of his fathers generation. Edward O’Neill ( no relation ) was a master at drawingwalks and he would foul off pitch after pitch. Because of his many foul tips, he becameknown as “Tip” O’Neill (Novac 11). By the time Tip was old enough to get a job, Bostonhad a rule in hiring businesses called NINA which standed for No Irish Need Apply. Tiphad a very big prejudice put upon him since he was born Irish-American (Novac 9).In the 1930’s when Tip O’Neill first entered politics, all the financial institutions inthe city of Boston were closed to the Irish people. Tip O’Neill was proud to be one of themany politicians who played a part in the process of changing the prejudice ways (Novac9). Tip O’Neill loved to tell about the snow buttons. As a young ward leader inCambridge, Mass., long before he became Speaker of the House, Tip controlled 50 snowbuttons. Each snow button entitled the holder a days work shoveling snow for the cityjust to earn 3 to 4 dollars for backbreaking toil. They reflected the New Deal tradition atits best: government helping the needy worker. The Democratic party of Tip O’Neill’syouth won the working classes allegiance by showing its devotion to the “little guy”. Butas the offspring of those desperate men waiting in the chill of Cambridge dawn moved upand out to the suburbs, they also moved rightward politically. Government they feared,would raise taxes not hopes as in the past (Roberts 1). During the time Tip O’Neill wasCambridge district representative from 1953 to 1987, in politics and in policy, he wasamong the last of the unreconstructed New Deal style liberals in the House ofRepresentatives (O’Neill 1).Tip O’Neill decided to oppose President Johnson on the Vietnam War. Fewpoliticians spoke up in those early months but O’Neill, a long time Johnson ally, did speakup, and with blunt candor. “We are dropp...
