Today’s Quotes: Conservatives Without Conscience

“In my book Conservatives Without Conscience, I set forth the traits of authoritarian leaders and followers, which have been distilled from a half-century of empirical research, during which thousands of people have voluntarily been interviewed by social scientists. …
“[Authoritarian] leaders possess most, if not all, of these traits:

* 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”
— John Dean, excerpted from the Urantian Sojourn blog.

“I am convinced that at least a third of the population is what Eric Hoffer calls ‘true believers.’ They are joiners and followers . . . ‘people who want to give away their power. They look for answers, meaning, and enlightenment outside themselves. ….They are followers, not because of a desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy their passion for self-renunciation.’ Hoffer also says that true believers ‘are eternally incomplete and eternally insecure.’ ……The Moral Majority is made up of true believers. All cults are composed of true believers. You’ll find them in politics, churches, businesses, and social cause groups. They are the fanatics in these organizations.”
— Dick Sutphen, “The Battle for Your Mind: Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public”

“The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.”
–– H. L. Mencken

“They must find it difficult…those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority.”
— Gerald Massey

“But while national prominence and connections have helped Walker’s bottom line, a series of local scandals threatens to add to the recall momentum. A ‘John Doe’ investigation into improprieties when Walker was county executive is still being conducted, and six onetime Walker aides have been confronted with criminal charges and 13 individuals granted immunity. The public charges range from evidence that a separate wireless email router was installed in the county executive office to allow campaign-related business and fundraising to be conducted on government time to the far more serious and salacious charge that onetime Walker deputy chief of staff and economic development director Tim Russell embezzled more than $60,000 from a veterans charity.
“To date, Walker has transferred $100,000 from campaign funds into legal defense funds. The ongoing nature of this investigation could continue to dog Walker and his allies even if he passes the recall text on Tuesday. Wisconsin Republican politics is a small world, and indictments could affect local figures well known to the Badger State crew running the RNC. This is the considerable downside that comes when local politics reaches the national level.”
— John Avlon, “The Wisconsinites Running the RNC Double Down on Walker Recall Fight,” The Daily Beast, June 3, 2012.