Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham ClintonTrump on prosecuting Clinton: ‘I don’t want to hurt' her #NeverTrump GOP organizer: Hope for peace, prepare for war Reid endorses Ellison for DNC chief MORE has been waiting at least eight years for this. 
 
 On Thursday night, the former secretary of State will take the stage in Philadelphia and accept her party’s nomination, becoming the first woman ever to lead a major party in a U.S. presidential election. 
 
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 “There is a historic nature [of the moment] that can’t be overlooked,” said Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), a longtime friend of Clinton’s. 
 
 Clinton will break a significant glass ceiling in the country for women and cement her place in history. But whether she becomes the first female commander in chief or a historical footnote remains to be seen and could depend greatly on what happens this week in the City of Brotherly Love. 
 
 Clinton enters the convention as the favorite against Donald Trump Donald TrumpTrump: 'I'll take a year' as president Trump tells supporters committing violence: ‘Stop it’ Trump suggests women 'go to another state' for abortions MORE, the unconventional Republican presidential nominee who has alienated black voters and Hispanic voters with his piercing rhetoric. 
 
 The Electoral College also favors the Democrats, giving the former first lady several paths to victory. 
 
 Still, while polls have given Clinton a steady lead, the race remains close and is becoming ever closer as the calendar inches to November. Voters are deeply dissatisfied with their choices, creating the potential for a third-party candidate to play spoiler. 
 
 The Democrats will use their convention to embrace the historic nature of Clinton’s campaign, even as it also identifies her as a nominee who would continue many of the policies of President Obama, who will play a starring role. 
 
 Over four days in Philadelphia, Clinton aides say they will tell a story about the stakes of the election and make the case that Trump is unfit for the Oval Office. 
 
 The convention’s program is also intended to shore up Clinton, who has been hurt by the long-running controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while secretary of State. The dust-up prevented her message from seeping through to the electorate and, more than anything, added to the distrust many feel about Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton Bill ClintonEllison: 'No way in the world’ Trump aids workers The Hillary Clinton of 2000 would have beaten Donald Trump The Hillary Clinton of 2000 would have beaten Donald Trump MORE. 
 
 Polls reflect that narrative, revealing that a large number of Americans do not trust Hillary Clinton, particularly like her or want to have a beer with her. Enthusiasm for her candidacy is also lacking, particularly among young voters, who were a crucial constituency of Obama’s. 
 
 “We made it through the email thing, but I don’t think we made it out completely unscathed,” said one Clinton ally. “What it did was highlight larger trust issues and issues that have always surrounded that couple.” 
 
 In her Thursday night speech, aides say Clinton will answer the core question of why she wants to be president — something voices in the Democratic Party have been pressing her to do. 
 
 But she will also have to open up a side of herself she has been reluctant to reveal in the past to earn back some of the trust that has eroded, her allies say. 
 
 “It will be the biggest speech, in terms of its impact, that she’s ever given, and perhaps the most significant convention or acceptance speech at the Democratic convention maybe since John Kennedy,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), a longtime Clinton supporter who endorsed her in the grueling 2008 Democratic primary. 
 
 Cleaver said Clinton has an opportunity in Philadelphia to speak to a huge audience and counter “many of the stereotypes that her political enemies have designed and, quite frankly, sold” to a large part of the country. 
 
 She’ll be helped by an all-start team of surrogates, drawing a contrast with the Republican summit in Cleveland, where many of the party’s luminaries and rising stars were conspicuously absent. 
 
 Clinton aides said the campaign’s theme of “Stronger Together” will come into sharper focus as former President Clinton, Obama, Vice President Biden and others vouch for Hillary Clinton’s acumen on the economy and national security. 
 
 One former Clinton aide acknowledged the candidate’s struggle to set out a compelling vision of her candidacy. 
 
 “So what’s the forward-looking goal and what is her unique vision for that?” the aide said. “She has to answer questions of what’s next.” 
 
 Clinton is a candidate with significant baggage. 
 
 She has been a national public figure for more than three decades, and many voters have already made up their minds about her candidacy. 
 
 Tom Nides, who served as deputy secretary of State under Clinton, said her convention speech will cast her as a leader who brings people together. 
 
 It’s a message that Clinton’s team hopes will resonate with voters as they seek to portray Trump as a divisive figure who will exacerbate the country’s racial and economic divides. 
 
 Nides and other allies and surrogates of Clinton noted their candidate has repeatedly reached across the aisle to govern, particularly during her time as a senator from New York and also during her time in Foggy Bottom. 
 
 She won over the likes of Sen. Johnny Isakson Johnny IsaksonSENATE: Republicans defy odds to keep majority A banner year for U.S. leadership on aid effectiveness Overnight Healthcare: How GOP could help fix ObamaCare | Cures bill in jeopardy | Senators unveil Medicare reforms MORE (R-Ga.) and worked with former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) on legislation to reform the adoption and foster care system, for example. 
 
 Those cross-party alliances highlight Clinton’s strength at governing, her aides said. 
 
 “She’s not a great retail politician,” said one former Clinton aide. “But I do think she has risen to the occasion on a lot of these moments.” 
 
 While Clinton can often be stilted on the stump, she has garnered praise and attention for her soaring rhetoric in the right moments. 
 
 During her 2008 concession speech, she proudly declared that while her campaign wasn’t able to “shatter the highest, hardest glass ceiling ... it’s got about 18 million cracks in it,” a speech many critics said was the best speech of her entire campaign. 
 
 The former aide pointed to Clinton’s concession speech in 2008, and more recently her speech in Brooklyn after she clinched the Democratic nomination, as proof of what Clinton can do in the moment. 
 
 “In these big moments, she exceeds expectations,” the former aide said. “It’s true: She is at her most popular when she’s doing the job, and I think she can play that up. ... Being a good retail politician isn’t all there is to being a successful, effective leader.” ||||| Republicans aren’t the only ones with a unity problem. 
 
 The Democratic National Convention opens Monday marred by the sudden resignation of its unpopular chairwoman after a series of leaked emails suggested she might have used her office to help Hillary Clinton defeat the insurgent candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders. 
 
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 With Republicans gloating after their own difficult convention and Sanders’ supporters claiming proof of the party’s dirty dealings, senior Democratic officials now face the difficult task of making their national gathering proceed apace toward Clinton’s coronation. 
 
 The first assessment of their success will come quickly; on Monday night, Sanders will speak, just one day after seeing his repeated calls for the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz realized. And while party leaders were eager to insist they expected a show of unity thanks to that swift action against the chairwoman, there remained some worry that Sanders could offer a moment as dramatic as Republican Sen. Ted Cruz did when he refused to endorse GOP nominee Donald Trump on national television last week. 
 
 “There will be some amount of hand-wringing over the next day. Sen. Sanders will have a role to play in this as he talks to his delegates,” said one House Democrat attending the convention. "I don't expect a Ted Cruz moment.” 
 
 Indeed, while the drama over emails indicating DNC favoritism toward Clinton were certain to cloud the Democratic convention, senior party officials say their quick disposal of Wasserman Schultz even before the convention opens in Philadelphia gives the party a chance to soothe any restlessness in its ranks, according to interviews with lawmakers, party strategists and aides on Sunday evening. 
 
 Now Democrats are trying to carefully choreograph the succession plan in order to avoid any comparison to Cruz’s daring performance. By sacking Wasserman Schultz before the convention, Democrats say they think the disunity on display Sunday will dissipate by the time Clinton takes the Philadelphia stage on Thursday. 
 
 “We can’t have this distraction at the convention,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia. The convention “is all about Hillary Clinton, and I think Debbie understood that. I think the damage done by some of those emails in her efforts to achieve genuine unity were at some risk.” 
 
 Even House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California acknowledged the obvious — that having Wasserman Schultz preside over the convention under a cloud of controversy was an unthinkable diversion at an event intended to bring feuding Democrats together. 
 
 "Now that the primary is over, Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz knows well the main purpose of the DNC is to elect a Democratic president. Party unity is essential to that effort and the Congresswoman has rightly decided to put party unity first,” Pelosi said in a statement. 
 
 “Given the need to bring party unity, I think she did the right thing,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who is close to Senate Democrats’ presumptive 2017 leader, Chuck Schumer of New York. 
 
 The ultimate irony is that Wasserman Schultz had predicted last week that her convention would go more smoothly than the Republican gathering in Cleveland, where delegates tried to unbind their loyalty to Trump, Melania Trump was caught plagiarizing and Trump called in to Fox News while one of his more effective speakers was on stage delivering an emotion-filled indictment of Clinton. Instead Democrats go into a nominating ceremony with a disturbance on par with Walter Mondale’s unsuccessful attempt to oust party chair Charles Manatt in 1984. 
 
 Democrats insist that their convention will still be a sunny, unified affair and that the DNC fiasco is a temporary sideshow to Clinton’s historic nomination as the first female major-party nominee. 
 
 “It removes a cloud over the convention. Takes the wind out of the controversy,” said one senior Democratic source. “It gets out of the way ahead of time. She's out, and that's the end of it.” 
 
 Still, that cloud will linger for some time. Starting Monday, Senate hopefuls, House candidates and longtime Democratic lawmakers will face at least a day of questions — and potentially many more — about the discord represented by Wasserman Schultz. Prep sessions are already underway as Democrats prepare to insist their party is unified and that the Republicans’ convention was far more damaging than the gathering in Philadelphia. 
 
 Supporters of Bernie Sanders march during a protest Sunday July 24 in Philadelphia. | AP Photo 
 
 For instance, Katie McGinty, who is running for Senate in the convention host state, was to hold a news conference Monday morning at which she would likely face questions on the Wasserman Schultz controversy. 
 
 “I don’t think it has that much impact for Senate candidates. They should be ready to field a question or two on it, but your average voter isn’t going to be so consumed by the inside baseball like this,” said one top party strategist. 
 
 Democrats said the DNC leaks, which showed DNC officials seeding critical stories about Sanders’ faith and the Vermont senator's “mess” of a campaign, broke a dam of support that had been propping up Wasserman Schultz. But senior Democrats, including retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Schumer, declined to forcefully back her dating back several months, aware that she could fall as a means toward bringing Sanders-supporting progressives toward Clinton. 
 
 On Sunday, Reid declined to put out a supportive statement praising Wasserman Schultz, just as he refused to defend her this spring as Senate Democrats began looking to get rid of her as a nod to Sanders’ massive following. It was one of several clear signals that the DNC chairwoman's leadership had become completely untenable with Democrats trying to cast Trump as dividing Republicans. 
 
 Reid, of course, had seen the brightest canary in the coal mine: a raucous Nevada Democratic convention that was disrupted by people threatening Democratic officials and Sanders supporters shouting down California Sen. Barbara Boxer as she spoke. 
 
 “We needed to show the Bernie portion of the party, which is bigger than everyone thought, that we are listening to them,” said a person close to Reid. “It wasn’t enough to do platform changes or to have Bernie endorse” Clinton. 
 
 Indeed, Democrats were actively working to shore up liberal support on Sunday ahead of the convention even before Wasserman Schultz fell on her sword. Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta and Clinton’s vice presidential pick, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, held a conference call with Democratic members of Congress and governors on Sunday, two participants said, with the goal of introducing the “progressive” Kaine. 
 
 With Kaine viewed skeptically by the party’s liberal wing for past stances on trade and social issues and Sanders supporters taking to the streets of Philly in outrage over the leaked DNC emails, quarantining Wasserman Schultz was viewed as the only play that could relieve the pressure while there was still time to salvage the convention's atmosphere. 
 
 “Every little bit helps,” said one Democratic source close to progressive groups. 
 
 ||||| Al Gore has yet to endorse Hillary Clinton. | AP Photo Al Gore to skip Democratic convention 
 
 Al Gore’s self-imposed exile from politics will extend to this week’s Democratic National Convention. 
 
 Citing “obligations in Tennessee,” the former vice president’s spokeswoman told POLITICO that Gore plans to skip the festivities in Philadelphia where his former boss’s wife will accept the Democratic presidential nomination. The Tennessean first reported Gore's decision earlier Sunday. 
 
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 Gore remains one of the last Democratic Party luminaries not to make a formal endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Betsy McManus, Gore’s communications director, told POLITICO last fall that he’d wait until a nominee had been formally selected to weigh in. But it’s been more than a month since Clinton sewed up the necessary delegates, and Gore has maintained his silence on the 2016 presidential race. 
 
 Gore’s close friends and allies have in the past said he was staying quiet in order to make climate change a more potent issue with the presidential candidates and also because of his complicated relationship with the former first lady that dates back more than 20 years. 
 
 In a 2014 interview with POLITICO Magazine, Gore insisted it was “premature” to back Clinton’s campaign for president while adding on climate change matters, “I don’t have any doubt that her heart is in the right place on the issue and that she would like to be an agent for positive change on the issue.” 
 
 Philadelphia will actually mark the second straight Democratic convention that Gore will miss. He wasn’t in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012 either when President Barack Obama ran for reelection. Instead, Gore was in New York anchoring coverage of the DNC from Current TV, the liberal television network he later sold to Al Jazeera. 
 
 “His world seems to be always full and outside the political world,” said Kiki McLean, a spokeswoman for Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. 
 
 Earlier Sunday, Gore declined an interview request from POLITICO. “He’s not available this week,” McManus wrote in an email. 
 
 Gore, the Democrats’ 2000 presidential nominee who lost to George W. Bush in one of the closest elections in U.S. history, was a featured speaker at the 2004 and 2008 conventions. 
 
 
 
 Authors: ||||| Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., march during a protest in downtown on Sunday, July 24, 2016, in Philadelphia. The Democratic National Convention starts Monday in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/John... (Associated Press) 
 
 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Democratic National Convention gets underway Monday in Philadelphia with much bigger demonstrations than the Republican convention and much higher temperatures as the region copes with an oppressive heat wave. 
 
 In one of the largest rallies planned for the day, a pro-Bernie Sanders group is expected to walk across the Ben Franklin Bridge, which connects Camden, New Jersey, with Philadelphia. 
 
 The demonstrations, largely driven by Sanders supporters, have been peaceful so far. 
 
 On Sunday, throngs of people marched along a main thoroughfare of the city to show their support for Sanders and their disdain for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 
 
 They chanted "Hell no, DNC, we won't vote for Hillary" and "This is what democracy looks like." 
 
 Although planned for months, the marches came as fractures appeared in the party that had been trying to display a show of unity in recent weeks. Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned Sunday as Democratic Party chairwoman over emails suggesting the DNC had played favorites for Clinton during the primary. 
 
 The Democrats had been trying to avoid the divide that was apparent in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention last week. But the hacked emails, published by WikiLeaks, further fired up Sanders supporters, who long accused the party of favoring Clinton despite officially being neutral. 
 
 Sanders had called for Wasserman Schultz's resignation and said Sunday that she made the right decision for the party's future by resigning. 
 
 Darcy Samek, 54, traveled alone from Minneapolis to protest through the four-day convention. She said Wasserman Schultz has been a "miserable failure" who needed to be gone. 
 
 "Everyone kind of knew (the Democratic Party was against Bernie Sanders), but that doesn't mean it will change now that it's proven. It's just more of the same," she said. 
 
 Philadelphia police called Sunday's protests peaceful and said they were pleased with how things were going. 
 
 Earlier in the day, thousands of clean-energy activists jammed a downtown street in their milelong march from City Hall to Independence Hall, near the Liberty Bell. They held anti-fracking and anti-pipeline signs, some with illustrations showing a train surrounded by a fireball and the words "No Exploding Trains." Others held "Bernie or Bust" signs. 
 
 Sam Miller, 82, traveled from Erie, Pennsylvania, to join the march that stretched several blocks and across a wide street as temperatures in the city soared into the mid-90s. He said he was inspired because "fracking is invading Mother Earth." 
 
 The heat wave is not going away anytime soon. It will hit a peak Monday with temperatures in the city possibly reaching 100 degrees but feeling like 108, according to the National Weather Service. 
 
 Officials said volunteers will be handing out water to demonstrators all week. 
 
 Some of the largest protests will start about 4 miles north of the Wells Fargo Center in south Philadelphia, where the convention is being held. Most protests during the RNC were concentrated in a tight, 1.7-square-mile zone downtown. A heavy police presence and fewer than expected protesters helped keep the calm. About two dozen arrests were made, and there were no significant injuries. 
 
 More than 5,000 delegates are among the 50,000 people set to attend the four-day convention, which is expected to culminate with Clinton being named the party's official nominee for president. ||||| If Bernie Sanders gets his way, the first day of the Democratic National Convention will be a tribute to his presidential primary campaign, a celebration of a “political revolution” that leaves nothing but good feelings. 
 
 Bernie Sanders is not getting his way. 
 
 While the senator from Vermont calls for Democrats to unite behind Hillary Clinton — whom he endorsed two weeks ago — thousands of his supporters have arrived in Philadelphia to protest the results of the primaries. Not even the resignation of Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which Sanders had called for since spring, has gotten every Sanders supporter on board. 
 
 [DNC chairwoman to resign in aftermath of committee email controversy] 
 
 Some, including activists who attended a “People’s Convention” on Saturday or walked in a climate march on Sunday afternoon, are planning to back a third-party candidate. Others are dreaming of ways to deny Clinton or her running mate, Sen. Timothy M. Kaine (Va.), their nominations. 
 
 Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, protesters marched through the streets of Philadelphia on Sunday, July 24 to call for more action on a wide range of environmental issues. (Reuters, Photo: AP) 
 
 None of that is sanctioned by Sanders. In interviews on three Sunday shows, Sanders offered measured praise for Kaine, and declined to link Clinton to the hacked Democratic National Committee emails showing disdain toward and dismissal of his campaign. 
 
 “The immediate focus has got to be that a disastrous candidate like Donald Trump cannot be elected,” Sanders said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referring to the Republican nominee and deflecting a question about the hack. “My second message is that we continue the political revolution and fight for a government that represents all of us, and not just the 1 percent, fight to break up the banks on Wall Street, fight for a Medicare-for-all single-payer system, fight to rebuild our infrastructure and create millions of decent jobs, fight for real criminal justice and immigration reform.” 
 
 Aides say Sanders will use his speech Monday night to make the case for electing Clinton, and to call for the continuation of the “revolution” he started — a campaign that won 22 primary contests and pushed the party’s platform significantly to the left. 
 
 Sanders also is expected to focus heavily on the issues at the core of his campaign, including steps to attack income inequality. In the weeks since Clinton all but clinched the nomination, Sanders has worked with her campaign to incorporate several of his policy initiatives, including plans to offer free college tuition to many families and expand access to government-run health insurance. 
 
 Both issues are expected to earn mentions in the speech. On Monday, delegates will also hear from Sen. Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.), and Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.), Sanders’s highest-profile supporters in Congress, the latter two having led the Congressional Progressive Caucus. 
 
 But many Sanders delegates wanted more, and are looking at different ways to revolt. On Sunday morning, Norman Solomon, a progressive author and Sanders delegate from California, held a news briefing on the new Bernie Delegates Network, an association of 1,250 convention delegates whom he intended to organize for protests on the floor. Eighty-eight percent of them, Solomon said, opposed the Kaine pick; only 300 delegates were needed to nominate a rival candidate from the floor. 
 
 “It is not inappropriate,” Solomon said. “It is not disrespectful; it is unifying to find out what the best unifying ticket is.” 
 
 Solomon could not name a rival candidate who would join the fight — the most-mentioned progressive alternatives to Kaine, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), are friends of Kaine and supporters of the ticket. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sanders said that Kaine is more conservative than him but is “100 times better” than Trump. 
 
 “Would I have preferred to see someone like an Elizabeth Warren selected by Secretary Clinton? Yes, I would have,” Sanders said. 
 
 But disappointment with Kaine persisted as Democrats arrived in the city and attended early committee meetings, and not all were as ready as Sanders to move on. 
 
 “In a word, I’m unexcited,” said John Bickel, a Sanders delegate from Hawaii. “I teach a government class, and when I need an example of a moderate, I use Tim Kaine.” 
 
 [Kaine not liberal enough? Just ask Virginians.] 
 
 The most disgruntled Sanders supporters found a home at the weekend’s major activist events, blocks from the convention center. At the People’s Convention, held in a Quaker meeting hall, some Sanders supporters proposed their own platform. Lacking air conditioning, they fanned themselves with copies of socialist newspapers and signs with slogans such as “Never Crooked Hillary” and “#BernieOrBust.” 
 
 “I’m hoping for a contested Democratic convention and a huge Democratic exit — we call it #DemExit,” said Ambra Dwight, a Nevada caucus-goer who’d traveled to Philadelphia for protests. “The party clearly is broken. It’s not a party of the people anymore.” 
 
 Late in the day, the convention got a visit from Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presumptive presidential nominee. 
 
 “I’m putting out another line to Bernie in light of this email scandal,” Stein said. “I hope we ask Bernie to please consider withdrawing his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Based on the outright, purposeful sabotage of your campaign by the DNC, and by Hillary Clinton, they do not deserve anybody’s votes!” 
 
 More Stein fans attended a Sunday march against fracking, which took thousands of people across the city in the baking summer sun. Asked if Sanders’s endorsement of Clinton made them confident about the party, many said no. 
 
 “People feel betrayed,” said Yakov Kronrod, a disgruntled Green Party voter carrying a #DemExit sign during the march. “He stood for everything she didn’t.” 
 
 On ABC’s “This Week,” however, Sanders said outright that he would not support a third-party candidate, and he made a coded appeal to anyone who supported him to stick it out with the Democrats. 
 
 “This is a very momentous moment in American history,” he said. “To my mind, what is most important now is the defeating of the worst candidate for president that I have seen in my lifetime, Donald Trump.” 
 
 Most of Sanders’s delegates were inclined to agree with him, but supporters of Clinton have been surprised as even minor slights set off heated arguments. A Sunday meeting of the party’s credentials committee, which heard challenges to the seating of some Clinton delegates, spent more than an hour on the fate of a Sanders delegate from Maine. Toward the end of the meeting, before Wasserman Schultz’s resignation became known, a Sanders delegate from Iowa rose to make another heated point. Party members were referring to Clinton as “the nominee,” and not as the “presumptive” nominee. 
 
 “We don’t have a nominee, because Bernie Sanders hasn’t conceded yet,” said Courtney Rowe. “I’m telling you, as a Bernie Sanders supporter, it’s very important that this process play out fairly and justly, because there are already enough rumors about things that were not carried out fairly and justly.” 
 
 Kayla Epstein contributed to this report. ||||| Rallies, Marches And A 'Fart-In': Philadelphia Gets Ready For The DNC 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Brady/NPR Jeff Brady/NPR 
 
 The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Philadelphia. As the party finishes last-minute preparations, protesters also are getting ready. 
 
 The city has approved 28 permits for rallies and marches. Name a cause and you can bet a protest for it is planned. Applicants range from an anti-gay church to the group "Black Men for Bernie." 
 
 To stand out, you have to be creative. That's why Cheri Honkala with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign is gathering cases of donated beans in her office. She plans to feed them to protesters on the last night of the convention when Hillary Clinton accepts her party's nomination. 
 
 You could say her protest plan is a real gas. 
 
 "We thought that this process really stinks," Honkala says. "So we decided to organize a national fart-in." She doesn't like that only two political parties dominate American politics. 
 
 Most of the protest permits are held by people who wanted Bernie Sanders to become president. 
 
 Billy Taylor is a Sanders supporter who secured four of the six permits available for a park across from the arena where Democrats will meet. 
 
 Taylor works out of a run-down warehouse outside Philadelphia. "Bernie for President" signs are everywhere. Originally, volunteers wanted this to be a local Sanders campaign office, but now it houses a new group called Philly.fyi. 
 
 Taylor is the group's executive director. When he heard the city would make protest permits in the park available on a first-come-first-served basis, he booked everything possible — just in case the Sanders campaign wanted them. 
 
 "And there was another reason as well," he says. "I wanted to stop any Hillary supporters from obtaining permits." 
 
 Law Philadelphia Police Consider 2000 RNC In Preparing for Democratic Convention Philadelphia Police Consider 2000 RNC In Preparing for Democratic Convention Listen · 2:49 2:49 
 
 The last time a big political party held its convention in Philadelphia was the year 2000, when Republicans nominated George W. Bush. Police were aggressive at the time. They infiltrated protest groups with undercover officers, arrested hundreds of people, and even raided a workshop where protesters built props for their marches. 
 
 Current Police Commissioner Richard Ross says this time will be different. "We don't really have an interest in criminalizing a bunch of people who are out peacefully protesting," he says. 
 
 Ross says the city is cooperating with protesters. 
 
 The city has also relaxed some of its ordinances — crimes like disorderly conduct will get a citation rather than an arrest. And Ross says officers will not show up in riot gear — as long as things remain peaceful. ||||| The worst thing that could happen at the Democratic National Convention is that nothing bad will happen at the Democratic National Convention. 
 
 Say this for the Republican National Convention: It had drama. Melania Trump plagiarized the woman she’s trying to replace. Ted Cruz revolted. No one knew for sure that Trump would really get the nomination until the moment he got it. And Trump smiled through it all, a quality Americans like in a president. He refuses to get thrown off his game, even if his game is ridiculous. 
 
 No one wants to watch a story in which the ending feels inevitable. Hillary Clinton has been taunted for a decade with criticisms that she sees the presidential race not as a competition, but as a coronation. So she needs a convention that says she doesn’t take anything for granted, and that she can handle any indignity thrown her way. A small group of Bernie Sanders supporters — and their digestive systems — are happy to oblige. 
 
 Also Read: 11 Angriest Quotes from Donald Trump's Republican Convention Speech 
 
 Here are three things that could ruin the convention. 
 
 1. A Fart-In. It’s just like a 1960s Sit-In or a Be-In, except it’s disgusting. Bernie Sanders supporters tell Time they’re planning to pass large amounts of gas inside the convention hall as a form of protest. There are lots of questions here: Would it be a formal event, to the extent that a lot of farting can be formal? Or will it be freelance and spontaneous? Given Philadelphia’s ample supply of cheesesteaks, this is a protest that could quickly get out of hand. 
 
 Fortunately for Clinton, television is a visual medium, and viewers at home won’t be able to smell inside the hall. As long as everyone avoids making faces, maybe Clinton supporters will be able to hold their breath and pretend everything is fine, just like Thanksgiving. 
 
 An interesting side note: Some people credit the fart-in concept to writer and political organizer Saul Alinsky. Ben Carson tried to use Alinsky to link Hillary Clinton to the devil himself when he noted at the Republican National Convention that Clinton wrote her senior thesis about Alinsky and that in his book “Rules for Radicals” Alinksy namechecked Lucifer, “the original radical.” 
 
 Also Read: Jon Stewart Takes Over 'Late Show' to Shred GOP, Fox News: 'This Country Isn't Yours' (Video) 
 
 Carson dubiously said Alinsky was one of Clinton’s “heroes,” so it would be ironic if one of his (revolting) techniques was used against her. A fart-in does sound like something the devil would think of, however. Let’s pray against sulfuric smells from hell. 
 
 2. Bill. The former president sparred with Black Lives Matter demonstrators in April, in Philadelphia, no less. So he might seem like an odd choice to take a starring role in what is essential the Black Lives Matter segment of the Democratic National Convention. Bill Clinton will be joined by mothers of black men and women who have been killed by gun violence or in police custody. 
 
 But… why him? Is he the best spokesman for the cause, or is this an attempt at image rehabilitation for the man Toni Morrison called “the first black president”? (It was a more complicated compliment/critique than people realized at the time.) 
 
 Whatever his objectives, the first President Clinton needs to stay on message — unless he wants to be the first and last President Clinton. 
 
 Also Read: Tim Kaine: 4 Things You Need to Know About Hillary Clinton's VP Nominee 
 
 3. Nothing goes wrong. You need something to go wrong so Hillary Clinton can demonstrate her resilience and ability to roll with adversity. She’s made the case that she’s already weathered a lot, between her husband’s infidelities, her husband’s infidelities being spun into attacks on her, Whitewater, Vince Foster, and modern-day debates like Benghazi and her e-mail server. 
 
 But most of those indignities didn’t lend themselves to soundbites, memes, or moments. Most have been annoying drip-drip-drip scandals, as frustrating for their inconclusiveness as for our inability to understand what they’re exactly about. (Quick, without Googling: What was the issue with the White House travel office?) 
 
 Viewers like fighters. Even Cersei Lannister got some sympathy after she endured that walk of shame. Hillary Clinton needs to make the case that she doesn’t see the presidency as her rightful inheritance, but rather as something she’s fought for and earned — not for herself, but for the real people she wants to help. A too-smooth convention won’t help her make that case. She needs drama, and she needs to overcome it. 
 
 Here’s an example. In the very close 2000 election, I watched Al Gore deliver his stump speech at a union meeting in Pittsburgh. Suddenly, a man collapsed. An ambulance pulled up. As a terrible public speaker myself, I immediately sympathized — not just with the man, but also with Gore. What was he supposed to do as we waited for the stretcher? Wait? Just stand there looking helpless? 
 
 Also Read: Democratic National Convention: 7 Things to Expect From the Hillary Clinton Infomercial 
 
 No. Gore led a prayer. I remember that it included words to the effect of, “Lord: We know that you hold us in the palm of your hand.” He asked God to protect the fallen man, and all of us. It was sensitive, humble, and perfect. 
 
 No one remembered, in that election in which George W. Bush was supposed to be the Christian candidate, that Gore had gone to divinity school. I don’t think anyone reported on what happened that day, or how sensitively Gore had handled the moment. No one had anywhere to post a video or 140 characters. 
 
 But now they do. We all do. And I’m not saying I want anyone to collapse at the DNC — certainly not from holding his breath through a Fart-In. 
 
 But if anyone does fall, Hillary Clinton should be ready with a prayer. ||||| Democrats have low expectations for Hillary Clinton's acceptance speech this week: She rates behind President Barack Obama and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren when it comes to the most anticipated Democratic convention speeches. 
 
 A survey of The POLITICO Caucus — a panel of activists, strategists and operatives in 11 key battleground states — finds that, despite Clinton’s imminent nomination for president, Democratic insiders think Obama and Warren will make the more effective case for their party in speeches at the Wells Fargo Center this week. 
 
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 Asked who would deliver the most effective address, nearly half of Democratic insiders, 49 percent, said Obama. Another 26 percent picked Warren. 
 
 Just 10 percent chose Clinton — the same percentage that said her husband would make the most effective case for the party. 
 
 “This is Obama's party,” said a Florida Democrat, who, like all insiders, completed the survey anonymously. “He'll light the place up and pass the torch of a united party, then we'll all pray she doesn't screw it up between now and November.” 
 
 “He will be in legacy-burnishing mode and will be spectacular,” a New Hampshire Democrat said, referring to the president. “Wish he could serve another term.” 
 
 Added a Nevada Democrat: “His tenure is almost come to an end, and he has been one of the best presidents in history. There will be tears, joy and a sense of accomplishment. It will be another historic moment.” 
 
 A number of Democratic insiders said Obama could serve as a powerful validator for Hillary Clinton — in the same way Bill Clinton made a compelling argument for Obama’s reelection at the convention in Charlotte four years ago. 
 
 “Bill did it for Barack,” an Iowa Democrat said. “Now it’s Barack's turn to return the favor.” 
 
 Warren, the first-term Massachusetts senator, was praised for her ability to coalesce an argument that speaks to middle-class anxiety — better than Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to many insiders. 
 
 (This survey was conducted earlier this month, before Clinton chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate; Warren was also rumored to be a candidate.) 
 
 “Warren, like Sanders, has a way of explaining the bread and butter issues of the today,” a North Carolina Democrat said. “Warren is great at making the case as to why Trump should not be the next president.” 
 
 Added a Pennsylvania Democrat: “Bernie's speech will be like going to a Springsteen concert. Everyone knows all the words and will be singing along with him. But Elizabeth Warren will package those messages in a new fashion and make sure Hillary realizes she made a mistake in her VP choice and having people say that if only it would have been her instead of Bernie.” 
 
 Most of the Democrats who expected Hillary Clinton would be the best speaker said they chose her because the stakes are enormous for her speech. 
 
 “She has to be” the most effective, a North Carolina Democrat said. “She is the standard bearer. The others will be great, but Hillary has to be better.” 
 
 That was echoed by a Colorado Democrat: “She has to be; it is her show.” 
 
 As for Clinton’s husband, a handful of insiders said the former president can make an emotional case for his wife unlike any of the other speakers. 
 
 “As always, Bill Clinton will steal the show — but most importantly will make the most important case of all — for his wife,” a Wisconsin Democrat said. “It’s up to him to get it done for her at the convention.” 
 
 Insiders praise Kaine pick 
 
 According to Caucus insiders, Hillary Clinton made a smart choice in picking Kaine to join her ticket on Friday, selecting a running mate with a solid record who will bring assets to the campaign and is capable of serving as commander-in-chief. 
 
 In a special survey conducted in the hours after the Clinton campaign made the Kaine pick official, the vast majority of Democratic insiders, 86 percent, said Clinton made a smart pick. Just 14 percent said she should have chosen someone else. 
 
 A majority of GOP insiders agreed: 62 percent said Kaine was a smart choice, while 38 percent thought she should have tapped someone else. 
 
 Most Democrats see Kaine as a candidate with considerable and diverse experience who can appeal to both Democrats and independents, or Republicans defecting from the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket. And few, just 10 percent, thought Kaine would have trouble motivating more liberal voters behind Clinton’s candidacy. 
 
 “He is the most qualified to take over in the event something happens to the president,” said one Florida Democrat, who, like all respondents, completed the survey anonymously. “Additionally, while left of center, he is not so radical to frighten moderates and works well across the party lines as does Hillary.” 
 
 “Tim Kaine is ready to be president tomorrow; that is what really matters,” a New Hampshire Democrat added. “After that it is who she is comfortable with and who will be great partner in running the country. Joe Biden is a perfect model, and Tim Kaine is Hillary's Joe Biden.” 
 
 A number of Democratic insiders also touted their own personal experiences with Kaine. One New Hampshire Democrat called Kaine “truly one of the nicest people on earth.” 
 
 “I would have loved to see a young Latino, but I know Tim Kaine and have the deepest respect for him,” added a Colorado Democrat. “He has that rare quality of listening to people and at the same time the honesty to tell folks the truth, not make empty promises. He is an incredibly compassionate human being who looks at politics as public service. Having worked closely with Tim Kaine in the past, I know how committed he is to the public good.” 
 
 A Nevada Democrat added: “Tim is a good and decent man, and people get that about him quickly. He will create quite a positive contrast with the Republican ticket and will add some trustworthiness to Hillary's image.” 
 
 Even in Iowa, where a number of insiders said they were pulling for Tom Vilsack — Obama’s long-time agriculture secretary and the state’s former governor — the Kaine pick was met with cheers. 
 
 “While all Iowa Democrats would have been thrilled to have our former governor, Tom Vilsack, on the ticket with Hillary, that did not happen. Sen. Kaine is a wonderful choice and brings to the ticket a strong background in foreign relations and military matters.” 
 
 The vast majority of Democrats were unmoved by the suggestion that progressive voters won’t get behind the ticket now that Clinton has chosen a running mate with a more moderate record. 
 
 “Voters don't vote for vice president,” said one Nevada Democrat. “If you were a progressive hold-out, the VP most likely wasn't going to change your mind. Let's see where those voters stand after the full court press of a Democratic National Convention — a convention that includes a prominent role for Bernie Sanders and other progressives.” 
 
 There were some skeptical Democrats, however. Some insisted that Clinton whiffed by not picking a more progressive, or ethnically diverse, candidate. 
 
 “She should have been bold enough to look to the future, to capture the spirit of forward movement in America,” said a Florida Democrat. “The opportunity to recognize the millennials has been missed. Hillary allowed Donald Trump's fear of a new America to prevent her from the bold acceptance of the benefits and advantages of diversity in America.” 
 
 One Colorado Democrat looked unfavorably on Kaine’s tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Kaine was chosen by President Obama and served as DNC chair between his term as governor and the launch of his campaign for Senate in 2012. That Democrat called the pick: “an I-95 move that fails to comprehend that voters do not want insiders,” adding: “Many activists remember Kaine as the person who dismantled [Howard] Dean's 50-State Strategy and then oversaw one of the greatest Democratic losses in 2010.” 
 
 But overall, Kaine earned plaudits from the battleground-state operatives — including those in the other party. 
 
 “He is a confident, experienced person highly popular in a swing state,” a New Hampshire Republican said. “He meets every test of having to potentially step in as POTUS and meets the Holiday Inn test: The best surprise is no surprise.” 
 
 Ultimately, however, insiders cast doubt on the importance of the running mate to the candidate’s chances to win. 
 
 “The political implications of the VP pick are overblown,” a Florida Democrat said. “Basically it is a pass/fail test, and with Kaine she passed it with flying colors.” 
 
 A Republican in Kaine’s home state called the senator “nice and likable. A really nice guy all-around. While he is more liberal than he presents, his style is very suburban and low-key. He is clean and won't embarrass [Clinton], which after all is the primary requirement.” 
 
 These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus, not all of whom participated in either survey: 
 
 Colorado: Ryan Call, Laura Carno, Matt Chandler, Will Coyne, Adam Eichberg, Mark Ferrandino, Cole Finegan, Michael Fortney, Andrew Freedman, Ted Harvey, Craig Hughes, Owen Loftus, Pete Maysmith, Frank McNulty, Karen Middleton, Christopher Murray, BJ Nikkel, Josh Penry, Rick Ridder, Alan Salazar, Janice Sinden, Pat Steadman, Pat Waak, Steve Welchert, Taylor West, Roxane White, Rob Witwer 
 
 Florida: Fernand Amandi, Scott Arceneaux, JP Austin, Tim Baker, Dennis K. Baxley, Slater Bayliss, Dave Beattie, Wayne Bertsch, Ron Book, Pamela Burch Fort, Jose Calderon, Kevin Cate, Kelly Cohen, Gus Corbella, Brian Crowley, Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder, Justin Day, Judith Diaz, Nelson Diaz, John Dowless, Ryan Duffy, Jessica Ehrlich, Joe Falk, Alia Faraj-Johnson, Mark Ferrulo, Damien Filer, Marty Fiorentino, Rich Heffley, Nick Iarossi, David Johnson, Eric Johnson, Marian Johnson, Eric Jotkoff, Chris Korge, Jackie Lee, Susan MacManus, Beth Matuga, Fred Menachem, Jon Mills, Joe Mobley, Ben Pollara, Andrea Reilly, Steve Schale, April Schiff, Max Steele, Roger Stone, Richard Swann, Kevin Sweeny, Christian Ulvert, Steve Vancore, Ashley Walker, Andrew Weinstein, Andrew Wiggins, Ryan Wiggins, Rick Wilson 
 
 Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Jerry Crawford, Sara Craig, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Ben Foecke, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, David Oman, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Nick Ryan, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Charlie Szold, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young 
 
 Michigan: Jill Alper, Saul Anuzis, Andrea Bitely, Lori Carpentier, Howard Edelson, Jordan Gehrke, Steve Hood, Joe Lehman, Dennis Lennox, Katie Packer, Ronna Romney McDaniel, John Truscott, Stephanie White, John Yob 
 
 Nevada: Mac Abrams, Greg Bailor, Barbara Buckley, Yvanna Cancela, Bob Cavazos, Linda Cavazos, Jim DeGraffenreid, Andrew Diss, Peter Ernaut, Ryan Erwin, Chip Evans, Jay Gerstema, Oscar Goodman, Ryan Hamilton, Dan Hart, Pat Hickey, Zach Hudson, Jeremy Hughes, Megan Jones, Lindsey Jydstrup, Adam Khan, Peter Koltak, Roberta Lange, Sam Liberman, Laura Martin, Michael McDonald, Chuck Muth, Erven Nelson, Kristen Orthman, Neal Patel, Nick Phillips, Jon Ralston, Andres Ramires, Emmy Ruiz, Scott Scheid, Mike Slanker, James Smack, Paul Smith, Jack St. Martin, Mari St. Martin, Daniel Stewart, Brendan Summers, Riley Sutton, Robert Uithoven, Michelle White, Ed Williams, Heidi Wixom 
 
 New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Matt Mowers, Terie Norelli, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams 
 
 North Carolina: Don Davis, Francis X. De Luca, Anita Earls, Jonathan Felts, Tami L. Fitzgerald, Dylan Frick, Taylor Griffin, Robin Hayes, Morgan Jackson, Patsy Keever, Theresa Kostrzewa, Michael Luethy, Ray Martin, Thomas Mills, Melissa L. Reed, Chris Sgro, Paul Shumaker, Dee Stewart, Brad Thompson, Bruce Thompson, Charlie Wallin, Doug Wilson 
 
 Ohio: Jerry Austin, Greg Beswick, Matt Borges, Erica Bruton, Tim Burke, Janet Carson, Jai Chabria, Martha Clark, Bob Clegg, Damareo Cooper, Jo Ann Davidson, Michael Dawson, Bill DeMora, Cindy Demse, Kathy Dicristofaro, Katie Eagan, Michael Gonidakis, Wes Goodman, Joe Hallett, Ian James, Melissa Klide Hedden, David Leland, Nick Martin, Rhine McLin, David Pepper, Molly Shack, Mark R. Weaver 
 
 Pennsylvania: Chris Borick, Larry Ceisler, Valentino DiGiorgio, Jason Ercole, Dan Fee, Charlie Gerow, Marcel Groen, Leslie Gromis Baker, Mark Harris, Nan McLaughlin, Aubrey Montgomery, Christopher Nicholas, Nachama Soloveichik, David Sosar, Todd Stephens, Doc Sweitzer, David Thornburgh, Ray Zaborney 
 
 Virginia: Ray Allen, Sandra Brandt, Marc K. Broklawski, Patsy Brown, Janet Carver, John Cosgrove, Brian Coy, Doris Crouse-Mays, Tom Davis, Julie Dime, Abbi Easter, Mike Farris, John Findlay, Joe Fitzgerald, Sean Harrison, Margo Horner, Robert Hurt, Gaylene Kanoyton, Chris LaCivita, Sue Langley, Frank Leone, Robert G. Marshall, Tucker Martin, Ed Matricardi, Susan J. Rowland, Peter Snyder, Susan Swecker, Jo Thoburn 
 
 Wisconsin: Meg Andrietsch, Mary Arnold, Kevin Barthel, Mike Basford, Rebecca Bonesteel, Barry Burden, Terri Burl, Jim Camery, Patrick Guarasci, Robert Hansen, Gary Hawley, Marian Krumberger, Emily Nehring, Jason Rae, Brandon Scholz, John Zapfel 
 
 Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.
– This year's Republican National Convention was the wildest in decades—and with legions of disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporters, dozens of planned protests (including a fart-in), and the sudden resignation of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the eve of the convention, things could get just as crazy for the Democrats this week. A roundup of coverage as delegates gather in Philadelphia: NPR looks at some of the protest groups that have obtained no fewer than 28 permits for marches and rallies. They include "Black Men for Bernie" and the "Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign," which is stocking up on beans ahead of a planned "fart-in" to be held as Hillary Clinton accepts the nomination. The Wrap lists the "fart-in menace" as one of three ways that the convention could go wrong for Clinton. The others are Bill Clinton veering badly off-message—or having nothing go wrong, which would leave Hillary with no way to "demonstrate her resilience and ability to roll with adversity." A full list of speakers and caucus meetings at the Wells Fargo Center can be found here. Sanders speaks Monday night, followed by Michelle Obama. The Hill looks at the story Hillary Clinton's campaign plans to tell over the four days of the convention, finishing with a speech Thursday night that Clinton ally Rep. Emanuel Cleaver says will be her most important ever—and possibly the most important at a Democratic convention since JFK in 1960. The protests, most of them involving Sanders supporters, began Sunday, and the ones to follow are expected to be bigger than anything seen at the RNC, the AP reports. They will also be hotter, with the region in the grip of a heat wave that will bring temperatures over 100 Monday. Politico looks at Democrats' efforts to calm the "chaos" in the party following the leak of DNC emails that revealed an anti-Sanders bias. Insiders say party leaders hope to get things under control before there is a "Ted Cruz moment." Sanders has called for unity, but some of his supporters still hope for a contested convention and may seek to nominate an alternative candidate to Tim Kaine for vice president, the Washington Post reports. The DNC won't be dealing with nearly as many high-profile no-shows as the RNC, reports Politico, but one big name who won't be there is Al Gore. The 2000 nominee, who has yet to formally endorse Clinton, says he has "obligations in Tennessee." But there will be an unexpected high-profile speaker: Michael Bloomberg. A Bloomberg adviser tells the New York Times that the former Democrat, who was a Republican during his years as mayor of New York City and is now an independent, will endorse Clinton during a prime-time address. A Politico survey of Democratic operatives in 11 battleground states highlighted the challenges Clinton faces in getting the party fired up: Only 10% think she will make the best case for the party this week. Some 49% said President Obama will be most effective, and 26% chose Elizabeth Warren.