PHILADELPHIA _ A group of delegates backing Bernie Sanders but unaffiliated with the campaign is running out of cards to play at the Democratic National Convention.
They were unable to put forward an alternate idea for a vice presidential candidate, blaming party officials for not providing them with the appropriate forms. The organization, the Bernie Delegates Network, said it had a candidate willing to be considered as an alternative to Hillary Clinton's choice, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, but declined to name the person.
The members have asked fellow Sanders delegates whether they would protest Kaine's acceptance speech _ a little more than half of the roughly 300 asked said yes _ but they have no plans to organize a demonstration.
Besides, Sanders himself has asked his supporters not to disrupt the proceedings on the convention floor.
Now they are looking forward to Tuesday night's roll call, which would allow every delegate to cast votes for either Sanders or Clinton.
"It's essential to have a full roll-call vote," said Norman Solomon, a leader of the Bernie Delegates Network. "It's a principle. All votes must be counted."
The Clinton campaign has never objected to having a roll-call vote, saying it was in keeping with its view that all votes should be counted.
Campaign chairman John Podesta, speaking at a breakfast hosted by Bloomberg News, would not say whether Sanders might play a role similar to Clinton's in 2008 when she cut short the state-by-state announcement of delegate totals to move that the convention nominate Barack Obama by acclamation.
"Everyone is going to get the chance to vote, and then she is going to make history � the convention is going to make history by nominating the first woman to lead a major party (ticket)," he said.
Although Solomon wanted Sanders to be the Democratic nominee, he has no plans to support a third-party candidacy such as the Green Party's Jill Stein.
"It's a blind alley. It's a dead end," he said. "It doesn't help grow social movements."
(Times staff writer Michael A. Memoli contributed to this report.)
