"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
— Sinclair Lewis, author of It Can't Happen Here, 1935

For the first time since the Nixon era, Americans have reason to doubt the future — or even the presence — of democracy. We live in a society where government conspires with big business and big evangelism; where ideologues and religious zealots attack logic and the scientific method; and where the ruling party encourages xenophobic nationalism based on irrational, manufactured fear. The party in power seems to seek a perpetual state of war to hold on to power, and they are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to achieve their ends. The question must be asked: Are we headed toward the end of American democracy?

Nobel Prize-winning author Sinclair Lewis depicted authoritarianism American-style in his sardonically titled dystopian novel It Can't Happen Here, published in 1935. Now, bestselling political journalist Joe Conason argues that it can happen here — and a select group of extremely powerful right-wing ideologues are driving us ever closer to the precipice.

In this compelling, impassioned, yet rational and fact-based look at the state of the nation, Conason shows how and why America has been wrenched away from its founding principles and is being dragged toward authoritarianism.

"Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel It Can't Happen Here envisaged a right-wing populist president, advised by a cunning political strategist and backed by a cynical alliance of religious fundamentalists and corporations, who uses security threats to consolidate dictatorial powers, destroy civil liberties and establish folksy fascism. This is a virtual blueprint for the current Bush administration, a 'corrupt and authoritarian ruling clique' that accords the president 'the prerogatives of a king,' argues political columnist Conason (Big Lies) in this lively, if overwrought, j'accuse. He surveys a long list of what he sees as Bush administration affronts to freedom and democracy: military tribunals, torture, warrantless wiretapping, politically motivated terrorism alerts, a war based on fraudulent pretexts, the Abramoff scandals, the handover of policy making to business interests and Christian zealots, tight secrecy coupled with a dissemination of propaganda through the right-wing media and a lawless contempt for constitutional constraints on the presidency. His indictment often hits home, but it's broad and indiscriminate, treating biased journalism, religion-tinged politics and lobbying scandals as signs of creeping fascism rather than age-old commonplaces of democracy. Conason delivers his usual cogent, hard-hitting critique of Republican misdeeds, but his insinuations of authoritarianism, coming just as the Republicans have been voted out of power in Congress, seem badly timed." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In Sinclair Lewis' 1935 novel, It Can't Happen Here, "it" referred to an American version of the totalitarian dictatorships of Germany and Italy. In his latest publication, political journalist Conason investigates the current state of American politics, arguing that, for the first time since the Nixon administration, there is the danger that "it" can happen here and that there are significant reasons to be concerned about the state of democracy in the U.S. today. Conason writes for Salon.com and has written a popular political column for The New York Observer since 1992. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"[Conason] ably catalogs the Bush administration's attempts to subvert civil liberties." New York Times

Political columnist Conason maintains that bit by bit, essential liberties and constitutional protections are being diminished or discarded. Americans of all persuasions must ask, where will it end? This is his chilling answer.

Joe Conason is the national correspondent for the New York Observer, where he writes a political column that is distrubuted by the United Features Syndicate. He is also a contributing editor for Talk magazine and a contributer to Salon.com. His writing has appeared in The Nation, Harper's, The New Yorker, and many other publications.