"My dad came out of the Roosevelt era and the Depression. One person and one party made a difference in his life. That's what everybody forgot when they called my father and other people political bosses"
About this Quote
The intent is rehabilitative. Daley isn’t defending every ward handshake; he’s insisting that the machine’s legitimacy came from tangible outcomes for people who had been left to rot. “One person and one party made a difference” compresses the New Deal into a personal conversion narrative, a kind of secular testimony. It implies that critics who sneer at “bosses” are people for whom government has never been the difference between stability and hunger.
Subtextually, he’s also drawing a bright line between elites who police political style and working-class voters who judge by results. The quote serves as both shield and warning: call it a machine if you want, but remember what replaced it for many communities wasn’t clean, technocratic governance - it was neglect. In that light, the “boss” becomes less a villain than a flawed broker of belonging.
Quote Details
| Topic | Father |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Daley, Richard M. (2026, January 15). My dad came out of the Roosevelt era and the Depression. One person and one party made a difference in his life. That's what everybody forgot when they called my father and other people political bosses. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dad-came-out-of-the-roosevelt-era-and-the-71125/
Chicago Style
Daley, Richard M. "My dad came out of the Roosevelt era and the Depression. One person and one party made a difference in his life. That's what everybody forgot when they called my father and other people political bosses." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dad-came-out-of-the-roosevelt-era-and-the-71125/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My dad came out of the Roosevelt era and the Depression. One person and one party made a difference in his life. That's what everybody forgot when they called my father and other people political bosses." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-dad-came-out-of-the-roosevelt-era-and-the-71125/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
