Sanders: ‘Messy’ convention comments were taken out of context

In just the latest sign of the lingering split in the Democratic Party as the presidential primary continues, congressional Democrats are talking about dumping Democratic National Committee chair Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Three Democrats with ties to the party’s power centers - President Barack Obama, Clinton and Sanders - made clear that few are rooting for Wasserman Schultz’s survival at the DNC.

Wasserman Schultz still has the support of some leading Democrats in Congress, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.).

“I think someone else could play a more positive role”, Weaver said when asked whether or not he wanted her to resign during an interview on CNN.

“I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working-class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic Party needs, it’s going to be messy”, he told the wire service.

But Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the only public supporter of Sanders in the Senate, admitted the DNC chair could do more to bring liberals together since Republicans appear to have their nominee.

Among the evidence they cite: The brief, weekend heavy schedule of debates kept audience numbers down and Sanders’ message off the airwaves; the chaotic Nevada state Democratic convention; and Wasserman Schultz’s response to Sanders’ muted reaction to the chaos, which the ostensibly neutral chair said was “anything but acceptable”. “Sanders supporters would go nuts”, said one pro-Clinton senator, who The Hill said requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions. “Nobody is rushing to keep her”. Sanders has responded by endorsing Wasserman Schultz’s opponent in the primary for her House seat, and said he would not want her as chairwoman if he were president.

Sanders said he had a “shot” at winning the California primary against Clinton and said, given his delegate deficit, it was “imperative” that he perform well.

Sanders has been complaining about Schultz since the beginning of the campaign, especially the debate schedule the DNC published. “The biggest one of all”, Sanders says in the 30-second ad released Tuesday.

“There is a lot of sentiment that replacing her would be a good idea”.

Weaver isn’t alone. Several online petitions have been launched to remove Wasserman Schultz.

Meyerson is optimistic, however, that so-called “Bernie or Bust” folks will eventually come to see that they have far more to gain from Hillary in the White House than they do if Trump wins this November.

However, The Hill reported that other senior Democratic senators went on the record to express their support for Wasserman Schultz, with Florida Sen.