Letter to the editor: Hungary’s election offers lessons for America

To the editor: A few weeks ago, Hungarian voters decisively took down Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his rubber-stamp populist party. For 16 years, Orbán's regime had methodically deconstructed the country's democratic government and economy. That stunning defeat should command the attention and embolden the growing mass of Americans who desperately want to dethrone the populist deconstructions of Donald Trump, his MAGA acolytes and clinging billionaires. Hungary and the United States are very different countries. However, the lessons learned from Orbán's defeat are straightforward and should resonate with American voters. First, the Hungarians settled on a younger, in earnest and disciplined Péter Magyar as their leader. A defector from Orbán's own circle, Magyar is certainly no starry-eyed progressive. But he deftly organized a broad coalition movement that tapped into a single compelling issue, and challenge —endemic and ruinous government corruption. Public outrage across all sectors of the country was palpable. Hungarians knew about the political cronyism, the sleazy backdoor deals and the outright financial thefts that robbed the country at large. And Magyar never got off message. He didn't get bogged down in left-versus-right arguments that lead to nowhere. He ignored culture war distractions. He just pounded away at the stagnant and retreating living conditions, the obscene income and wealth gaps. In the end, despite Orbán's takeover of media outlets, despite the shameless gaming and fixing of elections, his defeat was so overwhelming he couldn't claim (as he was planning) he was cheated of victory. The political parallels between Hungary and Trumpist America now are obvious enough. Trump and Sons, the cabal of domestic and foreign billionaires who suck up to them, blatantly use the most powerful office and the richest state on earth to enrich themselves further. No matter how far his poll numbers fall, Trump actually believes if he amasses enough wealth he will be invulnerable to restraint and defeat. Can Americans find a leader like Magyar? Can we even coalesce around a non-ideological movement and stay on point, and not be duped once again by red-herring campaigning? The bloody rich are never rich enough. It's all about the corruption. Richard Nelson Jacksonville