During First Night Of Democratic Convention, Mass. Delegation Tries To Unite To Defeat Trump

PHILADELPHIA -- Each of the speakers took on a distinct role for Monday night's final speeches at the Democratic National Convention.

Bernie Sanders' role was to rally his supporters around Hillary Clinton. Sen. Elizabeth Warren gave the keynote address, usually a speech meant to inspire — think Barack Obama in 2004 when he said there were no red states and no blue states, only the Unites States.

But Warren used her speech to go after Donald Trump.

"Democrats proposed ending tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and Republicans, they said, 'No.' Democrats proposed raising the minimum wage and Republicans, they said, 'No.' So to every Republican in Congress who said 'No,' this November, the American people are coming for you," Warren said to the crowd at the DNC Monday night.

Former state Sen. Carol Donovan, a Clinton delegate from Woburn, said she appreciated Warren's speech.

"She's been kind of a pit bull against Donald Trump all along," Donovan said. "I thought in volume it was tamed down tonight, so it played well to keeping everything in a civil tone tonight, but she hit all of right points that she had to hit as far as everything that's wrong with him."

In addition to that, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark appreciated Warren's strong support for Clinton.

"She really captured pulling together, I think, the Democratic Party behind our nominee, and making sure that we all understand that these are the values that we share, and highlighting the stark contrast with Donald Trump," Clark said.

Delegates for Sanders will get to cast their votes for him — not Clinton — at the convention Tuesday.

Sanders made that promise to delegates even as he took the stage Monday to strongly endorse Clinton.

"Based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States," Sanders said to the audience.

That's fine with Sanders supporter Noman Khanani, who is a delegate from Shrewsbury. He says he is happy though that Sanders did not release his delegates to vote for Clinton.

"And that's just to show support for the revolution. We know that obviously, he's not going to be elected to office, but we want to make sure that there's some accountability on Hillary's end that these agreements that they've come to will continue to be promised as she moves on with her campaign," he said.

For some, lingering in the hall as others rushed out into the night, it was a bittersweet moment. For Sanders delegate Nancy Weinberg, of Newbury, for example.

"I'm a little teary. It's been a long campaign and a passionate campaign, and it's disappointing to have it end like this," she said. "Now, we defeat Trump. I need a hug from this man."

This man standing next to her was Jim Roosevelt, grandson of Franklin Roosevelt, co-chair of the rules committee and a superdelegate for Clinton.

"I thought tonight was a great coming together of this Democratic Party, and I thought it was capped by an excellent speech by Bernie Sanders," he said.

It was not all coming together. At one point, Clinton and Sanders delegates from Massachusetts, like delegates from other states, competed for who could shout their candidate's name loudest.

But the delegates here do seem ready to come together, if only to defeat Trump.