Are you guys jazzed about the French election ?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

This is D Day for liberal democracy.


This is where neo-fascism is stopped in its tracks or it isn't.

A LePen loss is devastating for the movement.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. Well, maybe centrist democracy. But, it beats the outcome of our election. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. small l liberal democracy

rule of law
pluralism
majority rule/individual rights
sanctity of the ballot.

Those are principles worth fighting/dying for.

[drray23]

9. its the nature of the french system.

we have proportional representation in congress. So, instead of two parties playing tug of war, they have to forge alliances with smaller parties to get anything done. This tends to pull everything towards the center rather than have extremists in power.

[Freddie]

3. Absolute proof that the Russians influenced our election

Since they're doing it to France with the same goal in mind. Hopefully the French are smart enough to see through it.

[dalton99a]

10. Yes. It exposes Putin's involvement

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Only if LePen loses.

[2naSalit]

17. +1

[Takket]

6. polls close at 2PM Eastern time

hoping this is a sweeping victory for marcon. he was polling way ahead but that means very little in this world we live in today.

the elephant in the room is russia is trying to hack another election in their aim to crumble the UN, NATO, the EU and every other organization holding Putin back from global dominance. As long as the world acknowledges but does nothing to prevent this, freedom is at stake everywhere we look. a "stunning" le pen victory would not surprise me at all.

[AgadorSparticus]

15. The difference, though, is BIG. They saw what happened to us.

They see what can happen to them. And the authorities there acted immediately when the hacking occurred. They informed the public there are lies mixed into the truth so essentially no one knows what is the truth and what are lies. It seems to me the leaks will be neutralized because of that.

We didn't seem to take it seriously and it cost us dearly. That and Comey. Grrrrr....

I think Macron will win. But I think he can't just win. He needs to CRUSH Le pen and her movement.

[Takket]

7. 45 is hurting le pen

ABC just said that the "chaos" of trump's first 100 days has cooled enthusiasm for le pen, and that after seeing what happened to hillary the hack of marcon seems to be having very little effect on the voters.

now if we could only somehow France's intelligence to the American voter..........

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Hard to be "jazzed" about something you would have thought would be normal

until the horrifying election in the USA, and referendum in the UK.

Sadly, I don't think the Le Pen loss, which I do expect, will stop neo-fascism in its tracks. Trump will still be president. The UK will still be leaving the EU.

If the Front National do badly in the June legislative elections, and the AfD in the German elections later in the year, then I think we can say the tide has turned. But rejecting one candidate, in an electoral system designed to get rid of extremists, won't be that impressive. In a liberal democracy, extremists like Le Pen shouldn't be able to come 2nd in the first round vote.

[Ezior]

16. AfD currently at 5.5% in Schleswig-Holstein election

So polls seem to work, mostly. Let's hope their numbers decline a little bit more in nation-wide polls before the September election. My hopes are <5%, but I'm not sure if that's achievable.

I'm sad that Germans are still favoring the CDU/CSU though.

[MoonRiver]

11. I'm optimistic, but will wait until the final results to celebrate. eom

[colsohlibgal]

12. I Believe France Will Get It Right

But then I never thought Orange Creep had a chance here either. Here is hoping France makes a stand unlike Britain and us.

[Leith]

13. I'm Hoping

Taking the following into consideration and hoping the French will, too:

- tRump's elelction and the Russian interference & voter stupidity that got him into office;
- the massive hacking and document dump done just before the news blackout that should sicken voters;
- the French tend to be more vocal and demonstrative when it comes to politics. Their farmers have driven tractors through Paris to snarl their capital into complete non-movement, just to protest farm policies, fer pity's sake!

Whatever happens, we'll know in a few short hours.

[Dopers_Greed]

14. I'm really scared for a LePen win

But after the "Dutch Trump" losing, I'm a bit more optimistic for this one.

If she wins though, she'll barely eke out a victory, like Brexit and Twitler.

[DFW]

18. A LePen win would be devastating for France

I have been visiting that country for over 45 years, am there three times a month for work, was just there again last Thursday. Believe me, there are NO greater critics of France than the French themselves.

The people were telling me before the first election that they had a choice of four candidates, none of whom they wanted to see as president, and then they would narrow it down to two.

Mélenchon was a total dork after the first round, being too pure to endorse Macron, and therefore leaving the door open for any disaffected of the French left to vote for LePen as a sign of their discontent. Fortunately, I don't think there will be too many noseless faces, no matter how bitter Mélenchon is. Small businesses in France just had five years of being raided by terror brigades of financial police for the high crime of existing, and Mélenchon would have been that on steroids.