When I saw the adoring reception Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban received at this weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference, one thought crossed my mind.
Thank God Adolf Hitler is dead.
Orban is infamous for taking steps that essentially are destroying democracy in his country, In a speech in his own country two weeks ago, he endorsed what has became known as replacement theory. White supremacists stuff.
And the CPAC crowd loved him.
CPAC had heard from every lunatic right-winger in the world, from Rush Limbaugh to Ann Coulter to Dinesh D’Souza. And of course Donald Trump speaks every year now.
In his speech, Orban played to his Texas audience by saying Hungary is the Lone Star State of Europe.
He raved against fellow Hungarian George Soros, ranted against multiculturalism and spoke of the wonders of an authoritarian government directing people toward the right goals.
If this shows anything, it’s that the far right in this country will do just about anything to a) hang onto power, and b) return society to where it was a hundred years ago.
A time when women stayed home and had babies, gay people stayed deep in the closet and people who weren’t White Anglo-Saxon Protestant knew their place and understood that they weren’t really true Americans.
Sadly, we have a situation now where far too many people think it doesn’t matter who runs the government, that they’re going to get screwed either way. So they might as well support people who will at least make the people they dislike angry.
With that kind of attitude, you get guys like Trump.
And Orban.
It’s just another in the long list of bizarre occurrences at CPAC, from Limbaugh’s hour-long speech he gave dressed like a Russian gangster to Trump’s two-hour peroration three years ago when he humped an American flag before leaving the stage.
CPAC is an absolute toilet. Cheers for people like “Klan Mom” Marjorie Taylor Greene and “Klannie Oakley” Lauren Boebert show that females are going at least as far beyond the pale as the menfolk. I’m not sure there is anyplace in America where there’s as much testosterone, anger and phony religiosity on display as their yearly convention, with the possible exception of the National Rifle Association.
Both groups believe that Jesus would have been able to avoid his crucifixion if he had only been packing heat.
The ultimate good guy with a gun.
It’s easy to laugh at these groups, but it would be a huge mistake not to take them seriously.
Especially since they’re making heroes of guys like Orban.
How do they top that next year?
Two words.
Vladimir Putin.
Thank God Hitler is dead.