It turns out that left wingers really do believe in unicorns. Even in France.
François Hollande has defeated Nicolas Sarkozy in the French Presidential election. Honestly, sometimes it’s not easy to take the French people seriously. Hollande made a number of campaign promises, including
Hollande wants to renegotiate a hard-won European treaty on budget cuts that Germany’s Angela Merkel and Sarkozy had championed. He wants more government stimulus, and more government spending in general despite concerns from markets that France needs to urgently trim its huge debts.
Hollande’s win represents a groundshift in European politics; with a socialist president, France will become the only major European country moving to the left instead of to the right in response to the economic downturn. Hollande has promised to raise taxes, lower retirement age, and boost spending levels. One of Hollande’s major initiatives is his pledge to raise the marginal tax rate for earnings above $1 million to 75%.
Hollande is going to lower retirement age thus reducing productivity while increasing spending and raising tax rates on the highest earners.
That’s not going to go well. Mark these predictions for the future. The French have become accustomed to a state-supported and unproductive style of living as have the Greeks. Sarkozy tried to wean them off of that, but that’s not all the French disliked about Sarkozy. They also hated his flamboyance:
Never has a French president been so disliked, as much for his personal style as for his austere deficit-busting policies, and the right-wing leader vowed months ago to quit politics if defeated.
more:
Party stalwarts aside, few share Mr Boulangue’s optimism. For France has fallen out of love with the diminutive, egotistical and hyperactive outsider nicknamed President Bling-Bling for his fondness for flashy watches, fast-living and fat cigars.
Polls predict Mr Sarkozy is heading for crushing defeat at the hands of Francois Hollande, his portly and plodding Socialist Party challenger with the cruel soubriquet of Mr Marshmallow. The latest predicted a five-point gap on Sunday, when ten candidates are vying for his job, extending to 16 points in the second round run-off between the top two candidates a week later.
Five years ago, after an exhilarating campaign, Sarkozy aimed to be the most effective president in the history of the Fifth Republic. He styled himself as a Thatcher-like radical who would shake up the sclerotic and swollen French state while reflecting the hopes and fears of ordinary people.
…………
Party stalwarts aside, few share Mr Boulangue’s optimism. For France has fallen out of love with the diminutive, egotistical and hyperactive outsider nicknamed President Bling-Bling for his fondness for flashy watches, fast-living and fat cigars.
Polls predict Mr Sarkozy is heading for crushing defeat at the hands of Francois Hollande, his portly and plodding Socialist Party challenger with the cruel soubriquet of Mr Marshmallow. The latest predicted a five-point gap on Sunday, when ten candidates are vying for his job, extending to 16 points in the second round run-off between the top two candidates a week later.
Five years ago, after an exhilarating campaign, Sarkozy aimed to be the most effective president in the history of the Fifth Republic. He styled himself as a Thatcher-like radical who would shake up the sclerotic and swollen French state while reflecting the hopes and fears of ordinary people.
Does this all sound familiar?
Should Obama be re-elected, the road for the US runs right through Paris to its final destination of Athens.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
The French want a turn to the Left, where they were; the Americans want a turn to the Right, where they were. Sarkozy preached austerity, and was working a plan for France to become more prosperous. Obama preaches a plan of squandering money that he doesn’t have, causing America to become less prosperous.
I don’t know how much of the money that Sarkozy spent on his lifestyle was his own, but I do know that the money that Obama has been spending on his vacations and golf trips belongs to the American people.
French President-Elect Francois Hollande called for higher taxes and government spending — which is Obama’s plan for America.
So Obama tells them they shouldn’t do that, because it will damage the world economy?
If France crashes, it offers America a preview of where Obama’s policies will take us, so he… doesn’t want France to implement Obama’s policies.
He doesn’t want that before the election.
In addition, of course, a second official recession would just about wrap things up for Romney.
http://minx.cc/?post=329058
@Smokey Behr: In your last sentence – I would change “belongs” to “belonged”, but in fact the most correct statement would be “the cost of the vacations and golf trips have been put on the American people’s tab.”
The French capitalists (those few who are left) most certainly will have gotten the message of this election. Too bad the message is “We’re going down in flames! Eject! Eject! Eject!”
Come on over to America, where our new national motto is “Our economy is screwed, but yours is screwed far worse. Bring your checkbook.”
Germany don’t give the lazy, snooty French a cent. The French retire 5 years earlier than the Germans with a 35 hr. week.
Barack Obama France!
Most simply didn’t like the course the country was taking.
What passes for ‘austerity’ in Western Europe is no such thing.
But, even the mild steps Sarkozy took were intolerable. The voters decided to continue living in a doomed fantasy world. France is going to crash along with several other countries and unfortunately it will affect us as well.
Illinois – financially and economically, that state’s not too different than France and Greece.
THIS WORLD IS NUTS,
LET ME GO TO SPACE, CYBER SPACE, I should have get in THE MOON WHEN SHE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH
LAST WEEK, WHO KNOWS WHEN SHE’LL COME BACK DOWN YONDER,