Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics - Softcover

Plunkitt, George Washington

Softcover

ISBN 10: 149488500X ISBN 13: 9781494885007

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

Behind-the-scenes political savvy from the smoke-filled rooms of old New York.

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is not your average political history. This short, punchy classic delivers a brutally honest—and often hilarious—look at machine politics from the inside, straight from the mouth of George Washington Plunkitt himself, a longtime member of New York’s infamous Tammany Hall. With blunt “very plain talks,” Plunkitt lays out how power is gained, favors are exchanged, and political loyalty is rewarded in America’s urban political machines.

Plunkitt’s unapologetic defense of what he calls "honest graft"—making money while helping one’s constituents—is a fascinating study in political realism. Far from dry theory, this is politics with its sleeves rolled up and hands dirty. Students of political science, historians, and anyone curious about the gritty reality of early 20th-century American democracy will find this book both eye-opening and entertaining.

"I seen my opportunities and I took 'em." — Plunkitt

Perfect for readers of American history, political realism, or those who simply want to understand how influence really worked behind the scenes, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is as insightful today as it was over a century ago.

About this title

About the Author

George Washington Plunkitt (1842-1924) was a long-time State Senator from the U. S. state of New York, representing the Fifteenth Assembly District, who was especially powerful in New York City. He was part of what is known as New York's Tammany Hall machine. He was a cynically honest practitioner of what today is generally known as "machine politics," patronage-based and frank in its exercise of power for personal gain. In one of his speeches, quoted in Plunkitt of Tammany Hall (1905), he describes the difference between dishonest and honest graft as working solely for one's own interests and working for the interests of one's party, state, and personal interest whenever they can. Plunkitt was also a big party man, believing in appointments, patronage, spoils, and all of the corrupt practices that were curtailed by the civil service law. He saw such practices as both the rewards and cause of patriotism. He hated the civil service system that he believed would be the downfall of the entire United States governmental system.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 149488500X
• ISBN 13: 9781494885007
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 80