Definition

Noun: A machine politician is a politician who is part of a small, powerful group (a "political machine") that controls a political party. This group's primary goal is to gain and maintain power, jobs, and money for its members, rather than working for the public good or following democratic principles.

Usage

The term is used to describe a politician whose loyalty is to the internal party organization and its private benefits, not to the general public or broad policy ideals. It often implies corruption, patronage (giving jobs or favors to supporters), and a focus on winning elections by any means necessary.

Examples

• The mayor was accused of being a machine politician who gave city contracts to his friends and relatives.
• Reformers in the party wanted to end the influence of the machine politicians who had controlled local politics for decades.
• He was not an idealist but a classic machine politician, more interested in power than in policy.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used historically to describe figures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in American cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston, where party "machines" were very powerful.
• It can be used in a modern context to criticize contemporary politicians who are seen as putting party loyalty and personal gain above public service.

Variants and Related Words

• Political Machine (n): The organized group itself, which the machine politician belongs to and serves.
• Party Boss (n): A leader within a political machine; a senior machine politician.
• Machine Politics (n): The system or practice associated with political machines and machine politicians.

Synonyms

• Party hack
• Political boss
• Ward heeler (specifically a local-level machine politician)

Antonyms

• Reformer
• Statesperson
• Idealist
• Public servant

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Smoke-filled room": Refers to a place where machine politicians or party bosses might make secret deals and decisions.
• "To play ball with the machine": To cooperate with the political machine.

Noun

1. a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends