Who is George Soros
And why does Fox News and the Republicans hate him?
George Soros is the right’s favorite bogy man, but why? I was struck my rabid hate when Tucker Carlson said George Soros was behind the conviction of a Texas veteran who purposefully plowed through a Black Lives Matter protest. For many of us, this is absolute nonsense. But why do they hate him, and why have hated him for years?
My disclaimer here is that I have not worked for Soros or his Open Society Foundation, but I have worked in helping victims of war in Eastern Europe, and in Bosnia Herzegovina in particular. His philanthropic interests of the Open Society Foundation also work with poor and displaced in Eastern Europe and so I have a very good impression of him.
History of George Soros – A Very Short and Simple Recap
George Soros was born in Hungary in 1930. His family was Jewish, although not observant. The immediate Soros family made it through World War II and the holocaust. Many of his relatives were killed by the Nazi regime and that has influenced his philanthropy in causes in Eastern Europe.
In 1947 he moved to London and studied finance. He has done fantastically well in business, although he is known as the man that broke the Pound by short selling.
He began working with Hedge funds, before starting his own. In 2013 his hedge fund (Quantum Fund) made $5.5 Billion making it the most successful hedge fund in history.
His net worth would exceed to over $50 Billion, but he has put over $30 million into philanthropic organizations. His foundation, the Open Society Foundation is the second most well-funded and the second most active, after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Central European University
This is a short overview of a complex issue. In 1991 in Budapest Hungary George Soros established the Central European University. Communism was replaced in the countries of central Europe, and he wanted to create a university outside of the old communist intuitions. Soros founded the University in Budapest because of perceived need for an independent institution. The University sports a lengthy list of politicians, academics and activists dedicated to furthering an open and transparent society in Europe.
CEU excelled at fulfilling the purpose of the school. In fact, a bit too well for authoritarian regimes. The school crossed the authoritarian president of Hungary Vitor Orban who declared he wanted to build an illiberal democracy. In 2018 Hungary used it’s legal muscle and control of the courts to delegitimize the CEU. At the end of that year the University ceased nearly all operations in Budapest and moved to Vienna.
This timing coincided with American conservatives, including President Trump and Fox News gaining power via populism. The Trump appointed US Ambassador to Hungary tried to negotiate some settlement that would let CEU function as before, but he was unsuccessful. Ambassador Cornstein gave up and claimed that the disagreement was between Orban and Soros and “It had nothing to do with academic freedom or civil liberties.” Which, yes, is bullshit.
Philanthropy and the Open Society
He founded the Open Society Institute (now Open Society Foundation) in 1993, although he worked with other philanthropic organizations since 1984. In 1993 George Soros create the Open Society Institute in the United States. It was designed to support the Soros Foundations in Central and Eastern Europe that worked on democracy and transparency.
Over time OSF has also supported a civil society in America. The foundation has donated to the Organization for Black Struggle and others that supported protests against the murder of Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown. The OSF has also been supportive of US immigration reform and for the National Democratic Institute which promotes democracy in Africa and other developing regions. In short, things that many Republicans seem to hate.
Why is Soros Despised by the Right?
There are a few reasons, most explained by his policies and support of a “civil society”. His view of a civil society is based on transparency, equality, and democracy. He and the OSF have highlighted issues in Central & Eastern Europe as well as the United States.
Originally, he was described as a globalist trying to bring a world government to the United States. He is not trying to bring on a world government but does loudly and monetarily advocate and support causes that bring more equality.
The entire idea of a “world government” is often focused on Jewish people and so for many “Soros backed” is code for a Jewish power play. This is actually odd because Israel’s political parties really do dislike the foundation for their support of Palestinian freedom. Regardless, the dog-whistle of a Jewish cabal leader resonates with many segregationists.
Anti-Soros propaganda rapidly increased during the Trump Administration. The right, thorough organizations like the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) has embraced the authoritarianism of Orban’s Hungary and Erdogan’s Turkey.
He is rich, Jewish and believes in transparency. After decades of vilification, Soros is such a common theme that his name can be attached to anything the right doesn’t like. The latest claim (as of Apr 12th, 2023) is that DA Alvin Bragg – the New York DA that brought chargers against Trump – is a Soros backed stooge (LINK).
Among conspiracy theorist on the right, the Jewish and Black reformers are tied together in a nefarious way. The Jewish people rallied behind Black civil rights protesters in starting in the 1950s. The whisper campaign against Jews here was fueled by a belief that Jews where buying homes and selling them to Blacks to force whites out of their traditional neighborhoods.
Using the name “George Soros” is a way to attacking the Jewish people and stirring up antagonism against them.
The Good News
I don’t see either George Soros or the Open Society Foundation backing down due to insults, accusations, and rumors. Upon being kicked out of Hungary, they expanded their footprint and moved the CEU to Vienna.
I am glad the OSF is around because of the critical work they do in developing areas. The non-profit I worked for coordinated with them in Bosnia with regards to Syrian refugees, the UN, and democratic institutions. They do amazing work, very similar to the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation. But Soros sounds so much more ominous (and Jewish) than Rockefeller.