The Right-Wing Id Unzipped
Although Mitt Romney used the word "conservative" 19 times in a short speech at the February 10, 2012, Conservative Political Action Conference, the audience he used this word to appeal to was not conservative by any traditional definition. It was right wing. Despite the common American practice of using "conservative" and "right wing" interchangeably, right wing is not a synonym for conservative and not even a true variant of conservatism - although the right wing will opportunistically borrow conservative themes as required.
Right-wingers have occasioned much recent comment. Their behavior in the Republican debates has caused even jaded observers to react like an Oxford don stumbling upon a tribe of headhunting cannibals. In those debates where the moderators did not enforce decorum, these right-wingers, the Republican base, behaved with a single lack of dignity. For a group that displays its supposed pro-life credentials like a neon sign, the biggest applause lines resulted from their hearing about executions or the prospect of someone dying without health insurance.
Who are these people and what motivates them? To answer, one must leave the field of conventional political theory and enter the realm of psychopathology. . .
Right-wing alchemy transforms freedom into authoritarianism.
Robert Altemeyer, a Canadian psychologist, has done extensive testing to isolate and describe the traits of the authoritarian personality. His results are distilled in his book "The Authoritarians." He describes religious fundamentalists, the core of the right-wing Republican base, as follows:
They are highly submissive to established authority, aggressive in the name of that authority and conventional to the point of insisting everyone should behave as their authorities decide.
http://www.truth-out.org/right-wing-id-unzipped/1329147417
= new reply since forum marked as read
IMO
I think he added a section on how to deal with them; a discussion on what can we do (I'm not certain about this...someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
It's available free as an ebook. Just google away.
IMO, a big step we could take (somehow--- :shrug
would be to take the media spotlight off the fucking sick crap they spew in the culture wars...or better yet, rebut the garbage. Just stop letting their fact-free hate and control ideology stand unchallenged, as if it were equally valid with liberal views.
been so computer addicted, I don't read books anymore! 
Luuurrve the intertubes, but they do have their downside! 
On a board full of brilliant brilliant minds, and coming from one whom I admire as one of them....I am humbled! (and grinning like a little kid, cuz....who doesn't like compliments? 
)
Thank you for the references!!! NOt familiar with the Kahneman....gonna go have a look now!
(I see an abridged edition of the Adorno book.....much more reasonable price...is that ok? Or is there too much good stuff missing from the abridgement?)
