French Election: It's Sarkozy and Royal

I can't vouch for its reliability, (I'm not inclined to put much faith in anything that uses the words "world" and "socialist" in its title) but this article from the World Socialist Website attempts to put some perspective into the results from yesterday's first round contest that are at least plausible. What I know from other sources, (been following as closely as the scrolls on CNN and FOX would allow) is adhered to in this account. The high turnout (wow - 85%!) and the general descriptions of the two winners are what I've been reading all along. It is an interesting article...
The author doesn't much like the term "extreme left," seeming to find "radical" the more desirable term. Maybe it's in the translation?

While the radicals are running after Royal, Royal is running after Sarkozy. This was the case during the campaign preceding the first round, when Royal tried to prove that she is as nationalistic and devoted to law and order as her right-wing opponent. And it was the case in the night after the election.
Sarkozy, who is aware that he might loose the election if he is seen as too much of a polarizing figure, paid respect to his adversary and called for a “dignified” campaign and a “debate on ideas,” while at the same time insisting that he and Royal represented two diametrically opposited perspectives.

Maybe it's time for the French to have the role the press can play in a national conscience revealed to them. It appears from this distance that the French press generally is much more open about their left-leaning political position than their American counters are. Could it be time for the folks to experience a shift to the right? The government bureaucracy that Chirac et al leave behind probably be as difficult to get along with for Sarkozy as the American Government was for Reagan, and is for Bush, so it's silly to expect any radical departures in policies. But it could be interesting to see the reaction to a "fascist" (his propaganda label - what a surprise! how original!) who turns out to be a decent guy and capable leader! If Sarkozy were to win, which may be likely, and if the French press is as childish as their American counters are, he should expect quite the vicious backlash indeed...

This time, the radical left made it clear from the beginning that they favoured a victory of Royal and regarded their own campaigns only as a means of pressuring the Socialist Party candidate to the left. Discussions on a “useful vote”—i.e. voting for the candidate most likely to defeat Sarkozy in the second round—dominated the public debate in the last days before the election.

Of course, maybe Sarkozy IS Mussolini - how would I know - but the American opposition to Reagan had us wondering if he wasn't determined to put mushroom clouds over every city in the western world! After the VietNam debacle brought on by Harvard "whizkids" (Johnson) and "what's-a-constitution" criminals (Nixon) and "if-only-we-tried-to-understand" coddlers (Carter) -- America was indeed ready for Reagan...I hope France gets that for which she seems to be ready.
America could afford to sleep through her socialist Clinton years. As much as I'd love to see a woman president, we can't afford another head-in-the-sand nap. That, unfortunately, is where (I think) France has been for too long.
F E 2007 has been a delightful help through this unfamiliar terrain for me, and though he'll be around at least till May 6th for the final tally, I'll go ahead and say "Magnifique! merci beaucoup!" (which is my French vocabulary in it's entirety)

French Elections 2007 Welcome To My Blogroll!!

The blog post below attracted the attention of Boz of the site: "French Élection 2007 - A French election from an American perspective. " He's done an impressive job with his site and is following the French process closely. I think I might detect a slight bias for the Socialist Party candidate, which, if it exists, is not the slightest bit over-bearing. There's a button labelled "dummies" for people who think that all elections are just like ours in the U.S. That was my most appreciated spot! He's a welcome addition to my blogroll, and I'll be back to see the site often. Apparently there is a televised q & a session featuring candidate Royal that she's counting on to rebuild support for her campaign.
His article today is "Do they know what they're getting into?" Boz links a uk timesonline article revealing the feelings of guilt national leaders must face for devoting so much time to governance that their families suffer.

The British paper The Sunday Times is running a quite disturbing article on the private life of the Chirac family, and how his rise to power affected his daughters and wife, complete with affairs, mental illness, and suicide.

The psychology of successful leadership would make a fascinating study. I left this comment with him:

No, they don't know. One of the most frustrating qualities of a good leader is the necessity to wear blinders. They make a decision and can't look back or re-visit - their focus is implementing the plan. They believe honestly that they are born with a purpose, and as you point out, believing sometimes makes it so. Unfortunately, the focus requires that there are areas outside that don't get nearly the attention they deserve. All that said, I think they can be way too hard on themselves. Would Chirac's life have been less chaotic if he'd been shunted away from politics? Chidren turn out "wrong" even if brought up with loving caring and intelligent parenting.
Thanks for your comment at rcb- I've blogrolled you so I'll be back. Very timely stuff, and especially glad you thought of us "dummies" - very useful!

rob

And his response:

rcb, I agree with the whole "born with a purpose", especially with Nicolas Sarkozy. He has been running for president literally since 20.
I don't know if your going to enter the American political fray over the next few years as our campaign gets underway, but this French election is a great preview: same issues, same fears about immigration and globalization. I would advise Hillary and McCain to watch closely.

Trio Of French Elections Articles

Up first is a BBc profile of Nicolas Sarkozy. I'm certainly no expert on any european politics, and my interest is less than "passionate," but still it does rouse my curiosity because the American left seems to view them as the road we should be on.
Sarkozy is of the same "center-right" political party as current president Jacues Chirac, though the two suffered a falling out several years ago. This article begins with controversial immigration comments regarding muslim youths and unemployment - the 9% rate would be intolerable in the U.S. but apparently thought of as evidence of a lively economy in socialist France.

Even those on the left in France admit Mr Sarkozy is a formidable political force.
He has shown strong protectionist instincts - pouring state funds into saving the ailing French company Alstom. Yet he also promises to make the French less scared of economic success.
He is often described as an Atlanticist, but he too was against the war in Iraq. He is not too keen on the old Franco-German alliance - but upset new EU members by saying those with lower taxes than old Europe should not receive EU subsidies.

Interesting way to put it, don't you think? "...promises to make the French less scared of economic success." Most of what I see suggests Sarkozy will be the next President of France. His opponent on the left, Segolene Royal, is showing some rookie errors.

One by one, several French writers and intellectuals are making the startling confessions. After decades as committed leftists, they are defecting to the right — many saying they've lost faith in Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal.With just 10 weeks to go until the election's first round, Royal still has no platform. She has made gaffes on international affairs, and her popularity with intellectuals and ordinary voters alike has slipped, leaving conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy at the top of the polls.

And so, as the Aussie TheAge puts it, are the French battle lines drawn . This has all the tense anticipation of any American cycle I've witnessed! This is a excellent summary of the main party candidate choices available to the average French voter. They seem to know change is necessary, but who can know who best to trust to usher them in?

The paradoxes of Mr Sarkozy are central to the campaign because they are in part the paradoxes of France. If he wins, as the polls predict, will he make a "rupture" with 30 years of French policy, as he promises to do? Will his election or that of his main opponent, the Socialist Party's Segolene Royal, be a moment of change or simply the survival of the status quo under a new name?
...
Ms Royal would be France's first female leader; Mr Sarkozy the first president with an immigrant parent (his father was Hungarian). When Ms Royal decided to run she had no networks or allies in her own party. The old men who led it — known as "the elephants" — didn't respect her. But voters seemed to like her idea of listening, embodied in her interactive Desires for the Future website and 6000 town meetings run by her team. Unpredictably, she embraced some conservative ideas, such as boot camps for young offenders. The media loved her.

Well now, "fickle" isn't just the American media?

A Short Picture Tour

Some people really know how to use a camera...

Iraqi schoolchildren enter and exit their tent school in Kirkuk, 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Yahya Ahmed)

A member of the Afghan National Army, with an AK-47 rifle painted pink, walks along a wall in rural housing compound in Mas'um Ghar, in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan during a joint operation with Canadian forces to search for Taliban fighters Monday Nov. 20, 2006. Their short morning patrol might not seem like dangerous work, but the area is NATO's southern front line against Taliban militants. Clashes take place in nearby fields on a daily basis. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal, foreground, gets a standing ovation as she delivers a speech during a French Socialist party investiture congress, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006 in Paris. France's Socialists formally launched Segolene Royal on Sunday into a fierce presidential race with high stakes for her and her party. Royal wants to be France's first female president and the Socialists are desperate to win back power after 12 years under Jacques Chirac. France's two-round presidential elections are next April and May. (AP Photo/Eric Feferberg, pool)

Strollers walk through the vineyards in Hessigheim near Heilbronn, southwestern Germany, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006. With temperatures throughout southern Germany not yet sinking to winter norms, people are enjoying the current extremely mild weather in the region. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle)

Iranian Nobel prize winner Shirin Ebadi, left, shouts slogans demanding the release of Indian Nobel Peace Prize 2005 nominee, Irom Chanu Sharmila, outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006. Ebadi called on Sharmila who was admitted to the AIIMS after being arrested during her hunger strike demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, in the north east Indian State of Manipur. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)