A half-century ago, as the Democratic machine, its best days behind it, was being successfully challenged by reformers, Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote an eloquent essay entitled “When the Irish Ran New York.” It’s particularly appropriate to recall Mr. Moynihan’s nostalgic musings not merely because of St. Patrick’s Day, but because nowadays it appears as if no one is running New York.
Clubhouse politics has been much maligned since the reform movement emerged in the 1950s, but at least party regulars could claim credit for an organization that, while skimming its share of graft, also rammed through landmark legislation when the public and political interest coincided and produced some great statesmen (in part by vetting candidates to avoid embarrassing personal revelations that might jeopardize the party’s larger mission of self-perpetuation).
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Free Ticket Classifieds Referral
