Review of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall by William L. Riordon
By: Robert Watts
AP United States Government and Politics
Section 2
Professor Stephanie Guido
December 7, 2017
William L. Riordan, a political reporter for the New York Evening Post, wrote Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, a book containing the speeches made by George Washington Plunkitt. Plunkitt was born in what would later become Central Park in New York City, New York, on November 17, 1842. Plunkitt was born to Irish immigrant parents on the outskirts of the city, a background he used to his advantage in his political career; as a young teenager, Plunkitt worked as a cart driver and butcher’s apprentice, but he also began his foray into politics by hanging around …show more content…
Plunkitt begins his exposition with “Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft. (13)” He attempts to explain his rather unique moral code concerning how a politician is allowed to profit: as long as the action profits both the office holder and the constituents he represents, it is defined as honest graft and is morally acceptable (14). Plunkitt further expands on this notion in “Concerning Gas in Politics” as he explains one of his main reasons for wanting to remove the gas companies was to improve the value of the land surrounding them, which he had purchased (70). He goes so far as to state, “If we [statesmen] bring about some big improvement that benefits the city and it just happens, as a sort of coincidence, that we make a few dollars out of the improvement, they say we are grafters (71).” Plunkitt defines dishonest graft more fully in “On the Shame of the Cities:” dishonest graft occurs when a politician “buck[s] up against the penal code (41).” Plunkitt explains that is stupid and unnecessary to break the law because there are enough chances to get graft without getting law enforcement involved (16, 40). As long as a politician isn’t a “looter (39)” who hogs all the monetary gains for himself and recognizes that there …show more content…
Even though he has never studied philosophy or psychology, he seems to have an innate understanding of how to get other people to follow him. Plunkitt reminds one of the Lone Nut Video in which one man incites a crowd to dance with him. This video, which is used in academia and business training, notes how the Lone Nut starts with just one follower - the very strategy Plunkitt recommends. In the Lone Nut, it is noted how a follower must be made to feel special - again, mimicking Plunkitt’s instructions to use what people believe is unique about themselves to lure them into the sphere of influence (35). Plunkitt also espouses the idea that a politician should never engage in fancy oration (18), not to act as though you are superior to your followers (59), and to “be simple (59).” The Lone Nut video emphasizes that a leader must be easy to follow, just as Plunkitt indicates. The Lone Nut’s actions must be public in order to succeed, following Plunkitt’s entire discourse concerning the public celebrations given by Tammany Hall in “Tammany’s Patriotism (77-79).” Plunkitt, an uneducated man back in 1905, intuitively describes the strategy heralded by modern day psychologists and business
By: Robert Watts
AP United States Government and Politics
Section 2
Professor Stephanie Guido
December 7, 2017
William L. Riordan, a political reporter for the New York Evening Post, wrote Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, a book containing the speeches made by George Washington Plunkitt. Plunkitt was born in what would later become Central Park in New York City, New York, on November 17, 1842. Plunkitt was born to Irish immigrant parents on the outskirts of the city, a background he used to his advantage in his political career; as a young teenager, Plunkitt worked as a cart driver and butcher’s apprentice, but he also began his foray into politics by hanging around …show more content…
Plunkitt begins his exposition with “Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft. (13)” He attempts to explain his rather unique moral code concerning how a politician is allowed to profit: as long as the action profits both the office holder and the constituents he represents, it is defined as honest graft and is morally acceptable (14). Plunkitt further expands on this notion in “Concerning Gas in Politics” as he explains one of his main reasons for wanting to remove the gas companies was to improve the value of the land surrounding them, which he had purchased (70). He goes so far as to state, “If we [statesmen] bring about some big improvement that benefits the city and it just happens, as a sort of coincidence, that we make a few dollars out of the improvement, they say we are grafters (71).” Plunkitt defines dishonest graft more fully in “On the Shame of the Cities:” dishonest graft occurs when a politician “buck[s] up against the penal code (41).” Plunkitt explains that is stupid and unnecessary to break the law because there are enough chances to get graft without getting law enforcement involved (16, 40). As long as a politician isn’t a “looter (39)” who hogs all the monetary gains for himself and recognizes that there …show more content…
Even though he has never studied philosophy or psychology, he seems to have an innate understanding of how to get other people to follow him. Plunkitt reminds one of the Lone Nut Video in which one man incites a crowd to dance with him. This video, which is used in academia and business training, notes how the Lone Nut starts with just one follower - the very strategy Plunkitt recommends. In the Lone Nut, it is noted how a follower must be made to feel special - again, mimicking Plunkitt’s instructions to use what people believe is unique about themselves to lure them into the sphere of influence (35). Plunkitt also espouses the idea that a politician should never engage in fancy oration (18), not to act as though you are superior to your followers (59), and to “be simple (59).” The Lone Nut video emphasizes that a leader must be easy to follow, just as Plunkitt indicates. The Lone Nut’s actions must be public in order to succeed, following Plunkitt’s entire discourse concerning the public celebrations given by Tammany Hall in “Tammany’s Patriotism (77-79).” Plunkitt, an uneducated man back in 1905, intuitively describes the strategy heralded by modern day psychologists and business