Customer Reviews

Don't Make No Waves...Don't Back No Losers: An Insiders' Analysis of the Daley Machine (Midland Books: No. 202)

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An excellent analysis of Chicago politics and government under Richard J. Daley Sr. Describes the underpinnings of "machine" government from the perspective of classic political theory, emphasizing the strengths of its democratic process while acknowledging the negative impact on those who were disenfranchised under Daley's system (principally African-Americans and "reformers".) Best read with Mike Royko's "Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago," for two well-written and well-reasearched contrasting views. (Also check out Robert Caro's "The Power Broker," about New York's Robert Moses -- probably the best book available on machine-style politics).

Political scientist Milton Rakove (1918-1983) from the University of Chicago offers insights into the long reign (1955-1976) of Mayor Richard J. Daley (1902-1976) and the political organization (or machine) that Daley ruled but did not create. This book captures some of the cold-hearted, hard-muscled essence of Chicago ward politics. It also shows the winners and losers in that system, and gives a feel of why certain interests (blacks, reformers) felt left-out. This informative book's slightly stiff academic style may lead some readers to prefer journalistic examinations by Mike Royko (BOSS) and Len O'Connor (CLOUT, REQUIM).

This book was written in 1972 or 1973, when the still-powerful machine was early in its decline. At this writing the machine is far weaker and altered, yet still exists with some potency. Also, from 1979-1989 Chicago had a female and two Black mayors, and since 1989 Daley's son has reigned with support from many (but not all) reformers that once opposed his father.

Business as usual, the Chicago political way. Books likes this should be mandatory reading for anyone who supports or is complacent about the culture of corruption. Another one is "One Hundred Percent Guilty, How and Insider Links the Death of Six Children to the Politics of Illinois Convicted Governor George Ryan" also available on amazon.

Rakove's study of the late 1960's early 1970's Chicago machine is biased due to the fact that he studied the Mafia-controlled 25th ward, thus studying a ward that had a much higher local authority than most wards.

Recently I read a number of Daley books, and this is one of the first and probably the best researched. After you read this book, and others, you realize that this book is the source of much of the info used in the other books. The author is a true academic scholar and did a huge amount of research. So the details he found are borrowed by everyone else, sometimes many sentences at a time. But the other books are worth reading. Clout is a good one, as well as the Royko books, since those authors worked as journalists in the city during the Daley years. Daley was the quintessential corrupt big machine Mayor, and this book outlines how he did it. The remarkable thing about the Daley corruption is that he never wanted to be bigger than a Mayor. he never bought a huge mansion in France, never traveled a lot, did not steal tens of millions of dollars, as many politicians do. What he did do was worse. He used his influence, obtained by supporting Kennedy and Johnson, to help create big Federal programs that brought dollars to the city. Every city does this now. Now, decades later, cities are still leaning on the Federal govt to help them pay their bills. The parking meter deal was just the most recent one. A lot of the problems of deficit spending the country has today were caused by Daley's tactics: indeed he created them. Daley gave out jobs and in return for votes promised huge pensions and benefit packages. Today all the big cities and states (virtually all of which are run by Democrats) are now suffering huge deficits. Daley used Fed dollars to save his city for 20 yrs, but today all those promises are due, and no one can afford it. So understanding Daley is an important clue to the tactics used to create our federal deficit problems today. He created the spending infrastructure that is now leading to deficits in all cities and states. Other big city politicians also brought in Federal dollars: in 1980 half of the people of Boston got some kind of Federal check every month, and half of the per capita income of Boston came from the federal govt., a practice that is now coming due,, and is unsustainable. Obama's phony "stimulus" program was just used to bail out Chicago, Illinois, and other Democrat run cities and states, who now are running deficits. But the practice must stop, before it ruins the country. It won't be stopped by Dems like Daley.