Dwarkesh PatelHow an unelected man ruled New York for 30 years
Dwarkesh Patel
Moses and power 0:00
Robert Caro’s books frame Robert Moses as the key figure in New York’s political life. Moses was not elected, yet he became the most powerful man in the state by writing the rules that governed him. He used public authorities, especially the Triborough Bridge Authority, to control toll money, borrow far beyond the city’s limits, and expand a bridge agency into a machine for building roads, parks, and housing across New York.
Keeping office 7:03
Moses also protected himself from being removed. He wrote the law so commissioners could only be ousted on stated charges after a formal hearing, and he was not personally corrupt in the usual sense. He held many posts at once, answered to different appointing powers, and used popularity, newspaper ties, and the backing of banks, unions, lawyers, and party bosses to keep his position and pressure anyone who resisted his projects.
Johnson's Senate power 16:03
Johnson became master of the Senate by using three tools. He built leverage by controlling bills, committee seats, campaign money, and favors. He set the agenda with unanimous consent agreements, so debate and amendments were tightly managed before anything reached the floor. He also brokered deals by gathering information from staff and senators, then trading votes until he came out ahead. Even the weak Civil Rights Act of 1957 passed through a bargain that tied voting rights to a dam, union rules, and jury service.
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