Dems Lack $10M in Convention Funding

Have you got an extra $10 million lying around that you'd like to spend on the Democratic National Convention? Neither does anybody else at the moment, which means the convention is facing a major funding gap, according Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee chief Ed Rendell. The former Pennsylvania governor says the July convention hasn't received any money from the city of Philadelphia or the federal government, the Hill reports. He tells BuzzFeed—where sources estimate the shortfall is closer to $16 million—that the rise of Donald Trump is another reason for the lack of funds, because companies that usually donate to both conventions are shunning the GOP convention because of Trump, and they don't want to appear biased by only donating to the DNC.

"We’ve had three blows," Rendell quips. "The fed, the city, and the Trumpster." He says it's a "heavy lift," but he is confident that all $64 million needed to hold the convention will be raised by the end of July. Rendell, a Clinton loyalist, says he worries that Sanders delegates could cause problems inside the convention. Clinton delegates have a "stake in the party," he says, but "95% of the Bernie delegates don’t give a shit about the Democratic Party or somebody other than Bernie winning the presidency. They could be disruptive in the convention hall—that would be a terrible outcome." (Some Democrats want to get rid of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whom they consider too "toxic" to unify the party.)