pelletier, deputy campaign manager for the Sanders campaign, told the group.

"Everyone in this room was identified as somebody who has spent or given a considerable amount of time to the campaign," said deputy dialer director Kyle Machado.

Volunteers were split into four groups -- press, motorcade, advance and floor -- and given tips on getting credentials, ensuring communication and fulfilling their Bernie-assigned duties.

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"You get a front-row seat to the action," Machado told the group.

More than 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails leaked over the weekend, some of which appeared to indicate the party hadn't exactly embraced Sanders' candidacy. DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned in the wake of the scandal.

Sanders on Sunday reacted to the DNC email leak, admitting his disappointment with the situation but saying he would still support Clinton. "We are going to do everything we can to protect working families in this country," he said.

The Vermont senator's supporters appeared to be trying to stay the course, despite anger over the email leak.

"We are leading this country, we are leading this party and we're leading it into a better place, and you should be incredibly proud of what we've accomplished. We have brought a nominee to a place where she's aligned on all of the issues that we care about, where we have the most progressive Democratic platform in the history of this country," said Pelletier.

Pete Lee, a delegate from Oregon, reflected on his take on Sanders, who he supports, at a bar in downtown Philadelphia Sunday evening.

"There are a lot of people who are very sad about the fact that Bernie did not win, quite frankly, the numbers at this convention are not with us," he said. "That noted, Bernie has always said, and he's been consistent about saying this, that it's more than just him."

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