The thread so good he had to make it twice

I've read Tim Newark's opinion on the matter in the book Boardwalk Gangster and the consensus there is that his power was greatly overstated. Reason being? The US government needed a figurehead to demonize so they could catalyze the public against the mafia. Lucky's name was one of the only household mafia names since Al Capone. So he was an easy outlet for their frustration. He definitely dabbled in narcotics but there truly were bigger fish to fry among the Sicilians. Even some of the American-born Sicilian transplants like Frank Garafolo and Frank Coppola (Mikey Coppola's brother) pushed more weight than Lucky ever did. Truth be told he was lonely. Lots of girlfriends but his only callers from back in New York were Meyer and Costello. Apparently Joe Adonis didn't feel the need to visit or pay respects once he was deported back to Sicily...and that says a lot.