--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American-style despotism is possible only…" description: "\"“American-style despotism is possible only if it has a large and influential base, and that potential exists in the religious right’s active role in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/john-w-dean-24242_despotism_american-style-despotism-is-possible-onl_758614.jpg" --- # American-style despotism is possible only if it has a… ![“American-style despotism is possible only if it has a large and influential base, and that potential exists in the religious right’s active role in the political arena.” quote by John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/john-w-dean-24242_despotism_american-style-despotism-is-possible-onl_758614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/john-w-dean-24242_despotism_american-style-despotism-is-possible-onl_758614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df0/john-w-dean-24242_despotism_american-style-despotism-is-possible-onl_758614.jpg) > ““American-style despotism is possible only if it has a large and influential base, and that potential exists in the religious right’s active role in the political arena.”” [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despotism can arise when a large, influential group, like the religious right, dominates politics. **In simple terms:** Powerful groups can enable authoritarianism. Key Takeaway Watch for concentrated influence in politics. Themes politics power religion authoritarianism Mood cautious analytical Type analysis warning When to use this quote - elections - policy making - public discourse - activism Key Concepts social control political mobilization Questions to Reflect On - What checks can prevent such concentration? - How does religious influence affect democracy? A Different Perspective It oversimplifies complex political dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Despotism Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism-possible-5887563/) [Influential Base](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influential-base-5887565/) [Large Influential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-influential-5887566/) [Religious right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-right/) [Style Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-despotism-5887564/) ## Related quotes > [“Consider these questions: Did Jesus ever suggest by word of example that we should aspire to acquire, let alone take over, the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/consider-these-questions-did-jesus-ever-suggest-by-word-of-example/) [Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/) > [Not every conservative Christian is a dominionist, but to say a movement doesn't exist, as some pundits and journalists have, without even being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/not-every-conservative-christian-is-a-dominionist-but-to-say-a/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [Adherents of the new religious right reject the separation of politics and religion, but they bring no spiritual insights to politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/adherents-of-the-new-religious-right-reject-the-separation-of/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [The first several scenes are about sexual addiction. They're not specifically political at all. . . . I didn't sit down and think, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/the-first-several-scenes-are-about-sexual-addiction-they-re-not/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [You are worried that the religious Right might succeed in forcing their values onto us? I am worried they might fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lapin/you-are-worried-that-the-religious-right-might-succeed-in-forcing/) [Daniel Lapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lapin/) > [“The religious right provides the foot soldiers for the GOP. This fact has profound implications for the rest of the Republicans’ ideological agenda.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lofgren/the-religious-right-provides-the-foot-soldiers-for-the-gop-this-fact/) [Mike Lofgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lofgren/) > [Originally, I was against gay marriage because I was opposed to all marriage, being an old-fashioned gay bohemian. The straight people I knew in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/originally-i-was-against-gay-marriage-because-i-was-opposed-to-all/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“The choices you have for your children are not the same as mine. For me, there is no such thing as a banned book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ellie-mackenzie/the-choices-you-have-for-your-children-are-not-the-same-as-mine-for/) [Sara Ellie MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ellie-mackenzie/) > [It's very irresponsible as a parent to follow Tipper Gore or the Religious Right's advice and just take the offending CD or game away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/it-s-very-irresponsible-as-a-parent-to-follow-tipper-gore-or-the/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [“The pastoral Left, religious Right, and everywhere in between were afflicted by a resurgent sentimentality and desire for immediate gratification incompatible with the uncompromising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-pastoral-left-religious-right-and-everywhere-in-between-were/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [“The political dominance of the Religious Right over the past three decades in America has had a profoundly negative effect on how Americans think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/the-political-dominance-of-the-religious-right-over-the-past-three/) [Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/) > [The theory that religion is a force for peace, often heard among the religious right and its allies today, does not fit the facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-theory-that-religion-is-a-force-for-peace-often-heard-among-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings, no attempts to woo the Religious Right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/in-lincoln-s-day-a-president-s-religion-was-a-very-private-affair/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [Rights mean you have a right to your life. You have a right to your liberty, and you should have a right to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/rights-mean-you-have-a-right-to-your-life-you-have-a-right-to-your/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [... For all our alarm, it is clear that the religious right is responding to a real hunger in our society... a deep-seated yearning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/for-all-our-alarm-it-is-clear-that-the-religious-right-is-responding/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) ## More by John W. Dean > [“• They travel in tight circles of likeminded people. • Their thinking is more likely based on what authorities have told them rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/they-travel-in-tight-circles-of-likeminded-people-their-thinking-is/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Social Dominators—Leaders: • typically men • dominating\* • opposes equality\* • desirous of personal power\* • amoral\* • intimidating and bullying • faintly hedonistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/social-dominators-leaders-typically-men-dominating-opposes-equality/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Conservatives without conscience do not have horns and tails; if they did they would be easier to identify. Many of them can be quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/conservatives-without-conscience-do-not-have-horns-and-tails-if-they/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“But on a more pedestrian level, he found it difficult for most right-wingers to talk about any subject about which they felt strongly without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/but-on-a-more-pedestrian-level-he-found-it-difficult-for-most-right/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“how have conservatives succeeded in coalescing as a political force? The simple answer is through the power of negative thinking, and specifically, the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/how-have-conservatives-succeeded-in-coalescing-as-a-political-force/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Now, on the investigation, you know, the Democratic break-in thing,” Haldeman began, “we’re back to the problem area, because the FBI is not under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/now-on-the-investigation-you-know-the-democratic-break-in-thing/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Probably about 20 to 25 percent of the adult American population is so right-wing authoritarian, so scared, so self-righteous, so ill-informed, and so dogmatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/probably-about-20-to-25-percent-of-the-adult-american-population-is/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/and-when-you-pray-do-not-be-like-the-hypocrites-for-they-love-to-pray/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Research finds that authoritarian aggression is fueled by fear and encouraged by remarkable self-righteousness, which frees aggressive impulses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/research-finds-that-authoritarian-aggression-is-fueled-by-fear-and/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“What actually occurred was that the Supreme Court issued its abominable opinion in Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857, asserting that slaves were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/what-actually-occurred-was-that-the-supreme-court-issued-its/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Haldeman, it seemed, lived by Polonius’ advice to his son—“apparel oft proclaims the man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/haldeman-it-seemed-lived-by-polonius-advice-to-his-son-apparel-oft/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“the “queen of mean,” Ann Coulter,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/the-queen-of-mean-ann-coulter/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Political scientist Clinton Rossiter, considered one of the first neoconservatives, answered this question head-on, and unlike his peers, honestly, in his early study Conservatism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/political-scientist-clinton-rossiter-considered-one-of-the-first/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s Hardball has made similar observations, and describes today’s Republicans as the “Daddy” party and Democrats as the “Mommy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/chris-matthews-of-msnbc-s-hardball-has-made-similar-observations-and/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“The evidence is overwhelming that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have engaged in deceit and deception over going to war in Iraq.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/the-evidence-is-overwhelming-that-george-w-bush-and-richard-b-cheney/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) [Explore all 24 John W. Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) ## More Despotism quotes > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“The central government was a despotism tempered by military rebellion and assassination and replacement of one scurvy lot of ruling dynasts by another. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/the-central-government-was-a-despotism-tempered-by-military-rebellion/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [When the savages of Louisiana wish to have fruit, they cut the tree at the bottom and gather the fruit. That is exactly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/when-the-savages-of-louisiana-wish-to-have-fruit-they-cut-the-tree-at/) [Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/) > [Republican despotism is more fertile in acts of tyranny, because everyone has a hand in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/republican-despotism-is-more-fertile-in-acts-of-tyranny-because/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Neither should men study war with a view to the enslavement of those who do not deserve to be enslaved; but first of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/neither-should-men-study-war-with-a-view-to-the-enslavement-of-those/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent despot, what chance has Democracy, which requires a whole population of capable voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-capable-benevolent-despot-what/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Liberty ... was a two-headed boon. There was first, the liberty of the people as a whole to determine the forms of their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/liberty-was-a-two-headed-boon-there-was-first-the-liberty-of-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“No longer enslaved or made dependent by force of law, the great majority are so by force of poverty; they are still chained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-longer-enslaved-or-made-dependent-by-force-of-law-the-great/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“All despotism is bad; but the worst is that which works with the machinery of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junius/all-despotism-is-bad-but-the-worst-is-that-which-works-with-the/) [Junius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junius/) > [But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-when-a-long-train-of-abuses-and-usurpations-pursuing-invariably/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all the ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed, and founder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-often-presents-itself-as-the-repairer-of-all-the-ills/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [A court which yields to the popular will thereby licenses itself to practice despotism, for there can be no assurance that it will not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/a-court-which-yields-to-the-popular-will-thereby-licenses-itself-to/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-may-govern-without-faith-but-liberty-cannot/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) [Browse all 327 Despotism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“American-style despotism is possible only if it has a large and influential base, and that potential exists in the religious right’s active role in the political arena.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John W. 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