If it’s unclear to you what the Democratic and Republican National Committees do, this post at RealClearPolitics might serve as a good primer:
I worked as a DNC press secretary for five years, from 1983-87. Both chairmen I served fit the historical model of the chairmanship. Charles T. Manatt was chair of the California Democratic Party and Paul G. Kirk Jr. was a former top political aide to Sen. Edward Kennedy. Both stayed neutral in the presidential nominating processes they oversaw, and both worked to strengthen state party committees, to grow the grassroots and help fund get-out-the-vote functions of state and local organizations.
Manatt and Kirk were leaders of the DNC when Republicans held the White House. Both understood they didn’t get to set public policy for the party. But they embraced the modern role of national chairman, communicating policy consensus that develops from the Democrats’ congressional and gubernatorial wings, as well as from grassroots interests.
Both had to focus on raising money to strengthen state party organizations–the “party building†that helps candidates at all levels running under the Democratic label.
They also shape the future direction of their parties by enlisting candidates and channeling money to campaigns. The national committees are highly relevant if not instrumental to the direction of the parties. I thought that much was obvious.
