From time to time, I have argued that most leftists are actually reactionaries.  That would explain, for instance, their support for 19th century forms of transportation, such as rail transit and trolleys, or their support for the kind of government welfare schemes pioneered by Bismark in 19th century Germany.

But I had not realized that some leftists have gone even farther and want to bring back the bad old days of political machines.  Or, to be more exact, I had not realized that they admit this openly.

For many activists already involved in Democratic politics, the permanent campaign is an extension of their enthusiasm for Howard Dean's reformist candidacy in 2004.  But the emergence of another organization named Blue Tiger Democrats shows that the new efforts actually hearken back to Tammany Hall.

That 19th-century New York political machine may be known for corruption, but it drew its true strength from being a service organization.

(Those who actually know something about Tammany Hall will recall that it was an important political organization until the 1960s.)

But now that David Sirota brings this up, I can see why Tammany Hall appeals to him.  Political machines, such as Tammany Hall, allow insiders to make a living from politics, often a very good living.  The machines subvert elections in many ways, including, from time to time, by ballot stuffing.  But most of all, they try to make voters clients, dependent on the machine for favors, large and small — instead of independent citizens who can fend for themselves.  They try to keep issues out of politics, and discourage voters from paying attention to how the machines enrich those who run them — at the expense of the taxpayers.  A political machine run by leftists would let people like Sirota be supported by the public, without ever really answering to the voters on important issues.

So I can see why David Sirota, and similar reactionaries, would want to bring back political machines.  But I can't see why any voter, who has even a little self respect, would want to help these reactionaries take us back to the bad old days.

Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.

(There are, of course, still political machines, though they are far less important than they once were.

If you want to know about the better side of Tammany Hall, you might want to read that little classic, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, which you can buy here, or download free, in many places, including here.  And I would recommend that everyone read my favorite political novel, Edwin O'Connor's The Last Hurrah, which describes the last campaign of a political boss.

Fun fact:  Speaker Nancy Pelosi's father was an old-fashioned boss in Baltimore.  I have been arguing since 2002 that you can understand her best if you assume that she is imitating her father.  Here's an example, for those who wonder why I came to that conclusion.)