smoke-filled rooms
Secret political negotiations
Smoke-filled rooms are where political deals get made away from public view—backroom negotiations among party bosses and power brokers.
The phrase evokes an era when cigar-smoking men in suits decided nominations and policies behind closed doors: The candidate was chosen in smoke-filled rooms, not by voters.
Now broadly describes any secretive decision-making process.
- backroomPrivate space for dealings
- closed doorsSealed entry points
- politicsGovernmental power struggles
- back channelsInformal secret communication routes
- hazeMurky atmospheric suspension
fumes · wheeling · clandestine · Tammany Hall · power · power brokers · party bosses · old boys club · cronyism · influence · secrecy · convention floor · dark money · spoils system · pay-to-play · graft · cigar lounges · ashtray
- campaigningcandidate, campaign signs, canvassing, campaign manager, fundraising
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- patronagepolitical patronage, patrons, benefactors, sponsors, donors
smoke-filled roomsopen primaries
Nominating contests allowing unaffiliated voters
transparency · sunshine laws · open meetings · town halls · open-door policy
smoke-filled roomspopular vote
Total of citizen votes
democratic participation · rank-and-file · grassroots movements · participatory democracy · referendums
smoke, room, smoked, smoker, smokers, smoking, smokiness, smokes, smokeless