To the Viktor Belong the Spoils

“If you separate Western civilization from its Judaeo-Christian heritage, the worst things in history happen… Let’s be honest, the most evil things in modern history were carried out by people who hated Christianity. Don’t be afraid to call your enemies by their name. You can’t play safe but they will never show mercy… Politics are not enough. This war is a culture war." 

 Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, above, at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas on August 4th.

It’s no secret the democracy is under assault all over the world. But to find that clearly in a NATO ally, a member of the European Union, with an autocratic leader with exceptionally close ties to the American Republican Party, is very disturbing. After all, this move to autocracy began with the free election of Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who has presided over his nation for twelve years. His close relationship to Vladimir Putin – evidenced by his many visits with the Russian leader, his rejection of EU caps on natural gas imports and his statements that Europe (particularly Germany) may change its tune on Ukraine after a cold winter without sufficient Russian natural gas to keep warm – continue to chafe at NATO’s hardline support for Ukraine.

The love affair from Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and the radical extreme of the Republican Party, championing Orbán’s autocracy (which Orbán calls “illiberal democracy”), is clear in GOP visits to Budapest, followed up with Orbán’s keynote speech at CPAC (excerpt above) in Dallas earlier this summer. Hungary has become Orbán’s right-wing fiefdom in Europe. Hungarians actually voted for Orbán. This misuse of democracy to end democracy should be a warning here to the efforts being mounted by the Republican radical right, which openly embraces illiberalism, fundamental Christianity and culture wars: Rule by a White Christian minority.

Orbán reconfigured Hungary’s judicial system, from top to bottom, to sustain his term of office and his illiberal policies. He shut down media that opposed his policies. A fierce opponent of immigration, particularly non-White and non-Christian, Orbán set programs to encourage “pure Hungarian” women to have “pure” babies, with a variety of state incentives. But the exceptionally close and open ties between the GOP and Orbán go well beyond CPAC. From an August 4th report from NBC: “Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, 59, is widely criticized around the world for systematically dismantling his country’s nascent democracy during his 12 years in power — but that hasn’t stopped him from emerging as a darling of many on the right in America…

“Former President Donald Trump and his onetime chief strategist Steve Bannon are also speaking at CPAC, America’s top conservative conference. And both are fans of Orbán’s. Trump endorsed Orbán in January, three months before he was re-elected to a fourth term, and Bannon called the Hungarian leader ‘Trump before Trump’ in a speech in Budapest in 2018… While Trump was voted out, Orbán, the first European Union leader to speak out in support of Trump’s campaign in 2016, looks unassailable, with control over the media, the legislature and the judiciary in Hungary. Meanwhile, the [Hungarian] fractured left-wing, centrist opposition is marginalized.”

The European Union, still smarting from Brexit, has grown increasingly uncomfortable with Orbán’s open repudiation of so many of their underlying law and principles. Despite warnings from EU leadership, Orbán’s defiant illiberalism has only solidified. He has openly flaunted his veering away from true democracy, and other than harsh words, the EU has pretty much done nothing against Orbán’s defiance… until perhaps now. The September 19th Associated Press tells us that this EU position just may change:

“The European Union’s executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend about $7.5 billion in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money… The European Commission, which proposes the bloc’s laws and ensures that they are respected, said it was acting ‘to ensure the protection of the EU budget and the financial interests of the EU against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary.’

“EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that despite measures Hungary has proposed to address the deficiencies, the commission is recommending the suspension… The money would come from ‘cohesion funds’ granted to Hungary. This share of money, one of the biggest slices of the bloc’s budget, helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure up to EU standards.

“EU countries pay about 1% of their gross national income into the budget. Hungary is slated to receive at least $50 billion in all from the 2021-27 budget, according to commission estimates… Any action to suspend the funds must be approved by the EU member countries, and this requires a ‘qualified majority,’ which amounts to 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population… They have one month to decide whether to freeze Hungary’s funds, but can in exceptional circumstances extend that period to two months. The commission is recommending that the member countries take until Nov. 19 to allow Hungary more time to address the concerns.

“The commission has for nearly a decade accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations… Speaking after a meeting of EU commissioners in Brussels, which unanimously endorsed the move, Hahn welcomed Hungary’s offer to fix the problem, saying that its proposed remedial action goes ‘in the right direction.’” Indeed, Orbán not only provides solace to Vladimir Putin, evidence of some disunity among NATO allies, but his autocratic actions show how fragile true democracy is. Especially here in a wildly polarized America.

I’m Peter Dekom, but that Orbán has become the darling of MAGA Republicans is particularly disturbing… and tells us that Hungary has become a GOP model for governance.