The GOP, like Orban and his party in Hungary, wants power above all else. It may be draped in Christian nationalist clothing and "moral" leanings, but it is only about the power to destroy democracy, become dictators and then seize the wealth of their nations. They are brainwashing and using their supporter's fear and ignorance against them and their countries.

Florida’s Ron DeSantis Is Just a Step Behind Hungary’s Fascist Viktor Orbán - Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/floridas-ron-desantis-is-just-a-step-behind-hungarys-fascist-viktor-orban/

#IlliberalDemocracy
#GOPFascism
#PowerHunger
#Greed
#WannabeDictators

"The similarities between the tactics used by the GOP and the government of Viktor Orbán — the authoritarian prime minister of Hungary — are not incidental.

“...Many right-wing U.S. intellectuals and journalists (Rod Dreher, Patrick Deneen, Tucker Carslon, etc.) consider Orbán as a role model,” Zsolt Enyedi, a professor at Central European University in Vienna told Truthout. “For a while I thought that they don’t know what Orbán is doing in terms of centralization, removing checks and balances, clampdown on freedom of speech, etc., but now I think they know it and they like it…. Once [Donald] Trump is replaced by a better organized and smarter leader, U.S. democracy can get into real danger.”

Orbán, the head of Hungary’s far right Fidesz party, which secured a third supermajority in the Parliament in 2022, has unapologetically dubbed his own style of governance as an “illiberal democracy” — a regime that Amnesty International describes as being characterized by “a strong state, a weak opposition, and emaciated checks and balances.” In the past decade, Orbán has targeted marginalized populations such as the Roma, LGBTQ and Jewish communities.

Activist Viktor Mak, who moved from Hungary to Vienna in March, explained to Truthout that the Orbán government has tactfully fostered Orbán as “the leader of this global conservative movement,” fostering the authoritarian turn of the Republican Party and stoking the far right in the U.S.

William Horne, a history scholar and postdoctoral fellow at Villanova University, also underscored the active connections between right-wing forces in Hungary and the U.S.

“While we tend to think about these as separate threats, in many respects, they are part of the same global fascist movement supported and spread by the same far right information networks,” Horne told Truthout. “While Republicans praise the repressive regimes of adversaries because of their oppressive nature, they have worked hard to court and create what is now a burgeoning global fascist movement. [The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)] is a prime example of these efforts, with Christian nationalist dictators like Orbán literally taking center stage.”

Close on Hungary’s Heels, Florida Tests Out Authoritarian Polices in the U.S.
The recent anti-democratic attacks in state legislatures across the U.S., such as silencing and ousting political opponents, targeting citizens’ bodily autonomy, undermining intellectual freedom and limiting minorities’ access to public life are part of the basic playbook of authoritarian governments. Specifically, the attack on transgender existence, the study of gender studies in schools and universities, and LGBTQ rights is a tactic used by authoritarian governments to consolidate power and limit free expression.

While Florida is certainly not the only state toying with authoritarian policies, it may be the canary in a coal mine warning of what may be coming to the national stage very, very soon. Not only has Orbán spoken at CPAC and with Trump, but, recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently met with the new Hungarian President Katalin Novak, who is a close ally to Orbán and heavily funded by him..."