The author misses a key difference: Orbán's regime is predicated on<p>* EU letting it go untouched for years: the amount of funding the EU sunk in Hungary is crazy compared to their GDP. If the government can skim 80% of it and still the economy is growing, people will think the government is doing fine.<p>* "effective populism" E.g. setting very low income and corporate taxes, a ton of "bonuses", price freeze on groceries etc. Mostly unsound stuff, but effective for shifting public opinion.<p>* lack of a credible opposition. Yes, the media is controlled by the state. Yes elections are gerrymandered. But the same opposition leaders who have lost elections multiple times are still there. It's not an accident that as soon as a new charismatic opposition leader popped up it went to 30%.<p>The US does not have the first thing, doesn't seem to be doing the second and, well the third is up to the opposition.