The French election connection

Washington Times ^ | 5-9-07 | Cal Thomas

[JZelle]

Cetait genial. When applied to the French presidential election in which Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy beat the Socialist candidate Segolene Royal by a comfortable margin, it means: That is fantastic.

After decades of socialist influence in France, could the French election be a precursor to a Margaret Thatcher-like comeback for conservatives? Perhaps. Though, on foreign policy, Mr. Sarkozy is more pro-American than his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, he still opposes the Iraq War and doesn't want to seem too pro-American since most of the French remain firmly anti-American.

But let's not look a gift horse — French or otherwise — in the mouth. Any turn away from policies that have hurt the French economy and threatened its culture with a flood of immigrants who refuse to assimilate is bound to be an improvement.

Mr. Sarkozy may not be a Margaret Thatcher (whose 1979 victory in Britain heralded an economic revitalization) or a Ronald Reagan (in the U.S. in 1980), but he vows to at least begin where they did. Mr. Sarkozy wants to "loosen" the 35-hour workweek by offering tax breaks on overtime in exchange for working longer hours.

[JZelle]

France moves right, while we slouch to the left.

[griswold3]

Sarkhozy interview excerpt:

Question: What do you think of polygamy?
Answer: I respect all cultures throughout the world, but so that it is quite clear: if I am elected President of the Republic, I will not accept women being treated as inferior to men. The French Republic holds these values: respect for women, equality between men and women. Nobody has the right to hold a prisoner, even within his own family. I say it clearly, that polygamy is prohibited in the territory of the French Republic. I will fight against female genital mutilation and those who do not wish to understand that the values of the French Republic include freedom for women, the dignity of women, respect for women — they do not have any reason to be in France. If our laws are not respected and if one does not wish to understand our values, if one does not wish to learn French, then one does not have any reason to be on French territory.

I had heard his grandfather was Jewish??

[RC2]

Seems that more and more European countrys are moving to the right. They have learned that liberals are not good for their countrys. This country of ours should look to their experiences and learn from it. The socialist left here is highly dangerous to our way of life. They don’t look at the future, they just look at how they can benefit today from their policys.

[Barney Gumble]

He’s part Jewish on his mother’s side and his parents were Hungarian (fled the Red Army).

So maybe it’ll take an “outsider” to reform the French.

I hope he can do it. I’m afraid there are people saying they want reform, but when it comes to actual reform, people will balk. People will want reform for others but not for them. (Kinda like a not-in-my-backyard attitude).

[3AngelaD]

Grandfather was a Jewish Greek doctor.