September 14, 2023
MET ONE IDENTITARIAN YOU'VE MET THEM ALL:
Orbán's Tainted Democracy: A new book on Viktor Orbán reminds us that democracy can be peacefully overthrown by those who loudly assert their democratic bona fides. (Arch Puddington, 13 Sep 2023, American Purpose)
The innovation of Orbánism lies in the way it combined American-style self-confidence with a politics of indignation transforming ethnic nationalism into an angst about Civilization; exploiting the narratives of political Christianity in opposition to Christian principles; and renewing the language of populism so that it can be deployed from a position of government. [...]As he was solidifying Fidesz's rule for the long run, Orbán launched campaigns against a cascading roster of evil forces supposedly arrayed to undermine Hungarian sovereignty. First he targeted multinational corporations, then the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, blaming them for being elites who stymied Hungary's escape from financial crisis. Other targets followed: migrants, George Soros, LGBT activists, liberalism generally.
Posted by Orrin Judd at September 14, 2023 7:37 AM