I don't care what anyone says, Gigante was a smart MF'er pulling off that act. Like has been said, that kept him on the start for a long time. Hell I would have done the same if I was in his shoes.
You can either go the flashy route like Gotti and only make it a few years after becoming boss, or acting crazy while only in public and make it a long time after becoming boss. I say a long time but I'm not sure when he became boss so I can't say. Gotti can say he looked stupid trying the crazy act, but that crazy act worked yet Gotti's "I'll sever your MF'ing head off" act had him locked up pretty quick.
It seems to be the general consensus that Chin was smart. Gravano wrote in his book that Gotti himself said Chin was "smart as a fox" after their Commission meeting. Several FBI agents, NYPD detectives, and prosecutors even had a grudging respect for Chin's ability as boss, as well as his success in eluding them for so long. Probably the only guy who would take exception would be Casso who was pissed at Chin for not taking his advice to kill Savino.
But, even taking that costly screw up into consideration, it doesn't change the overall picture of Chin's remarkable success as boss of the family. He took over in 1981 - just as the feds started to go hard against the Mafia. And he lasted for 16 years during the mob-busting 1980's and 1990's until they were finally able to put him behind bars. To this day the feds still largely credit the Genovese family's ongoing secrecy and success to Chin, including his ability to choose and promote loyal captains. Guys who would eventually take after he stepped back to a degree after his 1990 indictment, his imprisonment in 1997, and after his death in 2005.
Looking back, his ability to not be indicted in the Commission case and remain on the street was crucial. Many look at the Commission case as a watershed moment for the crusade against the mob. Capable, sophisticated, and experienced old time bosses were imprisoned (or killed in Castellano's case) and replaced by less capable successors who's leadership (or lack thereof) led to guys flipping, internal fighting, and more indictments. But much of this didn't happen in the Genovese family. If you look back at articles in the 1990's, the Genovese are often described as maintaining their strength and position while the other families were declining to one degree or another. And even when the feds had success and were able to indict top Genovese guys, they were the first to almost automatically cut their losses by taking plea deals. And the more secretive, sophisticated, and capable organization and members the family had allowed it to weather repeated onslaughts by law enforcement better than the other families.
