Editing Political machine (section)

==Definition==
The ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' defines "political machine" as "a party organization, headed by a [[political boss|single boss]] or small autocratic group, that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state".<ref name=britannica/> [[William Safire]], in his ''Safire's Political Dictionary'', defines "machine politics" as "the election of officials and the passage of legislation through the power of an organization created for political action".<ref name=safire>{{cite book | last = Safire |first= Nicole |title = Safire's Political Dictionary | url = https://archive.org/details/safirespolitical00safi | url-access = registration | pages = [https://archive.org/details/safirespolitical00safi/page/391 391–392] | chapter = Machine politics | edition = 1st | year = 1978 |publisher = Random House|isbn= 9780394502618 }}</ref> He notes that the term is generally considered pejorative, often implying corruption.

Hierarchy and discipline are hallmarks of political machines. "It generally means strict organization", according to Safire.<ref name=safire/> Quoting [[Edward J. Flynn|Edward Flynn]], a [[Bronx County]] Democratic leader who ran the borough from 1922 until his death in 1953,<ref>{{cite book | last1  = Glazer |first1 = Nathan  |last2=Monyhan |first2=Daniel Patrick |title =Beyond the Melting Pot: The Negroes, Puerto Ricans, Jews, Italians and Irish of New York | url  = https://archive.org/details/beyondmeltingpot0000glaz_a1k1 | url-access = registration | chapter = The Irish | page = [https://archive.org/details/beyondmeltingpot0000glaz_a1k1/page/226 226] |publisher = The MIT Press |year = 1963 |quote = Ed Flynn ran the Bronx from 1922 until his death in 1953.}}</ref> Safire wrote "the so-called 'independent' voter is foolish to assume that a political machine is run solely on good will, or patronage. For it is not only a machine; it is an army. And in any organization as in any army, there must be discipline."<ref name=safire/>

Political patronage, while often associated with political machines, is not essential to the definition for either Safire or ''Britannica''.<ref name=safire/>