Democratic Convention Plagued

The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., is shaping up to be a rickety display of party unity, with labor boycotts, fundraising shortfalls, scheduling changes, official snubs, a major gay-rights embarrassment, a sex scandal and a Republican resurgence in the host state.

The latest setback for President Obama’s renominating party is the cancellation of the convention’s kickoff event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Labor Day, as organizers contend with a fundraising deficit reported to be $27 million.

“To be sure, the optics are bad when these sorts of negative stories dominate the news coverage of the lead-up to the convention,” said John Dinan, professor of political science at Wake Forest University.

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