Sanders brings some peace to convention

on the opening night of the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Sanders joined a high-wattage lineup of speakers, including First Lady Michelle Obama, who delivered a forceful, impassioned defence of the Democratic nominee.

Her address all but wiped away earlier tumult in the convention hall that had exposed lingering tensions between Clinton and Sanders supporters.

While Sanders had endorsed Clinton previously, his remarks yesterday marked his most vigorous and detailed praise of her qualifications for the presidency. It came at a crucial moment for Clinton’s campaign, on the heels of leaked emails suggesting the party had favoured the former secretary of state through the primaries despite a vow of neutrality.

Sanders scored the resignation of Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a nemesis in the primaries, but that wasn’t enough to quell the anger of his supporters.

As the convention opened, they still erupted in chants of ‘‘Bernie’’ and booed Clinton the first several times her name was mentioned. Outside the convention hall, several hundred marched with signs carrying messages such as ‘‘Never Hillary’’.

By the time Sanders took the stage for the night’s closing address, much of the anger had been overshadowed by speeches promoting party unity.

Sanders did his part, imploring supporters to consider a country under Trump’s leadership.

‘‘If you don’t believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country.’’

Sanders spoke just after Senator Elizabeth Warren, a favourite of liberals who has emerged as one of the Democrats’ toughest critics of Trump.

‘‘Donald Trump has no real plans for jobs, for college kids, for seniors,’’ she said in the keynote address.

‘‘No plans to make anything great for anyone except rich guys like Donald Trump.’’

Obama was one of the night’s standouts. While she has often avoided overt politics during her nearly eight years in the White House, her frustration with Trump’s rise was evident.

She warned that the White House couldn’t be in the hands of someone with ‘‘a thin skin or a tendency to lash out’’.