WASHINGTON -- John W. Dean, counsel to President Richard Nixon during
the Watergate scandal, probably won't make a lot of Republican friends
with his seventh book, "Conservatives Without Conscience."
Dean marries sociological studies on authoritarian personalities and
his observations about the conservative movement within the GOP to
conclude that some conservatives have a win-at-all-costs drive that
threatens democratic principles.
Question: Why did you write this book, and who is your audience?
Answer: Conservatives themselves don't always understand what they're
dealing with. By alerting people to this process and how they slide
over into this camp, I think I can prevent the ranks from growing.
Q: How widespread is authoritarianism in the United States?
A: I think there . . . is about a 23 percent core in America of what I
would call right-wing authoritarian followers. I think there are a lot
of others who sort of lean this way and are certainly following
conservatism. But there's really a relatively small hard-core group
that's most troubling to me.
Q: You write that authoritarian conservatives use fear as a tool to
cement support for the global war on terrorism. Aren't there good
reasons for Americans to be fearful?
A: The data showed well before 9/11 that people who are frightened tend
to fall into the ranks of conservative authoritarian followers. After
9/11, we saw, indeed, great numbers of people went into those ranks. My
concern is, one, it grows the ranks of authoritarian conservatives.
Secondly, the game of wolf is dangerous.
Q: Are you optimistic about the direction the nation is going?
A: I think the centrists in the nation eventually will take the
necessary steps to keep the country in the center, where it runs best.
I write in the book that the next two election cycles will set the tone
for this next century. I think we'll see signs in the midterm
elections. If Republicans don't lose one or more of the (chambers of
Congress), it is going to be breathlessly close.
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By Ellyn Ferguson
Gannett News Service
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