The Last Hurrah Analysis

The idea of a changing political field is hinted at numerous times in the novel, even by Frank Skeffington himself. Early in the novel, Jack tells Adam that his uncle is living in the age of the dinosaur and that he is out of date, as Jack discusses his reasoning behind believing Kevin McCluskey will win. Despite the talk about the changing politics, it is not until Frank actually loses that these ideas are brought back to light. For Adam, it is not until Jack again gives him insight into his uncle’s defeat as his uncle lays on his deathbed. When Jack tells Adam the only name he needs to remember when thinking about his uncle’s demise is Roosevelt, Adam is confused. Jack states that Roosevelt destroyed the old-time bosses like Skeffington.
The mayoral election we see in The Last Hurrah is not dissimilar to the presidential election we have just recently witnessed. Despite being written in 1956, this novel relates very well to this class, myself as a millennial and new voter, and shows political precedence for our current political situation. The change in political style and perspectives shown in The Last Hurrah, in my opinion, ties in very closely to one of the biggest reasons Donald Trump is our current President-elect. Eight years ago Barack Obama ran on a platform of change and for the last eight years and decades prior, the American public has watched politician after politician make empty promises in exchange for political support as they vie for the presidency. Much like Frank Skeffington who had been a politician for decades, Hillary Clinton has long been involved in politics. She is a former first lady to President Bill Clinton, and a member of the Obama administration. Despite the change she would have brought by being the first female president, to many she represented an extension of the current administration and a continuation of greedy politicians running for President. Having been exempt from the political sphere prior to this election, Donald Trump embodied a new perspective on politics, similar to Kevin McCluskey, and in my opinion this secured his position from the