Why Liberals Hate Hungary’s Viktor Orban So Much

By Sumantra Maitra

Hungarian President Viktor Orban was a once a dissident against communism. Then he turned to faith and flag—and became a heretic against liberalism.

The right’s entrancement with [Hungarian President Viktor] Orban has emerged fitfully over the last decade. One could find defenses of the Hungarian regime in places like the New York Post, the Federalist, the Heritage Foundation, and National Review. Yet, until recently, open support for Orban’s Hungary was an idiosyncratic minority position on the American right,” writes Jonathan Chait in one of his two articles last week on the topic, citing yours truly.

In the last couple of days, the leftist Twittersphere had a total meltdown over Hungary. The immediate cause was Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s visit to Hungary to shoot a documentary and take part in a conference.

“In Orban’s Hungary, +90% of media is controlled by the ruling party. Businesses are physically and legally harassed if they don’t toe the party line (or if someone wants them, cheap). Elections are manipulated. Party leaders are mysteriously rich. A model for Fox?” asked The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum on Twitter.

“Orban destroyed Hungarian democratic institutions, taking over the courts and using them as a weapon against his opponents and to enrich his family and friends. There are no more independent media. State contracts enrich his family. The US far right is going over there to learn,” claimed Yale University professor Jason Stanley.

full story at https://thefederalist.com/2021/08/09/why-liberals-hate-hungarys-viktor-orban-so-much/