ORLANDO, Fla. _ Frustrated supporters of Bernie Sanders were dealt a series of defeats as they made their last stand Saturday when other Democrats refused to adopt several of their candidate's progressive policies for the party's platform.
The tension between the Democratic Party's progressive wing and supporters of presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton was clear throughout a two-day meeting of the Democratic National Platform Committee in Orlando.
After Saturday's biggest fight, the committee refused to add to the party's position statement language rejecting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a vote that Clinton backers applauded and sent some Sanders supporters to the exits.
"I'm very disappointed," said Steve Wisniewski, president of Communications Workers of America Local 3108 in Orlando. "I'm so disappointed that I walked out, as many of my friends as well did. ... (We) walked out in disgust."
The platform's language carries added weight this year because of the lasting distrust between Sanders and Clinton supporters heading into the party's convention this month in Philadelphia.
As the platform committee debated in Orlando, the candidates took steps to unify the party.
On Friday, reports surfaced that Sanders plans to leave the race and endorse Clinton in the coming days. Hours later, the platform committee adopted language calling for a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, a victory for the Sanders camp.
Saturday morning, Clinton's campaign announced that she would honor Sanders-backed efforts to increase funding for community health centers and expand health care access.
But for Wisniewski and other Sanders supporters, unity remained a bitter pill.
"I believe there will be problems," he said. "A lot of the people I've talked to... have indicated that they intend to vote for (Green Party candidate) Jill Stein, or for another third party candidate. Maybe some of them will go Libertarian. Maybe some of them will even go Trump."
The divide was clearest during the debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Clinton and Sanders both oppose the trade deal, but it was championed by President Barack Obama, putting Democrats in an awkward position.
Sanders supporters said the platform should explicitly reject the trade agreement, while Clinton backers argued for softer language.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, put forward compromise language, stating that all trade deals must include "streamlined and effective enforcement mechanisms" to "protect workers and the environment."
Supporters of the compromise argued that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could not live up to those standards.
"We are not opposed to trade," said Robert Martinez, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. "But we want fair trade, not free trade."
But Sanders backers, including former NAACP President Benjamin Jealous and activist Cornell West, argued that the Democratic platform should make clear the party's position against the TPP, so that its candidates and activists can unite around that message.
"We must empower them to say, clearly: The Democratic Party, through its platform, is on record as being opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership," Jealous said.
West called Saunders' compromise "window dressing."
When it was approved, opponents booed, while some yelled "shame" or turned their backs.
The committee also shot down progressive-backed language to limit political contributions to $100 per person or entity and publicly finance campaigns; to outlaw racial gerrymandering; and to prevent public officials from joining the industries they regulate.
However, a Sanders-backed law-enforcement-reform measure, calling for national guidelines on use of force and to require police to wear body cameras, was unanimously approved.
