美国国家公共电台 NPR--Hungary's autocratic leader tells U.S. conservatives to join his culture war

Hungary's autocratic leader tells U.S. conservatives to join his culture war

Transcript¹

When Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán, arrived in the U.S. this week, he bypassed the White House and President Biden to pay a visit to a more admiring U.S. president. He caught up with former President Donald Trump² at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J.

That was on the way to the Conservative Political Action Conference's annual gathering³ in Dallas, where Orbán gave the kickoff address on Thursday afternoon — despite a speech last week widely decried⁴ as racist⁵, even by one of his top aides. She resigned in protest.

Orbán sloughed⁶ off such criticism on Thursday.

"Don't worry, a Christian⁷ politician cannot be racist, so we should never hesitate to heavily challenge our opponents on these issues," Orbán told his Texas audience. "Be sure: Christian values protect us from going too far."

To many in the right wing of the Republican party, Orbán offers a model for electoral success. His endurance — he won his fourth straight term as prime minister in April — relies on an unrepentant appeal to a white and Christian heritage for Hungary. It has also depended on rounds of crackdowns on civil liberties and dissenting⁸ voices inside the country.

In his speech on Thursday, Orbán portrayed⁹ the political fight both in Europe and the U.S. as a stark¹⁰ cultural battle over issues including migration¹¹, same-sex marriage and policing.

"They hate me and slander¹² me and my country as they hate you and slander you," he said, identifying Democrats¹⁴ and liberals as the enemy.

His rhetoric¹⁵ recalled that of Pat Buchanan in his unsuccessful Republican presidential bid in 1992, when he famously declared, "There is a religious war going on in this country" and that the "soul of America" was at stake.

Orbán has been given intellectual credence¹⁶ in the U.S. by the American Conservative's Rod Dreher and extraordinary exposure by Fox News's Tucker Carlson, whom Orbán invoked¹⁷ once more today. The primetime cable star has played an outsized role in presenting Orbán to a broader public in this country with interviews, a documentary series and a recurrent argument that the U.S. would be better off with the Hungarian leader's approach. Both have waved away the more problematic implications of Orbán's rhetoric. On Wednesday night, on his show, Carlson even offered what he presented as an apology to one of Orbán's advisers²⁰ — on behalf of the American media.

"Just a few years ago, his views would have been seen as moderate and conventional," Carlson said last summer, in introducing a week's worth of Fox shows from Hungary. "He thinks families are more important than banks. He believes countries need borders. For saying these things out loud, Orbán has been vilified²¹."

In May, Orbán returned the favor, saying the conservative media cannot compete with what he called "the dominant²² media."

"Only my friend Tucker Carlson places himself on the line without wavering," Orbán said in May, to a gathering of an arm of CPAC in Budapest, according to a translation offered by CNN. "Programs like his should run day and night. As you say, 24-7."

Many Hungarian policies would rankle²³ the American right. Abortion²⁴ is legal in Hungary, to a point. The state greatly restricts private gun ownership. And the government offers health care to all.

Such distinctions make no difference to fans seeking inspiration from a strong leader. At that CPAC convention in May, Carlson popped in by videotape, to offer his endorsement²⁵ of Orbán's Hungary.

CPAC speaker list includes senators, media stars and conspiracy²⁶ theorists

CPAC's conferences excite a cadre of hardline conservative donors²⁷ and activists²⁸. Announced speakers in Dallas include Texas Sen. Ted¹⁸ Cruz, Fox News's Sean Hannity and conspiracy peddler Jack²⁹ Posobiec, as well as Trump. When Trump was in office, the two men praised each other often. Both offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a warm reception. And Orbán has echoed Trump's attacks on wokeness and cancel culture and other hot-button issues seized on by Republican politicians. He particularly takes rhetorical aim at Hungarian-born billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros, a frequent target of Fox's Carlson and others on the right. (Carlson gave Soros a full documentary treatment in January on Fox Nation, its streaming service.)

The Vanderbilt University historian Nicole Hemmer argues that Orbán's appeal to conservative media echoes the lionization of authoritarian³⁰ figures in past decades, such as the leaders of the South African apartheid regime and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

"Those leaders turned to right-wing media to gain access to American audiences, hoping those audiences would pressure US leaders and shore up American support for their regimes," Hemmer writes in a message to NPR. "For right-wing hosts, it was a chance both to help Cold War allies and embrace a set of racial politics that had become increasingly less palatable³¹ domestically. I think those same dynamics³² are at play today with Orbán."

Orbán has promoted an explicitly³³ Christian and white vision of Hungary, protected by a hard border and severe policies to keep migrants out. His ruling party has also ground down political opponents, bought off or starved independent voices in the press and universities and targeted human rights groups.

Last week, a senior adviser¹⁹ resigned after an Orbán address she characterized as a "pure Nazi³⁴ speech." In it, Orbán repeatedly denounced the idea of "mixing races" in Hungary. CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp declined comment today, while Carlson and a spokesman for Orbán did not reply to NPR's requests for comment.

Orbán excels at presenting himself as though he is "fighting for values" says Aron Demeter, program director for Amnesty International in Hungary. Amnesty is among the independent groups that have been targeted by Orbán's right-wing populist Fidesz party.

"He's fighting for an old white world or old white Europe where, you know, men were men and women were women," Demeter tells NPR. "And there were no transgender people or gay people. Or if there were gay people they stayed at home."

The U.S.-based human rights group Freedom House has called Hungary a hybrid³⁵ regime — in a transition between democracy and autocracy³⁶.

"There has been a democratic backsliding in Hungary for looking at press freedom, for looking at LGBTQ rights," says the Hungarian journalist Flora³⁷ Garamvolgyi, who has written about Orbán's ties to U.S. conservatives. "And I don't think that aligns³⁸ with American values, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat¹³."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 decried   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责，说是不起作用。
• The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 sloughed   

v.使蜕下或脱落( slough的过去式和过去分词 )；舍弃；除掉；摒弃

参考例句：

• Responsibilities are not sloughed off so easily. 责任不是那么容易推卸的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The scab has sloughed off. 痂脱落了。 来自辞典例句

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 dissenting   

adj.不同意的

参考例句：

• He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
• A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。

9 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

11 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

12 slander   

n./v.诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• The article is a slander on ordinary working people.那篇文章是对普通劳动大众的诋毁。
• He threatened to go public with the slander.他威胁要把丑闻宣扬出去。

13 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

16 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。

17 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

19 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

20 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

21 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

22 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

23 rankle   

v.（怨恨，失望等）难以释怀

参考例句：

• You burrow and rankle in his heart!你挖掘并折磨他的心灵！
• The insult still rankled in his mind.他对那次受辱仍耿耿於怀。

24 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

25 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

26 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

27 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

30 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

31 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

32 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

33 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

34 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

35 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

36 autocracy   

n.独裁政治，独裁政府

参考例句：

• The revolution caused the overthrow of the autocracy.这场革命导致了独裁政体的结束。
• Many poor countries are abandoning autocracy.很多贫穷国家都在放弃独裁统治。

37 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

38 aligns   

使成一线( align的第三人称单数 )； 排整齐； 校准； 公开支持（某人、集体或观点）

参考例句：

• HASP SRM fully aligns with the software product lifecycle. HASPSRM完全遵循软件产品的生命周期。
• Significant employee aligns the interests of our employees and our shareholders. 员工大量持股可以使员工与股东的利益协调一致。