„A quick note here: I’m actually kind of shocked at some of the comments on Kim Lane Scheppele’s latest post here. Not the ones accusing her of lying or getting her facts wrong; that’s part for the course, with my own experience being that the more solidly grounded in evidence I am the more hysterical accusations of dishonesty I get.
No, what shocks me are the complaints that there’s even a post on the subject, asking why bother with Hungary at all.
First of all, if you find the subject of a post boring, here’s a useful productivity hint: don’t read it.
But more than that, Hungary really should matter, both to Europeans — many of whom read this blog — and to Americans.
Look, there are currently two great democratic powers in the world: the US and the EU. The EU is not a state, but it acts as a unit in many ways, and is a powerful force making the world a better place. And the European idea has been a key driver of democracy and peace these past two generations.
So if you believe in democracy and peace, you have a stake in that idea’s success — which is why all of Europe’s current troubles are a tragedy for all of us.
And now we have a nation in the heart of Europe, a member of the EU, a nation that emerged from dictatorship, which is at the very least backsliding on democracy. This is terrible — and terribly important.
If you can’t see this, there’s something very wrong with your priorities.”