John Dean and Bob Altemeyer discuss what makes Tom DeLay tick (Fun Stuff)

Evidence of Tom DeLay's Authoritarianism:
A Question-and-Answer Session with Dr. Bob Altemeyer About DeLay's New Autobiography

By JOHN W. DEAN
Friday, Apr. 06, 2007

Former Republican Majority Leader of Congress Tom DeLay has written a new autobiography entitled No Retreat, No Surrender. It is a brief work, written in collaboration with writer Stephen Mansfield, author of The Faith of George W. Bush. I've read several unauthorized biographies of DeLay, and observed his conduct for over a decade, so as I began reading his autobiography, it occurred to me to talk with Dr. Bob Altemeyer, a leading expert on the psychology of authoritarianism -- for I believe DeLay is a textbook example of an authoritarian personality.

Altemeyer has conducted extensive research regarding the psychology of authoritarianism, which played a key role in my last book, Conservatives Without Conscience. In response to my plea that he write a book making his academic research more accessible to general readers, Altemeyer has published a new e-book, The Authoritarians, presented without charge online. In the short time it has been available, the work has been already been downloaded by thousands. I encourage readers to download it, too.

Below is a Q&A exchange I recently had with Altemeyer regarding DeLay. I found his responses very enlightening:

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