Macron Decisively Defeats Le Pen in French Presidential Race

Discussion in 'Politics' started by DKR, May 8, 2017.


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  1. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Yes, it's France. It matters because the US Press-itues will make much of the defeat of the "European Trump" and how this is - either a rejection of Trump or the kind of people that support Trump or even any number of other anti-Trump memes.

    All a steaming pile of horse poop of course.

    What happened?
    Emmanuel Macron, a youthful former investment banker, handily won France’s presidential election on Sunday, defeating the staunch nationalist Marine Le Pen after voters firmly rejected her far-right message and backed his call for centrist change. --- Well, hold on there.

    With nearly 100 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Macron had 66 percent, compared with 34 percent for Ms. Le Pen, according to the official count from the Interior Ministry. Sounds lopsided. Wait there's more...

    As significant for France and for Mr. Macron’s future, nearly 34 percent of eligible voters did not cast a ballot or cast a blank or null one, <s>suggesting</s> (there is no suggestion, it is obvious) that a large number of people could not bring themselves to vote for either candidate. The abstention rate was the highest since 1969. And the pundits rightly see this as a NO vote. It is interesting that France tracks non or null (blank ballot) voters/voters. Because those non-votes count in ways most folks don't want to admit. Both here and there.

    What does it really mean? Well-
    “We saw the emergence of very strong anticapitalist forces,” said Gaspard Koenig, the director of the French think tank Generation Libre.

    You have 50 percent of the electorate that reject the market economy in a very radical way,” Mr. Koenig added. “Thus, he must during the next five years convince people that there are alternatives to the destruction of capitalism that can help them.” Yup - that's France, really far left compared to the US.

    Macon didn't win much. I really feel sorry for him, at least in some ways.
    That lack of support presaged a difficult road ahead as Mr. Macron tries to build a legislative majority to push through his program. French parliamentary elections are next month. Currently, he has no party in Parliament. Among the odds stacked against Mr. Macron, a former economy minister in the departing Socialist government, are deep doubts about the merits of a market economy. An economy nearly in ruin because of the Socialists.

    Lessons that apply to US politics?
    Frankly, none.
    Ms. Le Pen, 48, conceded the election not long after polls closed in France, saying voters had chosen “continuity,” denying Mr. Macron his outsider status and linking him to the departing Socialists. The vote was a record for the National Front and, she said, a mandate for it to become a new “patriotic and republican alliance” that would be “the primary opposition force against the new president.” So, big trouble in Paradise for Mr. Macon, to say the least.

    Thought it worth bringing up here as I can guarantee that MSNBCCBSCNN media machine will try to bend the outcome to fit their definition of US politics.

    Bottom line, it sucks to live in France right now. Tough for them, but it has no bearing on what happens here - with the possible exception that France will stay in the EU - until the EU itself explodes.... And make no mistake, that fuse is burning right now - with Spain, Greece, Portugal and the UK all making it burn that much faster.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2017
  2. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I was stunned that she lost. I thought the people of France had had enough of the slaughter and were going to try to take back their country. To me it showed that France is too far gone. The people are puffballs, afraid to take a stand, their ancestors would be ashamed.

    As for tying it to Trump, whatever.... the press worldwide seems to be against people thinking on their own.
     
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  3. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    The french have ALWAYS been PuffBalls.... The last great Frenchy was Napoleon Blownapart, and we all know what happened to him... The only folks who are more PuffBalls are the ARABS.... They do not wait, to LOSE, the drop their shoes and RUN... before the Battle even gets started...
     
  4. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    All French will soon be spoken in Arabic as is the fate for most of Europe.
     
    ghrit likes this.
  5. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    If France goes then all of Europe will go in time... I would not be surprised that we're doing another D-Day with the Russians as our Allies once again in the far future...
     
  6. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    An investment banker calling for change?
    Ha!
    Good luck with that one.
     
  7. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    That was one of my points - 50%+ did not vote for Macon. It will be some very ugly Parliamentary election this time around and I fully expect to see a lot more than the usual violence that seems to surround French politics.

    I also expect the Le Pen faction to lead the charge in the Parliamentary election - Macon may very well be left high and dry with new elections being called within the year.

    The US political system may suck in far too many ways, but compared to the EU zone election/political "system" - the US version seems a lot more stable - in as much as the boat only turns upside down every 4 years or so.

    Gonna be a fun summer for les flics
    [​IMG]

    @Motomom34
    You should not be surprised at Le Pen tanking in the polls. On the one televised 'debate' she was horrible.
    By that I mean clueless, inarticulate, unable to lay out any kind of vision -- generally came across as clueless.
    My French is at least as bad as my German, but even Radio France Internationale completely trashed her performance. It was that bad.
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  8. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    I think Le Pan was trying to take a page from the Trump and Brexit play book and failed miserably. Her statements on Muslims and her desire for France to be using francs once again was to me a sign that she was trying to overthrow the establishment but the powder puffs refused to get to the polls. I wonder if the outcome would have been different has there been another terror attack prior to the voting.
    C_TpqweU0AAsnl5.
     
    Ganado likes this.
  9. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    I doubt it. There have been enough recent attacks to have tipped over anything that is affected by that aspect.

    She is carrying a lot of "Daddy baggage" (Dad is Jean-Marie Le Pen) (see Jean-Marie Le Pen - Wikipedia for some background) that didn't help.

    France is considered the #2 (or #3 depending on the yardstick used) economy in the EU, right after the German machine. (#10 world-wide) Even at that, it isn't very good. Despite being described as a widely "liberalized" economy, the government continues to play a significant role in the economy: government spending, at 56% of GDP in 2014, is the second highest in the European Union. Ouch.

    French employment rates for 15–64 year olds is one of the lowest of the OECD countries: in 2012, only 71% of the French population aged 15–64 years were in employment, compared to 74% in Japan, 77% in the UK, 73% in the US and 77% in Germany. This gap is mostly due to the low employment rate for 15–24 years old: 38% in 2012, compared to 47% in the OECD. Add the 35 hour work week, early retirement and you begin to see trouble on the horizon.

    Now, add in massive numbers of illegal migrants (all demanding a handout) and the stage is set for real trouble this summer. I suspect the 'troubles' will spill over into Germany, and at a level we haven't seen as yet.

    Le Pen has been branded an ultra-Nationalist and, in part, that is true - as far as it goes. She isn't going after "the Establishment" as much as she is attacking the Socialists.

    The elections later this year will prove to be instructional.
     
    ghrit likes this.
  10. Legion489

    Legion489 Rev. 2:19 Banned

    It sucks to live in France NOW? It has ALWAYS sucked to live in France! First, you are surrounded by French people, and anyone who has been to France or any Frenchies can tell you all about that one! Second, you speak French. Third, you have to compete with the Italians to see who can turn traitor and/or run up the white flag first. The French use a yellow flag with a brown spot as that is there version of the white flag after they wet and dump themselves and use their underwear as a flag, which hasn't been washed in awhile anyway.
     
  11. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Once again I have to ask what that opinion has to do with the French political situation. C;mon, man, please get away from unrelated diversions.
     
  12. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    Fully 25% of the Légion Étrangère is made of French citizens @Legion489.
     
  13. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Why are there so many tree-lined roads in France?

    Because German soldiers prefer to march in the shade.
     
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