Plunkitt essay free essay sample

In the book of Plunkitt of Tammany Hall written by William L. Riordon, George Washington Plunkitt came from poor beginnings and made his way up to become a head leader of the Fifteenth Assembly District in New York, a main leader in the political team of Tammany Hall, and a millionaire. George Washington Plunkitt was brought up in Tammany Hall, he learned how to reach out to the voters and it wasn’t how every other politician reaches out to voters by stating the facts, Plunkitt reached in a way that touched the hearts of the voters. He believed that arguments and campaign literature never gained votes. (p. 86) Plunkitt talked openly about how young men can succeed in politics to get power and how to keep it. He states some mistakes that young politicians make when trying to become successful. One mistake would be that cramming books in your face to learn how to be successful in politics is not the best idea, but doesn’t disagree with attending college. We will write a custom essay sample on Plunkitt essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another mistake mentioned is, â€Å"some young men think that the best way to prepare for the political game is to practice speakin’ and becomin’ orators. Plunkitt wants the young men to wait quietly and listen to what’s being said all around before mentioning anything. After mentioning some mistakes not to do, Plunkitt wants to suggest some tips on what to do based on what he did to succeed in politics as he did. As Plunkitt states, â€Å"What I did was to get some marketable goods before going to the leaders. † He approached his cousin who had no interest in politics and told him that he was going to be a politician and wanted to get a following, he asked his cousin if he would and his cousin agree. Then he approached the district leader and told him that he had two votes, his cousins and his own. The district leader told him to go ahead. Plunkitt started off in a small business way, but he soon branched out and suggested that that was the only way to become a long lasting statesman. Plunkitt stresses that honest and dishonest graft is a big part of politics. Tammany men have become rich off of graft, but Plunkitt has made a fortune in politics and has never gone for dishonest graft. The difference between  dishonest graft and honest graft is, dishonest graft is blackmailing gamblers, saloonkeepers, disorderly people, etc. He describes honest graft as â€Å"an opportunity† that he took at the right time. Plunkitt states that, â€Å"All they can show is that Tammany heads of departments looked after their friends within the law, and gave them the opportunities they could to make honest graft. †(p. 5) With that being said Plunkitt was a man for honest graft which he represented the Tammany men, and they were very popular because of honest graft, and he stressed for honest graft to be a set motivation in their headquarters. Nevertheless, Tammany’s district leader is known for reaching out into the homes of his district, watching over all his men and the families of these men, he places himself in a position that puts his knowledge to the test and makes him show his effort to everyone in the town. George Washington Plunkitt was a successful man who started from the bottom of being poor, to being a millionaire that found his own truthful way of being a successful politician.