Vindy columnist Bertram de Souza views this week's DNC through the eyes of 1980

A veteran Democratic Party operative in the Mahoning Valley sent the following text Monday in the midst of the turmoil that roiled the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia:

“This convention reminds of 1980. But the Kennedy delegates [had] a lot more class.”

And therein lies the challenge for Hillary Clinton, the party’s presidential nominee, as she tries to win over the 13.1 million voters who made Bernie Sanders a major political force this election season.

Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont, launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination with little money and even less name recognition. The self-described Democratic socialist’s progressive message, however, resonated with voters who believe they’ve been marginalized.

To them, the four-day convention in Philadelphia represents the ultimate betrayal of their candidate by the Democratic Party and, therefore, their loyalty is not a given.

Sanders is aware a divided party could result in Republican Donald Trump winning the presidency in November, and he thus sought to quell the anger of his supporters with an unequivocal endorsement of Clinton.

But unlike 1980 when the Democratic Party succeeded in coming together after a bruising fight between the forces of President Jimmy Carter and his challenger Sen. Ted Kennedy, the situation today is uncertain at best – despite Sanders’ embrace of Clinton.

Read more of Vindicator columnist Bertram de Souza's observations of Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.