Conservatives Without Conscience by John Dean, Robertson Dean (Read by)

Authoritarians: Co-opting America?
Harry Rosenberg, an observer of the human condition, 10/27/2006

It would seem that they are on their way. Dean paints a scary picture of what has happened so far and how it could get worse. With a House of Representatives already an effective dictatorship, with a Supreme Court a heart beat away from a similar take over, it takes little imagination to visualize what might happen then. Conservatism itself, Dean says, can be good, bad or evil. He devotes his entire book to the bad and evil. It is vital reading for any who care about the future of democracy and the United States in particular. He explains how conservatives think, and how the Neocons differ markedly from the conservatism of Barry Goldwater, who was not just an ordinary politician, but a human being and statesman as well. Dean writes of the alarming extent to which the Neocons and pals with their '...authoritarian personalities, which tolerate no dissent, use dissembling as their standard modus operandi, and have pushed their governing authority beyond the law and Constitution.' '... The motive of the GOP leaders was simply to please the party's 'base' the wishes of the base was their command. That base was composed primarily of Christian conservatives, in particular evangelicals.' This book could be required reading for citizenship, for the Authoritarian personality permeates all societies and is in ascendance in our times of terror. It is also highly dangerous in its polarizing viewpoint. Dean's book is well researched and is in fact backed up by the works of many social scientists, including Adorno, Milgram, Zimbardo and Altemeyer, each of whom illustrated the authoritarian personality scientifically. Dean is much much more than just a disgruntled politician. He is an astute observer and intrerpreter of how authoritarians built their bases of power at the state level to ensure success nationally.

Also recommended: The Authoritarian Spector - Bob Altemeyer The One percent doctrine - Ron Suskind

Devestating
A reviewer, I am another, 09/02/2006

From one of Watergate's finest, a compliment--really--, John Dean draws his deep knowledge of authoritarian conservatives from the Nixon White House and describes the sociological and pschyological impats that they have. In describing the three groups of authoritarian conservatives ( the follwers, social domination oriented leaders, and the Double Highs), he paints a disturbing picture of where this country is going. In taliking about various authoritarian consertavies like DeLay, Frist, Abramoff, and the most dangerous of the social dominators-- Dick Cheney. The Double Highs are proto-fascist, as Dean observes and this book is meant to draw in the old group of Goldwater Republicanism that are fed kup with a totally alien brand of conservatism. Dean, however shows that the tendencies have always been toward authoritarianism in conservative thought because of its divergent thought processes and wide traditions, especially in American conservatism where it started with Burke. Not just a book for liberals or moderates, also for closet Republicans beleaugered by the present administration and Congress. This is a warning and a book for its times, but not limited to it.

Great Inisght into Current 'Conservatives'
Wally O'Brien, A reviewer, 08/16/2006

Just picked up the book the other day and I'm about 1/3 of the way through. I guess I'd consider myself a political junkie of sorts. I truly enjoy political tales of all sorts, from biographies to stories about various political occurances, such as Watergate. First of all, I am enjoying the book because I feel that it is well written. It is a thoughtful, yet easy read. More to the point, I especially enjoy Mr. Dean's political insight. There is some digression in the begining about his problems with some of the Watergate conspirators, but it still sets a tone for the book. My favorite part of the book is simply the analysis of various human types. He tries to explain how and why someone would be willing to compromise their ethics and perform certain acts. Mr. Dean then proceeds up the ladder and finally discusses the personality types of different leaders. His insight is very enlightening. This is a must read for people of ALL political leanings. It should be a must read for those who are currently disappointed with the current conservative leaders.

Also recommended: The Power Broker - Robert A. Caro 1776 - David McCullough Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years, The War Years - Carl Sandburg

How We Got to Where We Never Wanted To Go
A reviewer, a displaced Republican, 07/30/2006

Do you wonder what happened to the Republican Party you joined 30 years ago? Or how some of our political and religious leaders can be such sanctimonious hypocrits and still have such devout followings? Read this book! It explains so much that has happened in the world and in our own country during the past decades. And if you think we could never have a Hitler as our leader, you have got to read this book!

Also recommended: The One Percent Doctrine, An Inconvenient Truth

The Hijacking of a Party
L. Glasner, A reviewer, 07/29/2006

The Hijacking of a Party, July 28, 2006 Reviewer: L. Glasner (NY NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) In his new, provocative book, Conservatives Without Conscience, Dean provides a watershed moment: We are on the cusp of being taken over by authoritarianism wrapped in a blanket of pseudo-conservative ideology. Unless we the public recognize it and counter it within the next decade or so, the US may be shocked to find itself among the world’s dictatorial regimes. But Conservatives Without Conscience is not about John Dean or Watergate it is about an attempt to understand how the conservative movement evolved to its place today, the different factions that call themselves conservative, and an understanding of the thinking behind both the leaders and followers of such policy. After having read the book, I can report that it is not that Dean has changed his political outlook so much as that the definition of conservative has moved to such extremes that Dean now sees himself as left of center. Apparently, the term conservative has been fixed around contemporary conservative hegemony. Dean uses this book to object. Dean laments the loss of the core conservative principles that have largely been overrun by the political right. From neocons to theocons, these groups all coalesce around a common enemy: liberalism. Dean points out not just their internal inconsistencies and intellectual dishonesty, but also the common thread of authoritarianism that runs through them. This is not a characterization that Dean takes lightly and it is one that stands apart from the brand of “kinder, gentler” conservatism that represented the Goldwater/Reagan ideology and its cousins. In undertaking the analysis that is this book, Dean asks the ultimate question: Why? What is it about contemporary conservative thinking (or nonthinking in many cases) that makes people subscribe to authoritarian claims? Why do people in general succumb to this kind of ideology? To address these questions, Dean looked toward social science and social psychology and found himself immersed in research and data that provided answers that made sense. Research by Stanley Milgram and more recently Bob Altemeyer harkens back to themes put forth by Hannah Arendt and her ideas about the “banality of evil.” Dean discusses these major social science theories and aptly applies them to the current crop of conservatives who dominant US politics. None of the theories suffice independently to understand the phenomena, but taken together they go a long way toward explaining how a few dominant personalities have been able to radicalize and co-opt the traditional conservative philosophy without too much protest from within their own ranks. Until now. Dean’s may not be the only voice rumbling from more traditional conservatives, but it is clearly the loudest and the most cogent. Others have mostly remained on the sidelines without being cheerleaders. Dean’s voice should be heard as a calling card for those traditional conservatives (i.e., those with a conscience) whose values have been hijacked by the Bush/Cheney White House. Dean would like this book to raise both the consciousness and conscience of those conservatives and moderate Republicans and Democrats who have been both acquiescent and silent in the face of bald-faced lies, corruption, and a tilt toward tyranny. We are all stakeholders.