Social welfare legislation was adopted by Tammany as good politics

Evidence

Even though Smith felt that times—and people’s needs—were changing, he did not try to break away from the party but to change it to meet the times. … Tammany should become the champion of social welfare legislation. It should do so because it was the party of the people and the new needs of the people were real needs. And it should do so because it was good politics. Why should Tammany take a chance of losing the massed votes of the Lower East Side to uptown reformers who even now were sponsoring such legislation? — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 566

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Tammany embraced progressivism to shatter its corrupt Irish image and reach high office — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 567; Bismarck and Disraeli launched social welfare legislation to counter socialist pressures; Tammany government was driven by greed, not will to help — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 1448 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Bismarck and Disraeli launched social welfare legislation to counter socialist pressures #expands (0.85)
• Tammany government was driven by greed, not will to help #complicates (0.85) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 1448