Orbán rival’s message of courage should take root here
John Shattuck, president emeritus of Central European University, offers valuable insight into the resounding defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his April 15 op-ed, “Orbán’s loss offers US a road map for resistance.”
Whereas many pundits have focused on Hungarian voters’ reactions to corruption and impoverishment, Shattuck gets to the heart of Péter Magyar’s strategy and victory: courage. He writes, “Magyar’s message, ‘Do not be afraid,’ captured the essence of Orbán’s bullying authoritarianism and the deep desire of Hungarians to be freed from fearful submission.” Shattuck also emphasizes the importance of elite institutions standing up, despite threats, and the need for a big-tent resistance effort.
A difference here in the United States is that we haven’t suffered nearly as long as the Hungarian people. A crucial question is whether Americans have had enough of authoritarian rule and its damage to our democratic institutions, government protections, rule of law, separation of powers, individual rights and freedoms, economic well-being, and standing in the world.
Get The Gavel
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
As a country, we seem to have lost track of our Founders’ vision. But our nation’s 250th anniversary is a good time to wake up to the benefits and promises of our Founders’ dream. Let’s not be afraid to exhibit courage — indeed, the protesters in Minneapolis showed us the way. Even small acts of resistance can be emboldening.
Marjorie Lee
Wayland
Autocratic leader’s fall in Hungary signals a hit to Trumpism
The stunning defeat of Victor Orbán, Hungary’s autocratic leader and soul mate of President Trump, in that country’s pivotal parliamentary elections has implications well beyond the borders of Hungary, as Kimberly Atkins Stohr notes in her April 16 Opinion column, “Lessons from Hungary for the midterms and beyond.” Uncanny similarities between Orbán’s and Trump’s leadership demonstrate how the Hungarian prime minister’s fall might portend a similar fate for Trumpism in the US midterm elections.
The party of Orbán’s rival, Péter Magyar, won a two-thirds majority. Along with recent electoral trends in the United States, the results in Hungary signal a victory for democracy and a setback for Trump. Our president has emulated Orbán’s transformation of his country from a democracy to an autocracy — a path Trump is determined to continue pursuing here.
Trump and Orbán swindled their way to virtual one-man rule in their respective countries. Both have proceeded to dismantle the very framework of their nations’ democracies, concentrating executive authority, effectively disabling their governments’ system of checks and balances, challenging the judiciary, dominating the lawmakers, engaging in corruption, and limiting freedom of the press.
Both men’s demonstrated disdain for democracy allied them with Russia and Vladimir Putin, whose values they share. Whether Hungary’s rejection of Orbán represents a turning point for the European Union and the United States remains to be seen, but the implications for the future of democracy are clearly favorable.
Roger Hirschberg
South Burlington, Vt.
Re “Lessons from Hungary for the midterms and beyond”: Nearly 80 percent of Hungarian voters turned out to defeat Viktor Orbán. In the United States we are lucky if we top 60 percent for a presidential election, and at midterms turnout is 20 percentage points lower.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Steven Artigas
Westerly, R.I.