Well it is true to some extent. Tammany Hall was notoriously corrupt but did lots of things for immigrants who would've otherwise had no help and arguably wa

Well it is true to some extent. Tammany Hall was notoriously corrupt but did lots of things for immigrants who would've otherwise had no help and arguably was ethically net neutral. https://www.npr.org/2014/03/05/286218423/the-case-for-tammany-hall-being-on-the-right-side-of-history https://www.npr.org/2014/03/05/286218423/the-case-for-tamman... A more recent example of Meade Esposito (1972): https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/10/archives/-hi-boss-said-the-judge-to-meade-esposito-the-powerful-kings-county.html?searchResultPosition=3 https://www.nytimes.com/1972/12/10/archives/-hi-boss-said-th... >The real business of the club is service. Every time someone comes in with a problem, that someone's name, address and telephone number are written on a special five‐ by‐eight‐inch card. Unless the problem is too sensitive to be committed to paper, the inter viewer — who may be an elected official or just an active member of the club— jots down a brief description of it. I went through a stack of these cards, and the notes on them suggested the breadth of the view the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club takes of the functions of a political organization. Here are some of the problem descriptions: >“Job reference … chiropractor bill … problem with daughter at school being harassed by other students … post office info.… draft info. … Canarsie baseball league … matrimonial problems — advised what to do … Medicaid problem … has not received 2 Regents scholarship checks … Criminal Court — referred to lawyer … personal problem with son—O.K. taken care of … fire inspector requires that a partition be removed—this seems rather hard on the per son and not really necessary —should talk to department … transfer from Louis Pink houses to Bayview and Glen wood … welfare assistance info. soc. sec. … wants to go to Bar Association against his lawyer—I told him to go fly a kite! … info re Peace Corps … works for city Dept. of Parks — lost his job — provisional … problem with ex wife … accepted by City College—wishes to go to Brooklyn. …”