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Authoritarian Nightmare

Trump and His Followers

Author John W. Dean, Bob Altemeyer
Ebook
Melville House
On sale Aug 25, 2020 | 368 Pages | 9781612199061
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How did America end up with a leader who acts so crudely and despotically, and counter to our democratic principles? Why do his followers stick with him, even when he acts against their own interests?

To fully understand, John Dean, a man with a history of standing up to autocratic presidents, joined with Bob Altemeyer, a professor of psychology with a unique area of expertise: Authoritarianism.

Relying on social science findings and psychological diagnostic tools (such as the "Power Mad Scale" and the "Con Man Scale"), as well as research and analysis from the Monmouth University Polling Institute (one of America's most respected public opinion research foundations), the authors provide us with an eye-opening understanding of the Trump phenomenon — and how we may be able to stop it.
From the Introduction...

Donald Trump only has the power to flaunt American institutions, treaties, and laws because he has a large, dedicated base who will believe whatever he says and do whatever he wants. Accordingly, we spend a lot of time in this book grasping Trump’s threat to America by explaining his followers.

We believe the base’s endless loyalty springs from the same psychological trait that some observers think runs deeply in Donald Trump himself, authoritarianism. Our understanding of these people is based on decades of research on people who might well support an autocratic takeover of a democracy. Journalists and commentators may find this body of study, presented as the core of this book in chapters 5 through 11, richly informative about contemporary American politics and the American electorate. Most people have never heard of this body of research, but it appears that its moment has arrived. 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?

We are not alarmists. If you look at our previous work on authoritarianism you will see that we always said: “We still have lots of time; things have not gotten really bad yet.” But the past three years have been, well, the past three years, and suddenly there is a real crisis is upon us... We do not wish to frighten anyone because that is one of the ways authoritarian leaders operate. Rather, we seek to alert and inform, relying on verifiable facts and the answers nature has repeatedly given in studies about why Trump and his supporters act the way they do.  America faces a number of very serious problems right now, made worse by its president.  Insight is available and solutions do exist...
Copyright © 2020 by John W. Dean & Bob Altemeyer. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
© Adobe Stock Images
JOHN W. DEAN served as White House counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1973. During the Watergate scandal, his Congressional testimony helped lead to Nixon’s resignation. Dean has written about Watergate in his New York Times bestsellers Blind Ambition and The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It. Among his other books are the national bestsellers Worse Than Watergate and Conservatives Without Conscience. He is a regular political and legal commentator on CNN. View titles by John W. Dean
© Adobe Stock Images
BOB ALTEMEYER's research on the psychological makeup of authoritarian leaders and followers, and his development of the "RWA" (right-wing authoritarian) test, has established him as the recognized expert in the field. He is the author of The Authoritarians and Enemies of Freedom: Understanding Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Altemeyer taught psychology at the University of Manitoba and was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for Behavioral Science Research. View titles by Bob Altemeyer

About

How did America end up with a leader who acts so crudely and despotically, and counter to our democratic principles? Why do his followers stick with him, even when he acts against their own interests?

To fully understand, John Dean, a man with a history of standing up to autocratic presidents, joined with Bob Altemeyer, a professor of psychology with a unique area of expertise: Authoritarianism.

Relying on social science findings and psychological diagnostic tools (such as the "Power Mad Scale" and the "Con Man Scale"), as well as research and analysis from the Monmouth University Polling Institute (one of America's most respected public opinion research foundations), the authors provide us with an eye-opening understanding of the Trump phenomenon — and how we may be able to stop it.

Excerpt

From the Introduction...

Donald Trump only has the power to flaunt American institutions, treaties, and laws because he has a large, dedicated base who will believe whatever he says and do whatever he wants. Accordingly, we spend a lot of time in this book grasping Trump’s threat to America by explaining his followers.

We believe the base’s endless loyalty springs from the same psychological trait that some observers think runs deeply in Donald Trump himself, authoritarianism. Our understanding of these people is based on decades of research on people who might well support an autocratic takeover of a democracy. Journalists and commentators may find this body of study, presented as the core of this book in chapters 5 through 11, richly informative about contemporary American politics and the American electorate. Most people have never heard of this body of research, but it appears that its moment has arrived. 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?

We are not alarmists. If you look at our previous work on authoritarianism you will see that we always said: “We still have lots of time; things have not gotten really bad yet.” But the past three years have been, well, the past three years, and suddenly there is a real crisis is upon us... We do not wish to frighten anyone because that is one of the ways authoritarian leaders operate. Rather, we seek to alert and inform, relying on verifiable facts and the answers nature has repeatedly given in studies about why Trump and his supporters act the way they do.  America faces a number of very serious problems right now, made worse by its president.  Insight is available and solutions do exist...
Copyright © 2020 by John W. Dean & Bob Altemeyer. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Author

© Adobe Stock Images
JOHN W. DEAN served as White House counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1973. During the Watergate scandal, his Congressional testimony helped lead to Nixon’s resignation. Dean has written about Watergate in his New York Times bestsellers Blind Ambition and The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It. Among his other books are the national bestsellers Worse Than Watergate and Conservatives Without Conscience. He is a regular political and legal commentator on CNN. View titles by John W. Dean
© Adobe Stock Images
BOB ALTEMEYER's research on the psychological makeup of authoritarian leaders and followers, and his development of the "RWA" (right-wing authoritarian) test, has established him as the recognized expert in the field. He is the author of The Authoritarians and Enemies of Freedom: Understanding Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Altemeyer taught psychology at the University of Manitoba and was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for Behavioral Science Research. View titles by Bob Altemeyer

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