Note that John Dean is not to be confused with James Dean, the movie star, or Jimmy Dean, the sausage king.
John Dean, formerly a White House Counsel during Richard Nixon’s presidency in the 1970s, gained favor with Nixon due to his connections with influential political figures like the Barry Goldwater family and his appeal to the younger demographic. Despite his less-than-ideal history at the law firm Welch & Morgan, Dean’s associations helped him secure a prominent position within the Nixon administration. However, during the Watergate scandal, Dean betrayed Nixon by providing testimony to Congress that implicated other government officials. His notable line during the Watergate hearings, “There’s a cancer on the presidency,” captured widespread attention through high television ratings and increased media coverage. Dean was the first member of Nixon’s team to publicly accuse him of participating in the Watergate scandal and subsequent cover-up.
Richard Nixon, often regarded as a controversial figure, faced immense disdain from Democrats during his presidency, being likened to infamous historical figures such as Hitler. Even decades after Nixon’s tenure and passing, strong sentiments against him persisted among Democrats, creating a lasting negative perception fueled by propaganda. Nixon’s interactions with and praises for Donald Trump, another polarizing Republican leader, further inflamed existing sentiments against him.
Following his betrayal of Nixon in 1973, John Dean was stripped of his lawyer credentials due to his involvement in criminal activities. Since then, Dean has predominantly aligned himself with Democratic viewpoints, regularly echoing criticisms of current Republican leaders in mainstream media outlets. Dean’s career has been characterized by his tendency to emerge periodically in the media landscape, vocally comparing contemporary Republican scandals to the infamous Watergate incident and asserting that current GOP figures are more insidious than Nixon.
And I have the receipts.
- Here is John Dean initiating his new career as a basher of other (non-Nixon) Republican leaders by going after President Gerald Ford.
- Here he is attacking President Ronald Reagan on Iran-Contra, claiming “The Iran-Contra inquiries involve matters of national security. Watergate, on the other hand, involved the political security of Richard Nixon. These are major league matters vs. little league.”
- Here he is authoring a book on President George W. Bush titled “Worse Than Watergate: The Secret Presidency of George W. Bush” and also claiming Bush had “Nixonian features” and that Vice President Dick Cheney “knows no limits” in his desire for authoritarian control.
- Here he is expressing his view that “The McCain/Palin Ticket Perfectly Fits the Authoritarian Conservative Mold” and that the two candidates are also extremely negative, nasty and dishonest.
- Here he is saying presidential candidate Mitt Romney has very “Nixonian” qualities (and later, here).
- Here he is, during the Trump 45 term, declaring Donald Trump is “even worse than Nixon” and further explaining that Trump is “nasty”, a “narcissist”, a “sick man” and “dangerous.”
- Note: It is unclear to me why President George H. W. Bush never faced the wrath of John Dean. However, it is possible that Dean’s book on George W. Bush also includes criticisms of the father. But I am not planning to shell out the money to find out. (Does anyone know?)
Now John Dean has a whole new Trump (47) term to make some more money by bashing President Donald Trump as a Republican Hitler devil. And as we can see, he is starting early!
Unfortunately for the Democrats, however, they really need to start planning for the future. John Dean is getting pretty long in the tooth, right now, at age 86. His days of use to them as a Prominent-Republican-Who-Bashes-Current-Republicans is surely coming to a close. So, they really need to start auditioning for the next Republican John Dean.
Perhaps they will favor someone currently in the Trump 47 White House? Any suggestions from my audience?
