But I have to fact-check your classical reference, Odysseus had his men plug their ears with beeswax so they could sail safely past the sirens. Only Odysseus, bound to his ship's mast, was able to hear their singing.
This is why I enjoy your voice, Laura: you talk about conservatives from the point of view of understanding. I've lived my whole life among more conservatives than anything else. I live in a conservative area, I work in heavy industry, I understand where they're coming from. Conservative thought makes sense in this environment, just as long as you don't think about things too deeply. It falls apart once you discard fear of the unknown as your primary motivation, but who has the time? Certainly not your average blue collar wage slave.
Anyhow, plenty has been written about Orban and what a piece of shit he is. To anyone who has any questions about the man, Google is free. This was perfect as a reflection on this particular speech and how it connected with that room. The warning is clear to anyone paying attention.
This was alright, but I think your audience would be much better served if you cited more Orban's anti-democratic policies and the havoc they've wreaked on Hungarian elections than just his June speech and his family policy. Ben Rhodes did a great interview with a hungarian member of the european parliament for Pod Save The World earlier this year that serves as a decent primer on the damage Orban has already caused to the integrity of the Hungarian democracy, and it's something that needs to be front and center in any article about the man, IMO. The more of the criticisms and warning signs are steeped in cultural and social matters, the easier it is for folks like the two gentlemen you encountered to try and explain them away -- much tougher to do that when confronted with the dying breaths of what was once a liberal democracy.
I appreciate the feedback--this was frantically written in the atrium of the Hilton Anatole in about 3 hours and was not as well researched as I would have liked. Pre-reporting would have helped. Definitely something to learn more about
It was an enjoyable read. I would stop being scared about covering future events however... Right wingers or even fascists like myself couldn't really care less what your political stripes are if you have a record of telling the truth and not demonizing them at every turn.
I followed you here from Twitter, and you were right to warn me about this piece. It’s hard to be optimistic when one of our two major parties is in a long, deep embrace with fascism. Thank you for bearing witness so I don’t have to listen to that man.
Everything Orban said is true. Nobody would have ever voted for the excesses of liberalism, which are now clear and obvious for all to see. Certainly, no one would vote to become a minority in their own country - this and many other conditions in the west have been imposed upon us by a hostile ruling class, and everybody knows it.
The tragedy of Orban is that he and his Fidesz party used to be a garden variety center-right bunch, not all that different from the CDU in Germany. Then a serious challenge developed on their right in the form of the genuinely scary racist/nationalist Jobbik movement, which polled 20% in 2014 and sent angry skinheads out into the streets of Budapest to mess people up when Fidesz squeaked out an electoral victory. (I happened to be there at the time, in the company of two Asian-American women, one of whom was a grad-student at the largely Soros-funded CEU; it was VERY uncomfortable.)
After 2014, Orban saw the chance to turn a threat into an opportunity. And he has succeeded. By spouting the same racist, anti-semitic anti-liberal rhetoric as the Jobbik crowd from a position of power, he has simultaneously defused the threat from his right (by moving in that direction) and entrenched Fidesz in an almost unassailable electoral position. (Of course, rigging the election process, arresting opponents, and casting a vote against him as a borderline treasonous act hasn't hurt either.) But in the process, Jobbik's agenda has become their agenda. (Jobbik actually still exists, but only as a small part of "United for Hungary" a cobbled together coalition of "not Fidesz" parties with little in common that polled about 35% this year.)
The parallel to today's Republicans is scary. Trump was using the same playbook as Orban. (Get out in front of the awful people and effectively put them in charge, while polarizing the electorate and demonizing your opponents in order to win a majority.) Mitch and Kevin know they have to keep these people in the tent to give them a shot at the big chair, which is why Trump and his imitators weren't purged a long time ago. But in the process, they've given the fringe control over much of the party's agenda and its rhetoric; they are becoming what they at first were only pretending to be. . .
The dynamic is somewhat different in the US, though, in that the "deplorables" don't represent nearly as large a fraction of the electorate. It's still in play whether this strategy wins in 2022. What is not a toss up is that the R's will lose badly without it.
But it's likely that there will be at least some violence afterwards, either way.
I understand your concern about the cheapening of the word fascist but more and more figures on the right can be described as nothing less. As a center left person I find the whole situation
You detailed a bunch of great policies/incentives Orban has established, and then tried to scare ppl away from them by labelling them national socialist. Why should anyone care what the label is? If sensible ppl make the connection you're hoping they make, they'll end up asking themselves "did Hitler try to improve his ppl's lives like Orban?".
This was really good. Upsetting......but beautifully written.
This might be the best thing I've read in a long time about where we are... Sadly, I anticipate it will age regrettably well.
This was an excellent, and troubling, piece.
But I have to fact-check your classical reference, Odysseus had his men plug their ears with beeswax so they could sail safely past the sirens. Only Odysseus, bound to his ship's mast, was able to hear their singing.
Damn! You're right and, as a self-proclaimed classics nerd, I am suitably embarrassed. Thank you, I'm gonna do a quick edit...
Sitting here in my home in Dallas, watching this spectacle across town, I've been looking for somebody to put in all in words....you have done that.
Orban's quotes are chilling.
Your description of your own work sounds deeply important to our present moment.
For many years, I used to slam those who suggested fascism was on the march in America.
Now, the best I can say is, "I can't talk you down."
We are still in a very dark time.
Tremendously written. Thank you for the sacrifice of your poor brain cells for having to attend CPAC.
I hope you can recover in peace from this insanity afterward.
Great article, very interesting and beautifully written. Thank you!
This is why I enjoy your voice, Laura: you talk about conservatives from the point of view of understanding. I've lived my whole life among more conservatives than anything else. I live in a conservative area, I work in heavy industry, I understand where they're coming from. Conservative thought makes sense in this environment, just as long as you don't think about things too deeply. It falls apart once you discard fear of the unknown as your primary motivation, but who has the time? Certainly not your average blue collar wage slave.
Anyhow, plenty has been written about Orban and what a piece of shit he is. To anyone who has any questions about the man, Google is free. This was perfect as a reflection on this particular speech and how it connected with that room. The warning is clear to anyone paying attention.
This was alright, but I think your audience would be much better served if you cited more Orban's anti-democratic policies and the havoc they've wreaked on Hungarian elections than just his June speech and his family policy. Ben Rhodes did a great interview with a hungarian member of the european parliament for Pod Save The World earlier this year that serves as a decent primer on the damage Orban has already caused to the integrity of the Hungarian democracy, and it's something that needs to be front and center in any article about the man, IMO. The more of the criticisms and warning signs are steeped in cultural and social matters, the easier it is for folks like the two gentlemen you encountered to try and explain them away -- much tougher to do that when confronted with the dying breaths of what was once a liberal democracy.
I appreciate the feedback--this was frantically written in the atrium of the Hilton Anatole in about 3 hours and was not as well researched as I would have liked. Pre-reporting would have helped. Definitely something to learn more about
It was an enjoyable read. I would stop being scared about covering future events however... Right wingers or even fascists like myself couldn't really care less what your political stripes are if you have a record of telling the truth and not demonizing them at every turn.
I followed you here from Twitter, and you were right to warn me about this piece. It’s hard to be optimistic when one of our two major parties is in a long, deep embrace with fascism. Thank you for bearing witness so I don’t have to listen to that man.
I love your wrap up about the sirens. Perfect metaphor for Orban.
A fine piece, with a killer last paragraph. Thanks.
Nigerians don't want to become a minority in Nigeria.
Sudanese don't want to become a minority in Sudan.
Chinese don't want to become a minority in China.
Hungarians don't want to become a minority in Hungary.
Which of the above is the fascist?
Everything Orban said is true. Nobody would have ever voted for the excesses of liberalism, which are now clear and obvious for all to see. Certainly, no one would vote to become a minority in their own country - this and many other conditions in the west have been imposed upon us by a hostile ruling class, and everybody knows it.
The tragedy of Orban is that he and his Fidesz party used to be a garden variety center-right bunch, not all that different from the CDU in Germany. Then a serious challenge developed on their right in the form of the genuinely scary racist/nationalist Jobbik movement, which polled 20% in 2014 and sent angry skinheads out into the streets of Budapest to mess people up when Fidesz squeaked out an electoral victory. (I happened to be there at the time, in the company of two Asian-American women, one of whom was a grad-student at the largely Soros-funded CEU; it was VERY uncomfortable.)
After 2014, Orban saw the chance to turn a threat into an opportunity. And he has succeeded. By spouting the same racist, anti-semitic anti-liberal rhetoric as the Jobbik crowd from a position of power, he has simultaneously defused the threat from his right (by moving in that direction) and entrenched Fidesz in an almost unassailable electoral position. (Of course, rigging the election process, arresting opponents, and casting a vote against him as a borderline treasonous act hasn't hurt either.) But in the process, Jobbik's agenda has become their agenda. (Jobbik actually still exists, but only as a small part of "United for Hungary" a cobbled together coalition of "not Fidesz" parties with little in common that polled about 35% this year.)
The parallel to today's Republicans is scary. Trump was using the same playbook as Orban. (Get out in front of the awful people and effectively put them in charge, while polarizing the electorate and demonizing your opponents in order to win a majority.) Mitch and Kevin know they have to keep these people in the tent to give them a shot at the big chair, which is why Trump and his imitators weren't purged a long time ago. But in the process, they've given the fringe control over much of the party's agenda and its rhetoric; they are becoming what they at first were only pretending to be. . .
The dynamic is somewhat different in the US, though, in that the "deplorables" don't represent nearly as large a fraction of the electorate. It's still in play whether this strategy wins in 2022. What is not a toss up is that the R's will lose badly without it.
But it's likely that there will be at least some violence afterwards, either way.
I understand your concern about the cheapening of the word fascist but more and more figures on the right can be described as nothing less. As a center left person I find the whole situation
beyond frightening and depressing.
You detailed a bunch of great policies/incentives Orban has established, and then tried to scare ppl away from them by labelling them national socialist. Why should anyone care what the label is? If sensible ppl make the connection you're hoping they make, they'll end up asking themselves "did Hitler try to improve his ppl's lives like Orban?".
I'll say one thing for you: you know exactly who and what you are. It's actually quite refreshing