The chairman of the DNC’s Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee is blaming Donald Trump for insufficient funds to pay for the 2016 Democratic Party convention.
From The Hill: “The Democratic Party is millions of dollars short of the money it needs to host the Democratic National Convention in July, a key Democrat told Buzzfeed on Friday. Ed Rendell, a former Pennsylvania governor and chairman of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the DNC, told Buzzfeed the party is $9.5 million short of its $64 million goal. . . Rendell cited not receiving money from the city of Philadelphia or the federal government as reasons for the gap. . . Rendell also blamed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom he said has made companies wary of donating to the Republican National Committee. Companies that donate to the conventions often give to both the Republicans and Democrats to keep from being seen as biased.”
Buzzfeed quotes Rendell as saying, “So we’ve had three blows, the fed, the city, and the Trumpster.”
Is Donald Trump really preventing the GOP and the Democratic Party from raising enough cash to pay for their conventions?
David Gilbert, president of the Cleveland host committee, said, “I wouldn’t say there’s been no effect, but overall it’s been pretty small.” In fact, the host committee so far has raised $56 million, so a couple of $100,000 checks are not a crisis. “We have actually already raised more money than any other political convention in history,” Gilbert said.
From OpenSecrets: “Each party is now allowed to set up a special convention account and collect donations of up to three times the usual limit for gifts to a national party — meaning as much as $100,200 in 2015 and another $100,200 in 2016. PACs can contribute up to $45,000 per year. As is often the case when it comes to fundraising, Republicans have been more successful at bringing home money for their convention. Through March, the Republican National Committee raised $11.8 million through 318 of these “bonus” contributions. . . For its part, the Democratic National Committee has reported raising only $3.5 million in these special donations.”
From the Los Angeles Times:
Ron Kaufman, a member of the Republican National Committee and a Romney adviser, said he hasn’t seen any drop-off in party fundraising yet. He said the focus on big donors obscures another point: Trump has a huge base of support that could potentially be used to raise money. “If we can tap into that with a good direct mail program, who knows how much money we’d be able to raise?” he said.
Blaming Donald Trump for the Democratic Party’s money woes is foolish. The GOP isn’t suffering financially because of him. Instead of blaming Trump, Ed Rendell should be blaming the Democratic Party’s inability to attract enough individual donors capable of donating the legal maximum amount.
The above-quoted article from The Hill states, “In 2012, the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., fell about $25 million short, which the DNC had to make up.”
Which Republican will Ed Rendell be blaming for the Democratic Party’s financial shortfall in 2012? Donald Trump wasn’t a candidate back then.
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