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21 " An authentically popular American fascism would be pious, antiblack, and, since September 11, 2001, anti-Islamic as well.”98 Are we on the road to fascism? "
― John W. Dean , Conservatives Without Conscience
22 " Haldeman, it seemed, lived by Polonius’ advice to his son—“apparel oft proclaims the man. "
― John W. Dean , Blind Ambition: The White House Years
23 " They are nattering nabobs of negativism. "
24 " Nothing shows lack of conscience better than bold-faced lying. "
25 " Conservatives seek the wisdom of the past, not the worst of it, "
26 " Our societies presently produce millions of highly authoritarian personalities as a matter of course, enough to state the Nuremberg Rallies over and over and over again. Turning a blind eye to this could someday point guns at all our heads, and the fingers on the triggers will belong to right-wing authoritarians. "
27 " Social Dominators—Leaders: • typically men • dominating* • opposes equality* • desirous of personal power* • amoral* • intimidating and bullying • faintly hedonistic • vengeful • pitiless • exploitive • manipulative • dishonest • cheats to win • highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic) • mean-spirited • militant • nationalistic • tells others what they want to hear • takes advantage of “suckers” • specializes in creating false images to sell self • may or may not be religious • usually politically and economically conservative/Republican "
28 " Right-Wing Authoritarian—Followers: • men and women • submissive to authority* • aggressive on behalf of authority* • conventional* • highly religious • moderate to little education • trust untrustworthy authorities • prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals, women, and followers of religions other than their own) • mean-spirited • narrow-minded • intolerant • bullying • zealous • dogmatic • uncritical toward chosen authority • hypocritical • inconsistent and contradictory • prone to panic easily • highly self-righteous • moralistic • strict disciplinarian • severely punitive • demands loyalty and returns it • little self-awareness • usually politically and economically conservative/Republican "
29 " Conservatism is not inherently moralistic, negative, arrogant, condescending, and self-righteous. Nor is it authoritarian. Yet all of these are adjectives that best describe the political outlook of contemporary conservatism. I make these observations not as an outsider, but as a conservative who is deeply troubled by what has become of a treasured philosophy. Conservatism has been co-opted by authoritarians, a most dangerous type of political animal. "
30 " What actually occurred was that the Supreme Court issued its abominable opinion in Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857, asserting that slaves were neither citizens nor persons under the Constitution; that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories; and that the Declaration of Independence’s statement that “all men are created equal” referred only to white men. "
31 " Hell, no. The worst part of being a prosecutor for me is a case like this, where I don’t really want the guys to go to jail. That’s why I like defending guilty men. It’s not right sometimes. There’s nobody the government can’t nail if it really goes after him. Shit, they "
32 " It provides answers to two questions many concerned people are asking: What is wrong with Donald Trump? How can so many people support him? There is a related third question, the subject of the last chapter of this book: Can this authoritarian movement be contained before it is too late? "
― John W. Dean , Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His Followers
33 " Our founding fathers understood that republics were vulnerable; they knew that “many republics in history, such as the Roman republic, had been replaced by despots, "