ing $20,000 bombs every time someone thinksthey see 4 Vietcong in a bush” Tip said. “And it isn’t working” (qtd in Merry 1). Welcoming newly appointed President Reagan to his capitol office, O’Neill pointed outthat he had Grover Cleveland’s desk. Reagan brightened and said he had played the manin the movies. O’Neill was talking about the democratic president; Reagan thought hemeant a baseball player. O’Neill swore this tale was true (Clift 1).“Tip O’Neill bridges certain major Democratic elements in the House ofRepresentatives” a high ranking democrat said in 1976. “He draws his support from theorganization democrats that feel comfortable with his style and from the youngerdemocrats who like his early opposition to the Vietnam War and his support of Housereform moves” (qtd in Congressional 1). As legislative leader Tip O’Neill was describedas shrewd and an aggressive manipulator who preferred to work behind the scenes, incommittees, conferences, and congressional cloakrooms rather than on the House floor(“O’Neill” 1). Tip O’Neill had spent 50 years at the craft of politics, including 16 inMassachusetts legislator and 34 in the House of Representatives. For a decade he servedas speaker, becoming well known throughout the country as the lumbering human bearwith the unadorned straight talk (Merry 1). In 1994 Tip O’Neill died in Boston of cardiacarrest at the age of 81 (Clift 1). Tip O’Neill had many accomplishments in his lifetime such as being the longestrunning Speaker of the House and having 34 years in congress. During Tip’s second termin congress he began his rise to leadership position on House Rules Committee. In 1971he became House majority whip and became majority leader in 1972. In 1977 Tip becamethe Speaker of the House (“O’Neill” 1). He was one of the last of the democratic...
