May 8, 2007

Dionne: The Left Has Its Work Cut Out For It

EJ Dionne takes a clear-eyed view from the center-left at the French presidential election, and what it means in the context of political change in Europe. He notes that with the center-right strengthening in Germany, Sweden, eastern Europe, and now France, the socialist-leaning Left has lost the thread of political change in the West. It has become a reactionary movement, as the campaign and defeat of Segolene Royal shows.

How so? I examine that at Heading Right, and show how Royal's campaign fits within Socialism as a whole -- and why both took a beating.

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Comments (5)

Posted by The Mechanical Eye [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 8, 2007 11:16 AM

As far as it can be observed, the left in Europe had nothing left to do or say and looked increasingly irrelevant in the face of that continent's challenges: an immigrant population at best apathetic to the host nation, rising debt, falling national prestige, and a sense of loss.

It sounds vaguely like our own nation, albeit in different degrees. The GOP would do well to mind it.

Du

Posted by Lightwave [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 8, 2007 12:08 PM

The socialist nanny state system cannot work. When you're paying upwards of 60% in taxes for services and have serious illegal immigration problems, the sheer volume of the actual workforce cannot sustain the dead weight.

The center-right revolution is somewhat too late in the EU countries. It's delayed the inevitable, but the fact of the matter is these changes were needed a generation ago.

And yes, unless we solve the immigration and Social Security/Medicare, we'll be in the same boat in ten years.

Posted by Rovin [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 8, 2007 12:11 PM

The Washington Post attempted to soft-pedal the loss of Segolene Royal and any comparisons to Hillary.

I wrote a piece about it today titled "Clinton / Royal ----- No Difference? " here:

http://rovinsworld.blogspot.com/2007/05/clinton-royal-no-difference.html

Posted by Carol_Herman [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 8, 2007 12:25 PM

Politics. A business as old as whoredom. And, you still learn something new every day.

Royal has looks. She comes from the party "that was" in power. And, she thought she could beat a Jew, hands down.

Let alone, all the bad press Sarkozy got. For being a villanous "despot." DIDN'T WORK. Now, did it?

Her "beating" was inflicted by Blue Collar workers; and WOMEN! She didn't do well, there.

Which shows ya something about Hillary, as well.

Here? It's probably the men who have caught on she'd be a disaster. While it's still out there ... Women aren't gonna give her the numbers. Especially IF there's an attractive oponent who uses SPEECH to get the angry mood (backlash), across.

Bush lost it. Because he hugs the bullshit "religion of piece and reducto." Was never there!

It's still possible, though, that Hillary isn't even in the pack? She's just there, now, as a doorstop to the clowns like Obama and Biden? Dunno.

Really don't know where there's ANY talent in DC!

Which is why Guiliani looks like the guy to beat.

To lose a political gamble; like the one Royal just did; means there were plenty of people who thought "she'd do well" with women. Didn't. And, she didn't do well, either, with "old people." Drudge is running a link to the numbers.

She did do well with the kids Those who turn 18. So, they can vote. (You don't even know if this is heavily weighted to the muzzies, or not.) But she LOST the next group. The 24-27 group. And, each one after that! But the biggest surprise? She lost the Blue Collar workers. A place where Ronald Reagan EARNED his comfort zone.

Some things in politics come around, again and again. People spout off that they're "just like Reagan." And, they haven't got a clue.

Guiliani? OUTSIDER to DC. But with experience under his belt. What kind? Of having the press pushing up against him. And, it's there that he excels.

I still think Fred Thompson is going nowhere.

But the contests aren't interesting IF there's "no competition" in the pool.

Sometimes? Ya just have to discount the pundits, and think for yourselves.

Posted by HA [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 9, 2007 5:41 AM

Dionne's article is inadvertently revealing. It shows that the American left's first allegiance is to its internnationalist socialist comrades, not to America.