Robert Moses accumulated immense power in the planning and construction of highways, bridges, housing and parkland by bribing politicians and destroying anyone who opposed him. He was very involved in the inner circle of politics because of his close ties with politicians. His wealthy authorities helped fund politicians in return for their approval of the current project Moses was working on. Robert Caro writes, “It was the men who received Moses’ turkey baskets who fought against any diminution in Moses’ power” (18). Politicians who received Moses’ help supported Moses in any opposition he faced in his work. By dealing with politicians, he influenced many aspects of the city such as the city’s labor unions, contractors, insurance firms, banks, and real estate manipulators. He funneled more than a million dollars into the pockets of city and state officials. Even though the public did not know it, Moses was a politician behind the scenes.
Moses accumulated more power by destroying the careers of everyone who opposed him. He had skilled investigators working for him who knew secrets of city officials. If one official crossed him, Moses would blackmail the official into complying. If an official did not have any secrets, he would leak a lie to a newspaper that would turn all public opinion against the official, such as being a follower of the Soviet Union’s secret police, and force the official to resign. Since Moses had virtually no opponents, he was unstoppable in his desire to plan and build.
Rosa Kyung
