Did Sarah Silverman Save the Democratic Convention? Ed Rendell Thinks So.
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Democratic heavyweight Ed Rendell says Sarah Silverman’s slap down of diehard Bernie Sanders supporters may have turned around the entire Democratic convention.
The former Philadelphia mayor credited the comedian with shutting down the boos with her “you’re being ridiculous” admonition in a way that no politician could have done, Politico reported.
“No politician could have ever said what she said to the Bernie or Bust people,” e said. “It had a tremendous effect.”
Rendell was speaking aabout the high-stakes efforts to unify the party following the embarassing leak of 20,000 Democratic National Committee emails that detailed how the supposedly neutral group was actually in the tank for Hillary Clinton.
The scandal forced the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and threw the convention into disarray. Angry Sanders backers booed every mention of Hillary Clinton at the start of convention.
But Silverman, flanked by Sen. Al Franken, took the edge off the nasty mood with her one-liner.
“I think by the end of the night what started out because of the email controversy as a horrible beginning for us had been significantly neutralized,” Rendell said.
Rendell also praised Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, a prominent left-wing backer of Sanders, for easing tensions by speaking positively about Clinton.
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