PanDEMonium: Simon Carswell’s Democratic convention diary

Larry Sanders steals the show with vote for brother Bernie as celebs bash the Donald


There were tears around the convention arena on Tuesday night when Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee of a major party, but the most moving display happened in her rival's camp.

An emotional Larry Sanders cast the votes of Democrats Abroad (including Americans in Ireland) for his kid brother Bernie during the roll-call vote. An elected Green Party official living in Oxfordshire, England, the elder Sanders invoked the memory of their parents, Eli and Dorothy.

"They did not have easy lives and they died young," he said, through tears. "They loved the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt and would be especially proud that Bernard is renewing that vision. It is with enormous pride that I cast my vote for Bernie Sanders. "

Across the arena, Bernie’s eyes welled up as his wife Jane wept next to him. A special moment.

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Celebrity Deathmatch

Some of the hardest put-downs of Donald Trump have come from celebrities this week. Actor Eva Longoria blasted him on Monday over his plan to build a wall at the Mexican border: "I'm from a small town in south Texas and if you know your history, Texas used to be part of Mexico. Now, I'm ninth-generation American. My family never crossed a border, the border crossed us."

"Hi, I'm Lena Dunham and according to Donald Trump, my body is probably a two," said the star of TV show Girls on Tuesday night. "According to Donald Trump, I'm probably a rapist," said actor America Ferrera in response, referring to his controversial remarks during the campaign.

“You’re not Mexican,” replied Dunham.

"And President Obama isn't Kenyan, but that hasn't stopped Donald," Ferrara answered.

Number of the day

235: Number of days (as of Tuesday) since Hillary Clinton last held a press conference. "I just work here," said her campaign manager Robby Mook after being asked when she would be holding the next one.

Quote of the day

"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing" Republican presidential Donald Trump managing to steal headlines during the Democrats' big week when he asked a foreign power to hack a former secretary of state's correspondence

Hillary’s TPP position prompts a poem

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, a long-time Clintonista, caused alarm in Camp Clinton when he said he believed Clinton would reverse course if elected president and support the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement with 11 Pacific rim countries – so hated by Bernie Sanders and his supporters – with tweaks. His claim fed suspicions among Sanders supporters that Clinton cannot be trusted.

McAuliffe later backtracked followed by a cacophony of Clinton denials.

"She is against TPP now . . . she is against it with a fox, on a box, with a mouse, in a house," Clinton's economic adviser Gene Sperling said at a convention breakfast on Wednesday, channeling Dr Seuss.