John W. Dean: "Broken Government" I never thought that the GOP posed a threat to the well-being ....

"Broken Government"
I never thought that the GOP posed a threat to the well-being of our nation. But these days, I no longer recognize my old party.
By John W. Dean - http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/09/11/dean/


Editor's note: The following passage is excerpted from John W. Dean's new book, "Broken Government," with permission of Viking, © 2007 by John W. Dean.

Sept. 11, 2007 | In almost four decades of involvement in national politics, much of them as a card-carrying Republican, I was never concerned that the GOP posed a threat to the well-being of our nation. Indeed, the idea would never have occurred to me, for in my experience the system took care of excesses, as it certainly did in the case of the president for whom I worked. But in recent years the system has changed, and is no longer self-correcting. Most of that change has come from Republicans, and much of it is based on their remarkably confrontational attitude, an attitude that has clearly worked for them. For example, I cannot imagine any Democratic president keeping cabinet officers as Bush has done with his secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, men whom both Democrats and Republicans judged to be incompetent. Evidence that the system has changed is also apparent when a president can deliberately and openly violate the law -- as, for example, simply brushing aside serious statutory prohibitions against torture and electronic surveillance -- without any serious consequences. Similarly, but on a lesser scale, Alberto Gonzales faced no consequences when he politicized the Department of Justice as never before, allowing his aides to violate the prohibitions regarding hiring career civil servants based on their party affiliation, and then gave false public statements and testimony about the matter. When the Senate sought to pass a resolution expressing "no confidence" in the attorney general, the Republicans blocked it with a filibuster. The fact that Bush's Justice Department has become yet another political instrument should give Americans pause. ............

"These new conservative leaders have not only sought to turn back the clock, but to return to a time before the Enlightenment when there were no clocks."

Prosaic, indeed!

he said in his interview on npr that by today`s standards goldwater would be a liberal...i`m not sure if i`d go that far. he also discussed this book and yes he`s deeply disturbed by what has happened to the government under the neo cons..

But, he would certainly be considered a maverick and a moderate Republican - much more so than supposed pseudo-maverick and pseudo-moderate McCain.

like McCain and Abramoff. Also, if Goldwater had been in charge of the Abramoff inquiry during the R-controlled Congress, unlike McCain, it would not have been a cover-up.

consider Mr. Dean a traitor for turning during watergate.....and it's too bad that some of the most eloquent and outspoken voices against this regime come from that side of the aisle--Dean, Paul Craig Roberts, and Bruce Feinman. I welcome their contributions and their willingness to join the battle. I just wish our leaders in congress had one-half the vision.

This Regime is not only infested with Neocons but also the Kristian RWing & outright Fascists.

Many Conservatives loath this Busholini Regime & do not consider Busholini & Darth as conservatives.

plus go to John Dean's site for interesting articles:

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/

He did a great job of explaining the "bushification" of congress. Getting rid of all the competent people in leadership positions and putting untested loyalists in their place.

And changing the rules and procedures in such a draconion fashion so that when the Dems FINALLY did get back into power they could not possibly be effective.

OUR FREAKIN' GOVERNMENT IS BROKEN!!!! GODDAMMIT!!!!

Now, how can we get it fixed?


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/09/10.php#17364


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

Listening now. Diane says Dean "believes Rs have "severely damaged" all three branches.
Asks, do you really believe "destroyed" is the right word?


John Dean: "Broken Government" (Viking)
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/09/10.php#17364

51:20 minutes.

The former counsel to President Richard and key player in the Watergate controversy explains why he believes Republicans have damaged all three branches of American government.
Guests

John Dean, legal counsel to President Nixon during Watergate and author of "Blind Ambition," "Lost Honor," "The Rehnquist Choice," "Warren G. Harding," "Worse Than Watergate," and "Conservatives Without Conscience."

They are ALL infected! See the links for the what, and whyfors:

CODENAME: Stanley

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/1342220367/

examples of Stans influence:
Stan the Speechwriter

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/1350412787/

Stan advises Townsend

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/1355142923/

Stan helps Petraeus


stan and Vitter Party

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/1366498706/

Further adventures of Stan can be viewed here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/

heheh

I had a go at your flickr site. Very nicely done.

This morning I once again tried to figure out what the hell is wrong with the conservative mindset. I got a good feel this time. Being concerned is wrong. Then I took it another step. I realized that the whole goal is to be unconcerned. This is what is so enticing about the party. And having money makes being unconcerned so much easier. And after all, who wouldn't want a life of blissful unconcern? But we are seeing the results of that. Actually, I don't think it was unconcern. I'm only one espresso into this day. But it is close enough. Willful ignorance. After all, how could anyone who has their finger on the button still not be able to pronounce nuclear, after seven long years. What a dipshit.

Here's a few of my own-

In the new book out on Dubya, by baker(?) the guy who was given several interviews by GW. Anyway one of the comments/observations he made was that the man ssemed to choose to ignore certain things once he had made his mind up.

I agree with you that that is a very strong trait in these people. Also just this past week there a was the article on how the brains of liberals and conservatives differ in there processing. Quite a big difference involving entirely different sections. So congrats you intuitively beat all those others and you did it with kissing the tush of one of those types! heheh

I read my own posts, and they often are not very good at conveying what I felt at the time. But there is this overwhelming sense that these conservatives don't want to spend more than a certain amount of energy thinking about any one thing. It's as though thinking must be limited. It certainly is more comfortable for them than actually using imagination, and trying to understand. And I say this also as someone who has had the (mis)fortune of rubbing up against people who are very land wealthy. I've had the opportunity to try and offer people to sell off a part of a ranch. These are folks with thousands of acres of land. I've met quite a few. And it's amazing how the overwhelming majority can't even be bothered to return multiple phone calls or emails. But again, I don't think I'm making my statement very well.

It's the same reason for Bush's snicker. His inability to find empathy for Karla Faye Tucker. Or the people in the community I simply had to leave after the last two years. A town with great beauty, where I had a phenomenal farm. But a place with extremely ugly people. Where trees are nothing but income. Forests are to be leveled for cash. Don't think too hard. Just do what you want. In fact, that was also one of those times. My neighbor had 20,000 acres for god's sake. AND he was already a millionaire. And yet he had to log the five piddly acres of scrawny eight inch diameter trees in one of my views. My front yard, if you will. I remember having a very calm discussion with him which ended in a statement like, "Well, it's all about money. Either your money or my money". And he cut the forest. I'll carry that sadness to my grave. Hmmm. What the hell was I talking about? Sorry.

Here's something you might want to look at. The author was prodded by John Dean of the Nixon years, to write this book on what makes a conservative type. I have read the first hundred pages, and it's enlightening. The whole book is online. I think we need to arm ourselves. That's how the Daily Show does their stuff. Once we're armed, we can defuse their bullshit. I only post all of this stuff because if you go to all of the trouble to think up photoshops, then you are probably very much involved in this thinking.

Well, I probably said very little with a lot of words again. But you might find this book interesting.

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

Understanding the Contemporary Republican Party: Authoritarians Have Taken Control

Part One in a Three-Part Series = Wednesday, Sep. 05, 2007
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20070905.html

With this column, FindLaw columnist and former counsel to the president John Dean begins a three-part series relating to his best-selling book Conservatives Without Conscience. In this column, Dean argues that to understand the contemporary Republican party, it is necessary to understand longstanding social science research, particularly the research of Professor Bob Altemeyer, regarding two types of authoritarian personalities: those of authoritarian leaders and those of authoritarian followers.

This is the first in a three- part series of columns in which FindLaw columnist John Dean discusses his most recent book, Conservatives Without Conscience. - Ed.

Last year, I published Conservatives Without Conscience, but it struck me as a bit too self-promoting to use this space to talk about the book. The core of the book examines a half-century of empirical studies that had never been explained for the general reader. Not being a social scientist, I was thrilled when the book became a bestseller and countless political and social psychologists wrote to thank me for translating their work for the general reader.

At this point, I feel that this material is simply too crucial to understanding current politics and government for me to continue to ignore it in my columns for FindLaw. In addition, I want to refer to these findings throughout my commentary on the 2008 presidential and congressional elections, so it is time to set forth a few basics from this work.

Conservatives Without Conscience ("CWC") sought to understand the modern conservative movement, and in particular it's hard turn to the right during the past two-and-a-half decades. Conservatives have taken control of the Republican Party, and, in turn, the GOP has taken control of the government (all three branches, until 2006).

Who are these people? ............