Letter to the Editor: Does Hungary’s leader speak for America's conservatives?

On May 18-20, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be holding a conference in Budapest with Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, as keynote speaker.

If you, dear reader, are not sure what a large portion of the Republican Party believes in, check out a partial list of what Orban is purportedly doing in Hungary, according to various news sources, including Reuters and Anne Applebaum: (1) undermining democracy and individual rights; (2) curbing media and judicial independence; (3) enriching himself, his family and loyal associates with public funds; (4) recasting election laws to entrench his power; (5) restricting the rights of LGBTQ people; and (6) preventing the shipment of arms to Ukraine through his country.

I think a lot of Republicans find Orban attractive because they no longer believe democracy can deliver what they want. For them, democracy was always a means to an end, not an end in itself. The end was Republican control, which democracy, by definition, could not guarantee. What they really wanted was not government by the people, for the people and of the people but government by, for and of the few, who just happen to be wealthy and White.

Unless we want to become another Hungary, we must follow the example of Ukraine and show the world that we, “the people,” love our country enough to keep “the few” from taking over.

We are tired, we are anxious, but we are not defeated. For everyone who calls himself or herself a believer in democracy, it is imperative that you vote for like-minded candidates in the November midterms.

Julia Sperry

Hockessin