Conservative Babylon

Claims to fame: Multimillionaire developer/owner of hotels and other income properties in and around San Diego, California, including the Manchester Hyatt, the Grand Del Mar Resort, the Torrey Executive Center, and the Manchester Financial Building, as well as the Whitetail Club and Resort in McCall, Idaho; Republican; devout Catholic; anti-labor, union busting slavedriver; anti-gay bigot; divorcé; supreme hypocrite

Moral apex #1: Donated $125,000 to help gather signatures to put Proposition 8 (the 2008 California initiative that stripped gay and lesbian couples of the right to marry) on the ballot, while defending himself by citing his “strong Catholic faith” and spouting such typically empty platitudes as “I personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” and meaningless non sequiturs as “This really is a free-speech, First Amendment issue.”

Backlash: Boycotted by LGBTs, union workers, the San Diego County Retirement Board, the Association of American Law Schools; the American Association of Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America); some 300 members of the National Communication Association; et al.

Has the boycott worked? Yep — although early on, Manchester wouldn’t admit (or didn’t realize) the impact of a boycott. At first he was merely “saddened by all the divisive nature of the movement” (a “divisive nature” he fomented). But secretly he was “troubled,” as revealed in late August, 2008, by an email from the Manchester Financial Group’s CFO to Manchester:

Officials at the Manchester Financial Group have argued for weeks that a boycott by gay rights and union groups hasn’t hurt business at its two San Diego hotels, the Manchester Grand Hyatt and The Grand Del Mar.

But a top company official, in an e-mail obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune, painted a different picture, saying the boycott could have dire consequences for hotel owner Doug Manchester that could cost him millions of dollars in lost business.

In a July 29 e-mail to Manchester, Paul Wilkins, chief financial officer for the group, said he believed “this boycott effort will cost you millions of dollars of lost revenue and possibly tens of millions of dollars in lost value for both the Manchester Grand Hyatt and The Grand Del Mar.”

Wilkins, who did not return several phone calls seeking comment, also warned about the dangers of alienating the gay community, which he called a “large and very affluent market segment.”

Further, he said The Grand Del Mar “is still struggling financially” 10 months after opening and the “absolute last thing The Grand needs right now is a boycott.”

Of course, Manchester (who was “angered” by Wilkins’ email, and replied that he considered the email “a personal attack on myself and my family”) continued to deny that anything was wrong, and “said he was rejecting Wilkins’ recommendations in the e-mail that Manchester try to defuse the controversy by asking for his $125,000 donation to be returned or by making an offsetting donation to the campaign against Proposition 8.”

“Manchester tried to downplay the cancellation [of the American Association of Law Schools meeting],” wrote Robert DeKoven in September, 2008, “noting that support from Proposition 8 advocates could compensate for it. But it will no doubt hurt when the AALS cancels future events at the hotel, which will deplete not just Manchester’s profits but also those who have invested in the hotel, its franchisor and its parent corporation.”

In less than a year, “Manchester himself … conceded that [the boycott] had cost the Grand Hyatt $7 million.”

In July, 2009, the boycott entered its second year.

Moral apex #2: Tried to buy off gay and lesbian groups and “derail that pesky boycott targeting his three hotels,” as Michael Stetz put it, with an offer to donate $25,000 to an unnamed “national organization that promotes civil unions and domestic partnerships” (but not, of course, marriage equality), as well as “$100,000 in hotel credit to local gay and lesbian organizations so they can use the Grand Hyatt for events such as fundraisers.”

Moral apex #3: In October, 2008, this devout Catholic and staunch “protector” of “traditional marriage” dumped his wife of 43 years.

Or rather, as Eric Wolff writes in San Diego CityBeat:

On Oct. 9, 2008, Manchester ended 43 years, eight months and nine days of marriage to Elizabeth Manchester by moving out of their La Jolla abode. The couple spent the next several months trying to reach a quiet settlement on how best to distribute millions of dollars in cash and other assets. In July, those talks totally broke down, and Doug started playing financial hardball with Elizabeth, allegedly draining the couple’s shared accounts and stealing her mail. On Aug. 6, Elizabeth filed a petition for redress in family court.

Since then, Manchester, who “pushed very hard for a speedy divorce agreement after he moved out” but became “impatient” when the little missus insisted on a full accounting of his vast holdings, has pulled some very dirty tricks on his soon-to-be ex-wife (detailed in Wolff’s article).

What’s next: The dueling Manchesters are slated to appear in court September 17, 2009.

Anything else? Only that Mrs. Manchester donated $1,000 to Prop H8, too. Oh, and Mr. Manchester insists on being called the icky nickname “Papa.” Why, we don’t know (and we’re pretty sure we don’t want to know).

Memorable quote:

Manchester said his hotels and restaurants welcome gays and lesbians as employees and as customers. “I don’t want to offend anybody,” he said.

— Developer is foe of same-sex marriage
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 15, 2008

Memorable observations:

Messrs. Manchester and Bragman are attempting to buy their way out of the boycott and divide the LGBT community, and that will not work. Their proposal is a real slap in the face to the gay community and to all fair minded people who believe in equality and support full civil rights for all gays and lesbians. Their feeble attempt to give free hotel rooms and services to try and lure people back to the Manchester Grand Hyatt and make them cross the union picket line is a dumb idea that will fail.

— Fred Karger
Manchester’s Not So Surprise Attack -
Divide and Conquer
Californians Against Hate, May 8, 2009

Indeed, the Catholic Church has vehemently opposed gay marriage. Then again, it’s also not too keen on divorce.

— Eric Wolff
Ironic divorce
San Diego CityBeat, August 11, 2009

Suggested Bible readings for Mr. Manchester:

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

— Matthew 19:21, 23-24

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

— Romans 2:1

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