How It All Goes Down
The Painful Ride Down
- Hap is hosting an emergency meeting. It turns out that the Atlantic City Press (the city's sole newspaper) has "turned on Farley" (8.2), devoting constant coverage to his corrupt organization. Things aren't looking good for ol' Hap.
- Atlantic City itself is facing a similar fate. By the 1950s, the growth of modern technology has made weekend getaways to Atlantic City seem much less appealing to the average Joe. So much so, that by the 60s, many of the formerly successful hoteliers have left town. They're followed by much of the middle class, who flee the city's urban blight.
- In 1964, the Democratic National Convention is held in Atlantic City. As you might imagine, this is a disaster, revealing the sad fate of this formerly illustrious city to the American public.
- Things aren't going great for Hap, either. First, a Supreme Court decision changes the way that state representatives are chosen, which means that people outside of Atlantic City will be able to vote in his election.
- Meanwhile, the then-burgeoning Civil Rights Movement prompts Atlantic City's black population to become "involved in partisan Democratic politics" (8.35), which is not good for Hap.
- This is when the Atlantic City Press enters the picture. As the 1970s draw near, two journalists named Bernard Izes and John Katz make it their mission to expose Hap, taking out several of his lieutenants but falling short of the boss man himself.
- Then, in 1971, it happens: Hap is absolutely slaughtered in the primaries by his Republican opponent, a man named Joseph MacGahn. With that, the dream is over.