"being the only country in which speaks Hungarian, meaning that you fully control all media on your language by being an autocrat in charge of Hungary," "being in power for twelve years," "having a heavily centralized country with few devolved powers."
(it's seven so far folks is he gonna go for straight fifteen)
"being a party-state, not a personalist autocracy," "being sufficiently unconstrained by laissez-faire ideology that it can reward its supporters directly," "willingness to use the public sector as a tool rather than destroying it," "having a plausible succession mechanism if Orban died."
Is a “party-state” one where the administrative functions of a state can often be run through a strict partisan organization (with all its attendant bureaucracy and manpower)
Yeah like in china where there’s an elaborate institutionalized party whose administrative structures are fused with the state America doesn’t even really have parties in that sense anymore and Trump certainly isn’t leading one
Putin is like Trump I think in that while he has a party, it’s not that kind of party, it’s an electoral label and loose container for his cronies
"not having an attachment to performances of autocracy; giving the appearance of being constrained by law," "lacking incubators for antigovernment sentiment outside of the direct control of the central government"
nypost.com/2025/08/31/u...
... and yet, they *still* might lose next time!
nypost.com/2025/08/31/u...
People think authoritarianism is just a "win forever" button that liberals refuse to press out of sportsmanship or something. It's complicated, and it carries difficult trade offs, and it generally serves right wing ends !!
You just lock up everyone who opposes you and then it's 3,000 years of uninterrupted rule as a dynasty of god-pharaohs, right?
There's still a sizeable Hungarian minority in Romania!
and they all consume media from Hungary, meaning that they almost all vote Fidesz!
(the diaspora can vote.)
“sizable voting diaspora that doesn’t live with the consequences of policy but can be swayed cost-free by performing nationalism” is also an advantage in itself
"Can weaponize the nationalist resentments of a significant voting bloc without having to deal with any of the consequences of boiling-over nationalist resentment because the resentful nationalists are in another country."
Yeah Fidesz spearheaded granting voting rights to ethnic Hungarians abroad, who vote for them. Also don’t forget voter tourism - voters can register in any district, regardless of residence, disproportionately benefits Fidesz who meticulously organize this.
but also. Didn't/doesn't Orban offer "treats" to the herrenvolk or whatever the fuck the Hungarian term would be, you know, the rustic base? Too?
hey so Hungary has a right of return for people w/Hungarian ancestry I think? Can those people vote in Hungarian elections, too?
though actually if that were true nationally *here?* off the top total mess but I think it probably boils down to Republicans never win dogcatcher ever again.
I am sorry, they can what
but btw this is why I'm a bit 😬 whenever I see people say, god, the Constitution's so outdated and flawed (in many ways, definitely); too bad it isn't much easier to amend. soooo that can go either way it turns out...
makes gerrymandering look amateurish doesn't it
In 2021 Fidesz made it legal to register at an address you don’t live at. This allows diaspora Hungarians to vote for specific candidates, among other things
Lowered mandatory retirement age for jurists (which we don’t even have), forcing out hundreds of judges that Orban replaced with pliant stooges (far beyond what Trump could possibly do)
yeah, see, and people *want* mandatory retirement ages for federal judges (and now Congress, at least half seriously) here and: again, maybe be careful what you wish for. I DO think we need more accountability for lifetime appointment judges. maybe they're just not lifetime appointments. 10 years
BTW the voter tourism thing was specifically pushed through by Fidesz in ‘22 because even their hilariously extreme gerrymandering was looking shaky.
weirdly isn’t the Hungarian ethnic party in Romania a boring ass Christian democrat party that’s like the only normal party in the country
Seems unnecessarily rude.
also Hungary being a country where the normal mode of governance is autocracy/dictatorship and there is a deep tradition of popular support for fascism
it matters that orban is a return to form for Hungary while trump is not!
-Came to power at 40. People know he could have 50 years to reward/protect them for doing bad things for him, and the same in which to take revenge on them. -Only a democracy since 1989, meaning people remember dictatorship (some fondly.) -World media doesn't give a shit what happens in Hungary.
-Hungary is hugely white/Christian. Immigrants there are often brown, Muslim, and poor, and don't speak Hungarian = easily othered. Trump is up against a proud "melting pot" tradition, with immigrants who speak English/Spanish, start businesses, and are largely Catholic. Most people like 'em.
Having the EU or NATO to blame whenever he has to do something out of character is quite helpful to him, as well.
Also, he gave ethnic Hungarians in other countries passports which gives them the right to vote in the national election, who also tend to often be Nagy-Magyarorszag nationalists.
“Orban not being 79 years old and seemingly falling apart” is a big one.