2016 DNC, Day 2: What to Know About Yesterday, and What to Expect Today

The stage at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. (Photo: Dan McQuade)

Well, we made it through day one of the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Here’s what you might have missed.

The convention kicked off with the perfect storm: sizzling temperatures, flash flooding, and, literally, a nasty thunderstorm. Naturally, many people took rides to the convention via Uber and Lyft. The Broad Street Line was packed. And no one parked on the South Broad Street median!

Tensions were high as passionate protesters took to the streets in record numbers, forming a wall of noise outside the Broad Street AT&T station and elsewhere in Center City, where they (successfully) demanded the removal of the Mississippi flag, which incorporates the Confederate flag. But police said that, technically, no arrests were made.

Michelle Obama’s speech was debatably the highlight of the night — the First Lady managed to rouse pride in the country while pointing toward a progressive future with Hillary Clinton as president, and all without mentioning Donald Trump (who’s that, again?) once. Plus, she managed to bring a temporary halt to (most of) the booing. Bernie Sanders’s supporters looked on in tears as he, yes, backed Clinton once more during his speech and called to unite Democrats against the GOP nominee. Oh, and people don’t really care about Philly that much.

Here’s what to look for today:

The speeches will be timely, moving and emotional, centering on families who have been affected by police brutality and gun violence. We’ll hear from the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice. Other topics for tonight include health-care reform and 9/11.

Former president Bill Clinton will speak tonight to cheer on his wife. Let’s hope it goes as well for him as it did eight years ago.

Although Sanders called for his supporters to remain calm, the convention and city will likely remain tense. Look out for continued protests from those who seem bent on pointing out Clinton’s flaws.

Sometime around 6 p.m. tonight, Sanders delegates can still support him in a roll-call vote on the convention floor. When a roll-call vote happened in 2008 in support of Clinton, she halted it halfway through in support of Barack Obama.

Keep your eyes out for celebrities and other interesting people this week.

Three more days to go, Philly. The world’s watching. Good luck out there!

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.