In May, the National Park Service deemed Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta a place worth preserving, listing the famous political hangout on its National Register of Historic Places. Now it's in danger of closing, another victim of the coronavirus pandemic, although the bar's supporters launched a $75,000 fundraising campaign last evening with hopes of saving it. The tavern, long known as President Carter's favorite bar, has been a Democratic hangout and a must-stop for party bigwigs for decades. Carter launched his first Georgia gubernatorial campaign at the tavern in 1970. He and his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, were regular patrons, with the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum only blocks away. Bill Clinton dropped by to mingle with guests when he was campaigning for the White House in 1992, along with his wife, future Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton. So did Clinton's running mate, then-Tennessee Sen. and future Vice President Al Gore. And in 2015, President Obama dropped by for a game of darts.
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