Bernie Speaks After The Democratic Roll Call

At the end of the roll call vote that would ultimately declare Hillary Clinton the official nominee of the Democratic party, Bernie Sanders stood with the Vermont delegation and spoke. And what he said was truly, as the speaker said, in the spirit of unity. He said, "Madam Chair, I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules. I move that all votes, all votes cast by delegates be reflected in the official record, and I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States."

It was a big move on Sen. Sanders part, though it fits directly in the messages he's been giving for the past few weeks: one of unity, but also one of stopping Donald Trump. His DNC speech Monday night thanked his loyal supporters, but it also pushed forward support for Clinton. Paragraph by paragraph, he listed what Trump wants to do along with what Clinton wants to do, and highlighted that danger that a Trump presidency could pose for the United States. And perhaps, most notably, he said something that seemed directly pointed to his supporters who claim to be "Bernie Or Bust."

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.

Ever since he realized the nomination was unlikely for him — despite trying every avenue, including trying to woo superdelegates to his side — Sanders has been speaking in support for Clinton. In mid-July, when he endorsed her, Sanders said, "I have come here today not to talk about the past, but to focus on the future. That future will be shaped more by what happens on Nov. 8 in voting booths across our nation than by any other event in the world. I have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president."

And while he was clearly devastated at losing the nomination — as strikingly evidenced by the tears shed while his brother cast his vote in an emotional moment — Sanders took the high road and called for the rules to be suspended. It was a classy move by a candidate who boasted a classy candidacy, whose presence in this race only served to move it forward.