Charles T. Manatt, former chairman of Democratic National Committee, dies at 75

[Dennis Donovan]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/charles-manatt-former-chairman-of-democratic-national-committee-dies-at-75/2010/12/14/gIQAnEXoUI_story.html?hpid=z4&wpisrc=al_politics

By T. Rees Shapiro, Saturday, July 23, 2:15 AM

Charles T. Manatt, 75, a California lawyer and banker who energetically guided the debt-laden Democratic National Committee to financial prosperity in the early 1980s but wasn’t able to translate that growth into a presidential victory , died July 22 at Kindred Hospital in Richmond.

His daughter, Michele Manatt, said he had complications from a stroke suffered in Novemeber 2010.

Mr. Manatt, a Washington resident, climbed through the ranks of the Democratic National Committee and forged relationships with several generations of the party’s most influential leaders. While still in law school, he served as executive secretary of the Young Democrats, corralling votes for presidential nominee John F. Kennedy.

<snip>

In political circles, Mr. Manatt was best remembered for his stewardship of the Democratic National Committee from 1981 to 1985.

In the aftermath of the 1980 elections, when Ronald Reagan was overwhelmingly elected to the White House and Republicans swept control of the Senate, few Democrats sought the party chairmanship.

Mr. Manatt, who had been DNC finance chairman, openly campaigned for the position — regarded as an inglorious command that few candidates would seek.

<snip>

Under Mr. Manatt’s guidance, the party’s direct-mail contributor list grew from 25,000 to more than 400,000. He helped raise more than $6 million to build a permanent Capitol Hill Democratic headquarters, complete with state-of-the-art computers, and cleared the party’s debt.

As chairman, Mr. Manatt helped shape the Democrats’ strategy to retake the White House in 1984. He called on Democrats to portray themselves as “ordinary working people” in contrast with Reagan supporters “who dress their wives in minks and $10,000 dresses cutting programs for the aged and the children.”

[myrna minx]

1. Rest in peace. K&R n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R for a trailblazer...

We need more like him today. :patriot:

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Pictured in 1984:

With Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., and Mass. Gov. Michael Dukakis before a meeting of the 1984 Democratic Platform Committee in Washington. The longtime California Democrat is credited with modernizing the party through computerization. :patriot:

[AlabamaLibrul]

4. "supporters “who dress their wives in minks and $10,000 dresses cutting programs for the aged and

the children."

RIP to a true Democrat.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. kick for recs

A good Dem like CTM deserves a few more recs.:hi:

[Octafish]

6. We need more like Mr. Manatt.

Hundreds of millions more...

[Dennis Donovan]

7. You know it, my friend!

:hi: The rise of the DLC made sure that people of Mr Manatt's (and Howard dean's) ilk will not hold the DLC chairmanship for long. :(

[Octafish]

8. Love of money is why people become Repukes, for Moon's sake.

They feel "entitled" to it -- even when they have to steal it to get it. WTF they're doing masquerading as Democrats has become all too clear.