DeSantis: Following Hungary's Viktor Orban Model of religious nationalism

[Joinfortmill]

Letters from an American: Heather Cox Richardson:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-28-2022?s=r

As usual there is so much to unpack in this Letter. What stood out for me was the DeSantis handbook.

"...Orbán has taken control of Hungary’s media, ensuring that his party wins all elections; has manipulated election districts in his own favor; and has consolidated the economy into the hands of his cronies by threatening opponents with harassing investigations, regulations, and taxes unless they sell out...

DeSantis is following this model right down to the fact that observers believe that Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill was modeled on a similar Hungarian law. DeSantis’s attack on Disney mirrors Orbán’s use of regulatory laws to punish political opponents (although the new law was so hasty and flawed it threatens to do DeSantis more harm than good).

DeSantis is not alone in his support for Orban’s tactics: Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson openly admires Orbán, and next month the Conservative Political Action Committee will hold its conference in Hungary, with Orbán as a keynote speaker."

[Irish_Dem]

1. GOP leaders are no longer hiding the fact they want to be autocratic despots.

Permanent total power and access to all US assets.

Pandering to their racist base who are fine with all of this.

[LastDemocratInSC]

2. You are correct.

In my youth our neighbors were mostly right wing John Birch Society followers. They were strongly opposed to Russia, communism and all things related to that. However, their local organizations were modeled on Stalin's concept of using "cells" of individuals to promote ideology. They did that because, in their words, "it worked".

Fast forward to today - those Birchers are now Fox / Putin / Erdogan acolytes working to destroy the American Way that they previously supported.

There is an old adage... Choose your enemies carefully because you may eventually become what they are.

[Irish_Dem]

3. As long as GOP voters get white christian minority rule they are OK with autocracy.

A Russian/Chinese form of government is OK with them.

At least that is what they think right now. They may have a few surprises in store when they finally understand what an autocracy means on a day to day basis.

[atreides1]

4. Yep

Unfortunately...as long as the autocrats direct the base's attention to those people who are "different"...it'll be decades before reality takes hold...if it ever does!!!

[Irish_Dem]

5. True.

As long as the GOP is targeting women and POC, the GOP base will tolerate an autocracy.

[Hortensis]

6. Yes 100%, EXCEPT don't forget POC who vote GOP.

AND that a large portion of the 40% or so of POC who don't vote at all are conservative and a lot more in sympathy with the conservative white man's party than the liberal party they regard about the way white Republicans do. They've been assisting white male conservatives to power for a long time, and the wave of authoritarianism that's risen on both right and left has a lot of POC in it. Note that Hispanics are voting in higher numbers, and more of them are voting for the authoritarians who put brown children in cages.

[Hortensis]

7. Yes 100%, except people need to remember the POC who vote GOP.

ALSO that a large portion of the 40% or so of POC who don't vote at all are conservative and a lot more in sympathy with the conservative white man's party than the liberal party they regard about the way white Republicans do.

They prefer the white male conservative party in power, and now the wave of authoritarianism that's risen on both right and left has a lot of POC in it. Note that Hispanics have been voting in higher numbers in recent elections and that more of them are voting for the authoritarians who put brown children in cages.