Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics
William L. Riordan
 
“Nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft.”
 
This classic work offers the unblushing, unvarnished wit and wisdom of one of the most fascinating figures ever to play the American political game and win. George Washington Plunkitt rose from impoverished beginnings to become ward boss of the Fifteenth Assembly District in New York, a key player in the powerhouse political team of Tammany Hall, and, not incidentally, a millionaire. In a series of utterly frank talks given at his headquarters (Graziano’s bootblack stand outside the New York County Court House), he revealed to a sharp-eared and sympathetic reporter named William L. Riordan the secrets of political success as practiced and perfected by him and fellow Tammany Hall titans. The result is not only a volume that reveals more about our political system than does a shelfful of civics textbooks, but also an irresistible portrait of a man who would feel happily at home playing ball with today’s lobbyists and king makers, trading votes for political and financial favors.
 
Doing for twentieth-century America what Machiavelli did for Renaissance Italy, and as entertaining as it is instructive, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is essential reading for those who prefer twenty-twenty vision to rose-colored glasses in viewing how our government works and why.
 
With an Introduction by Peter Quinn
and a New Afterword
1102157319
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics
William L. Riordan
 
“Nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft.”
 
This classic work offers the unblushing, unvarnished wit and wisdom of one of the most fascinating figures ever to play the American political game and win. George Washington Plunkitt rose from impoverished beginnings to become ward boss of the Fifteenth Assembly District in New York, a key player in the powerhouse political team of Tammany Hall, and, not incidentally, a millionaire. In a series of utterly frank talks given at his headquarters (Graziano’s bootblack stand outside the New York County Court House), he revealed to a sharp-eared and sympathetic reporter named William L. Riordan the secrets of political success as practiced and perfected by him and fellow Tammany Hall titans. The result is not only a volume that reveals more about our political system than does a shelfful of civics textbooks, but also an irresistible portrait of a man who would feel happily at home playing ball with today’s lobbyists and king makers, trading votes for political and financial favors.
 
Doing for twentieth-century America what Machiavelli did for Renaissance Italy, and as entertaining as it is instructive, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is essential reading for those who prefer twenty-twenty vision to rose-colored glasses in viewing how our government works and why.
 
With an Introduction by Peter Quinn
and a New Afterword
1.99 In Stock
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall: A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics

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

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

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

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Overview

Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics
William L. Riordan
 
“Nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft.”
 
This classic work offers the unblushing, unvarnished wit and wisdom of one of the most fascinating figures ever to play the American political game and win. George Washington Plunkitt rose from impoverished beginnings to become ward boss of the Fifteenth Assembly District in New York, a key player in the powerhouse political team of Tammany Hall, and, not incidentally, a millionaire. In a series of utterly frank talks given at his headquarters (Graziano’s bootblack stand outside the New York County Court House), he revealed to a sharp-eared and sympathetic reporter named William L. Riordan the secrets of political success as practiced and perfected by him and fellow Tammany Hall titans. The result is not only a volume that reveals more about our political system than does a shelfful of civics textbooks, but also an irresistible portrait of a man who would feel happily at home playing ball with today’s lobbyists and king makers, trading votes for political and financial favors.
 
Doing for twentieth-century America what Machiavelli did for Renaissance Italy, and as entertaining as it is instructive, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall is essential reading for those who prefer twenty-twenty vision to rose-colored glasses in viewing how our government works and why.
 
With an Introduction by Peter Quinn
and a New Afterword

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781101099926
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 11/01/1995
Sold by: Penguin Group
Format: eBook
Pages: 128
Sales rank: 789,927
File size: 567 KB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Peter Quinn is the author of the novel Banished Children of Eve (winner of an American Book Award) and previously served as speechwriter for New York governors Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo. A third-generation New Yorker whose granparents were born in Ireland, he is currently Editorial Director for Time Warner and lives in Hastings, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction by Peter Quinn

Preface by William L. Riordon

A Tribute by Charles F. Murphy

Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft

How to Become a Statesman

The Curse of Civil Service Reform

Reformers Only Mornin' Glories

New York City Is Pie for the Hayseeds

To Hold Your District: Study Human Nature and Act Accordin'

On The Shame of the Cities

Ingratitude in Politics

Reciprocity in Patronage

Brooklynites Natural-Born Hayseeds

Tammany Leaders Not Bookworms

Dangers of the Dress Suit in Politics

On Municipal Ownership

Tammany the Only Lastin' Democracy

Concerning Gas in Politics

Plunkitt's Fondest Dream

Tammany's Patriotism

On the Use of Money in Politics

The Successful Politician Does Not Drink

Bosses Preserve the Nation

Concerning Excise

A Parting Word on the Future of the Democratic Party in America

Strenuous Life of the Tammany District Leader

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