Evidence of Tom DeLay's Authoritarianism

A Question-and-Answer Session with Dr. Bob Altemeyer About DeLay's New Autobiography

By JOHN W. DEAN

from Findlaw.com
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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:

QUESTION: Why were you interested in DeLay's autobiography?

ANSWER: Because research in North America indicates that the people who become leaders of right-wing authoritarian movements tend to have strong religious beliefs serving as co-pilots to dominating, aggressive, amoral tendencies. It seems this arrangement would lead to a plane crash. But often these people do quite well in life. You and I both see Tom DeLay as such a leader, and I wanted to study his account of his career.

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