Althouse: The French election is, apparently, about Trump... because everything is.

April 21, 2017

The French election is, apparently, about Trump... because everything is.

"Now, with the French election starting this weekend, Mr. Trump faces the biggest test yet of whether nationalist and nativist ideas like his appeal to voters elsewhere in the Western world."

32 comments:

walter said...: Pretty much any election with a left/right component..until the "correct" candidates win..; 4/21/17, 7:18 PM
Michael K said...: Trump is the flame the left wing moths seek out.

They make a nice hiss.; 4/21/17, 7:20 PM
Lloyd W. Robertson said...: The Times implies that every major political development in every Western country is a referendum on Trump. Therefore if even one country goes anti-conservative populism, it's kind of a victory for Hillary. Have they gone mad?
They mention the Brexit vote, which happened five months before Trump's election (but at a time when he was riding high in the Republican primaries), and then don't mention Theresa May's determination to implement Brexit, her popularity, and the fact that her only opposition (in rapid decline) is a left-wing nationalist populist--a Bernie Sanders--opposing right-wing nationalist populism.
"If anything, Europeans have turned against nationalists. In Austria in December, voters narrowly chose a Green Party candidate over one from the far-right Freedom Party as president. In the Netherlands last month, the Party of Freedom fell short of being the largest party in the House of Representatives, though it is the second largest.
Ms. Le Pen still has a chance of winning." None of the glancing hints of facts in the piece support the thesis that "Trumpism" is crashing and burning.; 4/21/17, 7:27 PM
Heywood Rice said...: The New York Times we all love to hate.; 4/21/17, 7:29 PM
Once written, twice... said...: Trump inappropriately tweeted that the suspected terrorist act would help Le Pen. It seems that Trump always makes it about himself.; 4/21/17, 7:31 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: "...appeal to voters elsewhere in the Western world."

Isn't singling out "the Western world" an example of Privileged Thinking?

I am Laslo.; 4/21/17, 7:32 PM
eric said...: You think this is bad?

Maddow had on his program riots in Venezuela. After talking about food shortages and other things causing these riots, she says, and now, they are enraged anew, after an FEC filing out of the white house blah blah blah....

Seriously?! The Venezuelan people care about an FEC filing?

They've gone insane. They need to be committed for their own health and well being.; 4/21/17, 7:35 PM
Drago said...: Once written, twice...: "Trump inappropriately tweeted that the suspected terrorist act would help Le Pen. It seems that Trump always makes it about himself."

LOL

It's always helpful when Once Written decides to self-refute within the same blog post!; 4/21/17, 7:38 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: Can't we get past calling everyone "far-right"? It's a term that is epoxied to Marine Le Pen's name, and that of every other European politician who wants some limitations on border crossings, supports exit from the EU, or both. If you don't want unlimited border crossings and are not wholeheartedly for the EU, you are "far-right." Hey, it says so right here in the NPR stylebook!; 4/21/17, 7:41 PM
Drago said...: In other news, now, with the Polar Bear migration continuing apace Mr. Trump faces the biggest test yet of whether Eskimos can gather up enough Polar Bear hides to satisfy their annual requirements in the same way that Mr. Trump uses nationalist and nativist ideas like his to gain support elsewhere in the Western world.

In still other news, with butterflies seemingly appearing out of nowhere to flit about and do what butterflies do Mr. Trump faces the biggest test yet of whether those butterflies can gather up whatever they gather up in sufficient quantity to satisfy their seemingly insatiable butterfly needs in the same way that Mr. Trump uses nationalist and nativist ideas like his to gain support elsewhere in the Western world.; 4/21/17, 7:42 PM
Drago said...: Islamic Terrorist attacks French police.

Once Written, Inga and Chuck hardest hit.; 4/21/17, 7:43 PM
Drago said...: My gosh, I hope President Trump doesn't have the poor taste to tweet about the inevitable and now immediate starvation, deprivation and hardship caused by standard, run of the mill, leftist policies!

Why, that might be "inappropriate" and making everything about him and would cause many people to die! (That's just about what "lifelong republican" Chucks gal-pal Maddow put out last night); 4/21/17, 7:46 PM
jaed said...: In pedantic addition to and support of Michelle Dulak Thomson's comment: All the newspapers spell it "far-right", as in "Marie Le Pen is a member of the far-right." Since when do you place a hyphen between a noun and its modifier? You do that ONLY if you're turning the whole phrase into an adjective, as in "The far-right movement is blah blah blah"—not when you're using "right" as a noun and "far" as an adjective.

Some people. Sheesh!; 4/21/17, 7:46 PM
traditionalguy said...: Trump reminded us of the National borders and the pride in your country that YOU OWN your place in.

That is Greek western thought. The weirdos seem to want want a new borderless Globe with One Governance team and one monetary system that declares all humans own everything equally. That is so stupid of an idea that we must be bribed, then threatened, then disarmed and brainwashed to get up to 30% support until it is time to activate a lurking World Secret Police who control all of the guns.

Trump just issued a wake up call. He is only the messenger, and one who is doing a magnificent job of leadership communication.; 4/21/17, 7:53 PM
buwaya said...: Oh come on.
Duterte came first, even before Brexit.
Everyone else is just a copycat.; 4/21/17, 7:55 PM
Heywood Rice said...: Since when do you place a hyphen between a noun and its modifier?

Indeed, the hyphen is the devils mustache.; 4/21/17, 8:00 PM
n.n said...: People are, unsurprisingly, reacting to the rise of anti-native factions, [class] diversitists, and social justice adventurists, that, among other things, were first-order forcings of CAIR.; 4/21/17, 8:05 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: The Times implies that every major political development in every Western country is a referendum on Trump. Therefore if even one country goes anti-conservative populism, it's kind of a victory for Hillary. Have they gone mad?

Why, yes. Yes they have.; 4/21/17, 8:11 PM
Limited blogger said...: Every thing is about Trump? Why yes, everything is.; 4/21/17, 8:13 PM
Heywood Rice said...: If you don't want unlimited border crossings and are not wholeheartedly for the EU, you are "far-right." Hey, it says so right here in the NPR stylebook!

How long before the umlaut comes out of the toolbox.; 4/21/17, 8:14 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: Oh come on.
Duterte came first, even before Brexit.
Everyone else is just a copycat.

Heh. Pudgy Kim has cornered the news market on crazy and completely eclipsed Duterte from the headlines. Turns out you need nukes to rise above the crowd these days.; 4/21/17, 8:14 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: "fär-right"? Doesn't really work. Americans only recognize the umlaut when it's over a "u".; 4/21/17, 8:16 PM
Balfegor said...: I think his weighing in visibly in favour of Le Pen was a terrible, terrible mistake, if he actually wants her to win. I mean, in France of all places, the support of the American President is basically the kiss of death for a national politician, no? Second only, perhaps, to the enthusiastic support of the British Prime Minister.; 4/21/17, 8:24 PM
Heywood Rice said...: Americans only recognize the umlaut when it's over a "u".

I'm afraid you're correct about that. I only hope it's not too late for our vowels.; 4/21/17, 8:27 PM
Fernandinande said...: Bob Loblaw said...
Americans only recognize the umlaut when it's over a "u".

The führight.; 4/21/17, 9:23 PM
Sam L. said...: The NYT is obsessed with Trump.

Le Pen is "far right" only because the left is soooooo farrrrrrrrrrrr left.; 4/21/17, 10:00 PM
Mary Beth said...: the support of the American President is basically the kiss of death for a national politician, no?

How do they feel about support from ex-presidents? Obama called Emmanuel Macron.; 4/22/17, 12:26 AM
clint said...: Don't worry. It's only about Trump if it can be spun as a failure. If LePen actually wins, it will unexpectedly no longer be at all about Trump.; 4/22/17, 8:21 AM
William said...: Personally, I don't care that much one way or the other. I have pretty much resigned myself to the idea that western Europe is hellbent on cultural suicide. If they prove me wrong, great, if not, meh.; 4/22/17, 8:29 AM
Anonymous said...: antiphone to Bob Loblaw: "Americans only recognize the umlaut when it's over a "u"."

I'm afraid you're correct about that. I only hope it's not too late for our vowels.

Oh come on people. Whimsical misuse of diacritics is as American as Blue Öyster Cult, Häagen Dasz, Motörhead, forté, habañera, and äpple pie.; 4/22/17, 9:06 AM
khesanh0802 said...: Here's a verbatim(!) quote of Trump's tweet.: "Another terrorist attack in Paris. The people of France will not take much more of this. Will have a big effect on presidential election!"

How is this an endorsement of LePen? How is it interference with the French election? Taken without the TDS madness it is an observation on the latest terrorist attack in Europe. Do you, I, or any other reasonable person think that Trump's observation is inaccurate? Of course this latest attack is going to have a big impact on the election.

The WSJ has a good article on the "Voices from the French Election". Their summary the candidates positions makes me wonder, to be honest, why anyone would vote for any of the mealy mouthed candidates other than LePen. I would be delighted to see the French assert themselves and follow the Brits out of the EU. The EU seems to me the highest example of our "betters" telling us what's good for us. The whole construct ( other than the Euro) needs to be pulled down and buried in the trash heap.; 4/22/17, 11:50 AM
Ron said...: The FN is way more progressive than the Republican Party or Trumpism. Le Pen's election means little vis-a-vis Trump.; 4/22/17, 10:39 PM