Why the TPP deal is prompting some Bernie Sanders supporters to be 'ridiculous'

"That's why I joined the Bernie Sanders campaign because he's the only candidate that's been againstthe TPP from the very beginning. Hillary Clinton said it was the gold standard of trade agreements andshopped it around the world. So that's why I'm fighting it."

And that is the reasonWhiteand some other Bernie Sanders supportershaverefused to heed thewords of the Vermont senatorand in the spirit of unityrally behind Clinton, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

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"It's a deal breaker, absolutely," White said Tuesdayat the convention in Philadelphia."Everythingwe fought for in the Democraticplatform is pretty much null and void if the TPP is enacted. It's a disastrous trade agreement. It'sNAFTAon steroids."

Many of the disgruntled Sanderssupporters say their opposition to theTPP deal has become a point of unificationand has emerged asone of the significant reasons whythey refuse to automatically throw their support behindClinton.

'I'm never Hillary'

"I'm never Hillary," said Greg Phillips, an Indiana delegate, wearing a blue T-shirtwith the logo "Ask me about Bernie" on the back,"I believe that she will say anything just to do what she wants. The biggest reason I can't vote for her is the TPP, she's going to pass that.

"So that's a huge part of why I can't even consider her as a candidate. So she's out."

Sanderssupporters believe theTPP, a 12-country multilateral trade agreement that has yet to be ratified,will lead to a loss of jobs, more outsourcing, drive down wages andthreaten environmental protections.

Critics of Clinton haveaccused her offlip-flopping on the deal, initially supporting it but then opposing it just to curry favour with the political left of her party.

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Earlier this month,Sanderswas able to secure certain concessions from the party in the creation of itsplatform, a document he hailed as "the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party."

But hefailedto strike a dealthat would see the partyexplicitlyoppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

"It's one of the biggest issues and oneof the biggest reasons why nobody here is Hillary supporters,"Ernest Rondo said at a rally in support ofSanders earlier this week.

"None of us trust anything she says. That's the biggestthing. In fact, we believe the opposite thing will happen of what she says."

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That impression wasn't helped by Clinton'sfriend, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who said on Tuesday thatthe nominee will ultimately support the agreement if shebecomespresident.

The Clinton campaign immediately rejectedMcAuliffe'scomments but hiswords can onlyset back efforts bythe Democratic National Committeeto heal the party, rockedby theWikiLeaks release of thousands of embarrassing emailsof senior party officials.

Those emailsrevealed that key party membersfavoured Clinton over Sanders as the presidential nominee and appeared to consider ways to discredit the Vermont senator during the primaries.

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This has led to a concerted effort at the convention to placate outraged Sanders supporters, starting withtheresignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.And on Tuesday, during the nominationroll call, it was Sanderswho was given the final wordsand whoasked that all the delegates be allocated to Clinton.

But none of that has made any difference to some of his die-hard supporters, despite pleas from many Sanders backers who argue thatrefusing to vote for Clinton just helpsRepublican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Thisis whycomedian Sarah Silverman, during her prime-time appearance at the convention, told theSandersholdouts the "Bernie or bust" crowd they were "being ridiculous."

Not about one individual

"This movement from Day 1 has always been about all of us, it has never been about one individual," said Utah delegateDavid Berg, who also firmly opposesthe TPP trade deal.

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"Yes, we have been inspired, yes, we've been led by Bernie Sanders, yes, we love Bernie Sanders but wewon't follow anyone blindly, including Bernie Sanders."

He said some of the delegates have been fighting to have a specific statement against the TPP included in the party platform.

"The TPP undermines democracy, it undermines workers, it undermines the environment," he said."It's a bad deal allaround and it needs to be stopped."

Asfor reaction to Silverman'schastising:"There is no question, SarahSilvermanis ridiculous," he said.

Zachary Edwards, from Louisiana agreed, saying it was"totally uncouth and out of order" for Silverman todenigrate the feelings of people who are"emotionally exhausted and expressingtheir outrage and anger over a rigged process."

"If we are going to differentiate ourselves from the Republicans and show the country that weare the better choice, if we're going to talk the talk, we have got to walk the walk."

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And part of that is opposing TPP, which Edwardssees as a monumental issue.

"It's not necessarilya thing I see people keeping them from voting from her, it's the lack of transparency when it comes tothe issue itself,"he said. "There are 10,000 things I take into account when I decide who I am voting for,that's one of them."

But will he decide, in the end, to vote for Clinton come November?

"I have no comment," he said.