Democratic Stars Urge Party to Unite Behind Clinton; Michelle Obama Electrifies Convention with Rousing Speech; Sanders Urges Supporters to Back Clinton
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Biggest stars trying to deliver the city to Hillary Clinton. How would they handle the Wiki discord on day one? First lady Michelle Obama seems to be the one getting the best response from last night. She was pounding on the notion of who her daughters will look up to as president.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And then Clinton's one-time rival, Bernie Sanders, delivering a full-throated endorsement, appealing to his supporters to back Hillary Clinton declaring she must be our next president. All of this as a dramatic day of turmoil outside and inside the convention hall came to a close. We have all of this covered. Let's start with Manu Raju. Inside the convention hall. Break it down for us, Manu.</s>MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning Alisyn, now at 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, the Sanders campaign urgently reached out to the Clinton campaign worried that some of their supporters may actually try to disrupt the proceedings here in this convention hall. I'm told they discussed tactics and strategy and started to quell those protests. It didn't quite work. People were shouted down. There were chants, there were protests. But that all temporarily stopped when Michelle Obama took the stage.</s>MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great.</s>RAJU (voice-over): Michelle Obama bringing down the house on night one of the Democratic convention.</s>OBAMA: This right now, is the greatest country on earth.</s>RAJU: the first lady leading a powerful list of headlines, including Hillary's Democratic rival, Senator Bernie Sanders.</s>SEN.  BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.</s>RAJU: After a hard-fought primary, Sanders welcomed to the stage amid deafening cheers in a three-minute standing ovation. Before delivering a full-throated endorsement of his former rival in the most important political moment of the night.</s>SANDER: Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her tonight.</s>RAJU: Sanders emphasizing the stakes of this election.</s>SANDERS: If you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court Justices that Donald Trump would nominate.</s>RAJU: While comforting disappointed supporters, many getting emotional during his remarks.</s>SANDERS: We have begun a political revolution to transform America and that revolution, our revolution, continues.</s>RAJU: The speeches aimed at uniting a party still simmering over the primary fight. The division on display throughout the day both inside and outside the convention hall. As Sanders delegates shouted in favor of their nominee. And interrupted speeches with loud anti- Clinton boos despite efforts by Clinton and Sanders officials to quiet the outbursts. These protests drawing an unscripted rebuke from Sanders supporter and comedian, Sarah Silverman.</s>SARAH SILVERMAN, COMEDIAN: To the Bernie or bust people, you are being ridiculous.</s>RAJU: But the discord quieting as Michelle Obama took the stage.</s>OBAMA: In this election, I'm with her.</s>RAJU: The first lady casting the presidential race as a decision about who'd create the best future for America's children while delivering resounding praise for her husband's former rival.</s>OBAMA: In this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility. Only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States and that is our friend Hillary Clinton.</s>RAJU: Mrs. Obama choking up while touching on the historical significance of Clinton's nomination.</s>OBAMA: Because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters, now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.</s>RAJU: And highlighting the challenges overcome throughout history that brought her to the stage.</s>OBAMA: Generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.</s>RAJU: The first lady making an unusual foray in partisan politics. To knock Donald Trump without mentioning him by name.</s>OBAMA: The issue the president faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. When you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and military in your command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out.</s>RAJU: Candidly talking about the lessons she has tried to instill in her daughters.</s>OBAMA: We urge them to ignore those who question their father's citizenship or faith.</s>RAJU: And criticizing Trump's rhetoric.</s>OBAMA: We insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. Our motto is when they go low, we go high.</s>RAJU: Now long this peace accord lasts, is really an open question. Before Bill Clinton speaks tonight there will be a roll call vote here on the floor those giving Sanders supporters a chance to voice their concerns over the fact that Hillary Clinton will get the nomination tonight. I'm told the Sanders campaign and Clinton campaign have merged operations to quell those protests. But whether that works, Chris and Alisyn, is an open question.</s>CAMEROTA: Manu, thank you.</s>CUOMO: Let's question the quelling. Let's begin with what happened last night, whether it worked or not. To discuss is CNN's political analyst and host of the "David Gregory Show Podcast," Mr. David Gregory. CNN Politics Editor, Juana Summers, and CNN Correspondent, Phil Mattingly. Who stood out? Did they get it done? Are the Democrats where they need to be going into day two?</s>DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm not sure where they need to be. I mean, I think this was a pretty raucous day on day one. But I do think Michelle Obama, the first lady, stole the show last night. It was her night. I don't think anybody was really close. I think she captured a couple of things. I think framing the choice around who's really going to influence our children. I think she did it with elegance. She did it with grace and a lot of punch that we don't normally see from a first lady. Taking on Donald Trump about his use of Twitter. The fact he led the birther movement. Reminding the country without a filter of the media to say this is the guy who doesn't believe the President of the United States was born in America. Pointing out how ridiculous that charge is. The totality of the speech offered not only contrast but a kind of testimony for Hillary Clinton's commitment to service that maybe only her husband, the former president, can deliver other than Michelle Obama. I thought it was quite good.</s>CAMEROTA: So, Michelle Obama is getting much of the attention this morning. And it is interesting to contrast it to 2008. Juana, when you remember, Conservative media went after her for the statements for the first time in my adult life I'm proud of my country. It took a long time to sort of live that down that she had said that. But last night, it was -- I couldn't help but hear echoes of that where she talked about how proud she was last night.</s>JUANA SUMMERS, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Absolutely, and I think the contrast of 2008, not just the remarks that you talk about, but also of the primary at large that makes the speech so powerful. You think back to the bitter 2008 Democratic primary. Michelle Obama then talking about some of what she viewed as brutal attacks from the Clinton camp on her husband. And now she's given what I think is so far the most forceful embrace of Hillary Clinton. And she's also tied her husband's legacy as President, to Hillary Clinton. Reprising comments from Hillary Clinton's speech and when she talked about the highest glass ceiling. Talking about the realities of what it's like to raise two black young women in the White House. And then linking those struggles together in a way that I think resonated in that room specifically. Whether you are a Bernie Sanders supporter or someone whether has been with Hillary Clinton the entire time.</s>CUOMO: Juana point out an important context, in that room, Phil, just to throw cold water on this. I think it speaks to something when the first lady, a non-elected, winds up stealing the show the first night. This is supposed to be about Bernie Sanders. This was supposed to about him going out there and saying something to his people that would make them stop all the chanting that we heard. And they're obvious. They're obvious and understandable upset with the WikiLeaks. That did not happen last night. That's why we're talking about the first lady. So what's the net effect.</s>PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think it's interesting, I think when you talk to the Clinton campaign officials, they were cognizant of what Sanders was going to say last night. They working very closely behind the scenes with his team right now, particularly on this rollcall vote that's coming up today. So they fell OK about things. I think there were moments during the Sanders speech yesterday where you thought, well doesn't seem like a full-throated embrace. And then towards the end, he seemed to get himself there and make the pitch for it. I think the most common influence yesterday on what had occurred was actually Michelle Obama. If you go in the lead-up to all of the speakers to Michelle Obama, there was booing, there was chanting. There were segments of the crowd that had major problems with it. That stopped cold when Michelle Obama started to speak. I spoke to one Clinton official yesterday who said, you know, the tipping point of this convention or least of yesterday, but possibly the entire convention, may have not been Bernie Sanders at all. It may have been Michelle Obama's speech. On a micro level, maybe that actually becomes kind of the most important moment of Michelle Obama speech.</s>GREGORY: A couple of things can be true at once. She, the first lady, I think was able to transcend some of the chaos both in the hall and what we saw play out in Philadelphia yesterday. As someone who -- and you are right -- who could offer the kind of testimony about the historic nature of Clinton's candidacy as well as her commitment to service. But I do think Democrats, first of all, if we are going to scrutinize the Republicans for the Ted Cruz moment. There was not something as bad as that, but there is disunity here. But I think Democrats and Hillary Clinton ought to be very careful about what is bubbling. This populism in the Democratic Party. They better watch it very closely before it really spills over.</s>CAMEROTA: What does that mean? In other words, that is bubbling. What should they do while watching it?</s>GREGORY: I think Hillary Clinton has done as much as she can do. She has moved as far left as she can and still be credible. And many will question how credible that is. Embracing so much of what he's already stood for. The reality is just how noisy the room was. Whether it was "Black Lives Matters" protesters, or people who felt betrayed by Elizabeth Warren. That kind of selling out for party unity. There's a lot of people who are not on board. There are these libertarian candidates could be a destination for the millennial voters who are not caught up in the stranglehold that the Clinton's have over Democratic Party.</s>CUOMO: Well, the crux of this is going to be, in terms of what do they do? The Democrats have to figure out who can be their super motivated base to off-set the blue collar wave of passion, anger, but also enthusiasm that the Republicans have moving. Juana, who could that group be?</s>SUMMERS: I think some of these independents that you're seeing have actually lifted Donald Trump for that fertile territory. If you look at the latest CNN polling, Donald Trump's rise largely attributed to 43 percent of independents who say they're interested in that campaign. That's really fertile ground to me. Because we still are a long way from election day. Those are people who are possible flips for the Clinton campaign that they can get on board. But I think there is a question of authenticity here as David noted. She cannot move too much further left, to get those people in. She's got to find some surrogates who can effectively --</s>CUOMO: Is that what they want? What does that group want?</s>SUMMERS: What is --?</s>CUOMO: That this group that's potential to flip from one side to the other? Do we know what they want these independents?</s>SUMMERS: I don't think we have a clear enough picture and we have not done enough studying on what those people do want.</s>GREGORY: But I also think this kind of new America versus old America. That coalition, that ascended coalition of young people minorities that I think was reflected on the stage last night. They just need then to turn out in really big numbers. And I just don't I think that's a given. I don't think you can say that is a given right now.</s>MATTINGLY: But if you want a surrogate who could actually start to address that. I think if you talk to the Clinton campaign officials, they actually think Michelle Obama and obviously, the President of the United States are two people who can do it in states like North Carolina. In places like Ohio, when you need cities like Cincinnati and Columbus to turned out, urban area to turn out in major ways like they did for president Obama in both 2008 and somewhat shockingly in 2012. Those are the surrogates they want to send into those places in the country to try to boost that turnout and keep the coalition.</s>GREGORY: North Carolina is really interesting. That could become a swing state. These sunbelt states, as well as Nevada, as well as Colorado, Arizona may be a little bit of a dream. But there are states where the demographics are such and there's even some talk about Georgia, again, could also be a stretch. Where you could have the President, you can have Michelle Obama. You can have former President Clinton. That's quite a team that can go out there and really get out the vote, really get out that coalition. And again, this is where the contrast with Trump becomes so important. And I think that's where it's kind of fallen a little bit for Sanders saying, look, Trump is not acceptable. I don't think all of his supporters are thinking that is enough at this point.</s>CAMEROTA: All right, we want to talk more about Bernie Sanders. Stand by, panel, if you would. You just heard some of Bernie Sanders highly anticipated endorsement of Hillary Clinton. How did it go over with his supporters? Our political panel examines that next.