Pro-American Sarkozy, eyeing French presidency, heads to U.S. for 4-days

[Robbien]

By Jamey Keaten
ASSOCIATED PRESS

11:21 a.m. September 8, 2006

PARIS – Presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, France's most unabashedly pro-American politician, sets off Saturday on a four-day visit to the United States – something of a political gamble at home, where anger still simmer about Washington's foreign policy.

. . .

According to polls, Sarkozy and Socialist former government minister Segolene Royal are the top likely contenders to succeed Jacques Chirac as president in an election next spring.

Some opponents have sought to land political blows against Sarkozy by linking him with the United States – whose war in Iraq was immensely unpopular in France. Chirac saw his poll numbers soar when he vocally opposed the war. While relations have improved since 2003, President Bush is still often criticized here over his handling of the war on terror.

Sharp-tongued former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, who is battling Royal for the Socialist Party nomination, has been among Sarkozy's fiercest critics, calling him “very free-market” and too “Atlanticist,” and likening the minister to “an American Republican.”

. . .

Sarkozy, beyond his ideological affinities for the United States, has lifted many ideas from the American political playbook: He is an avid capitalist; he favors affirmative action; he lauds the “social mobility” in America; and his “zero tolerance” policy about crime closely mimics that of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060908-1121-france-us-sarkozy.html

[AX10]

1. While I don't agree with everything Ségolène Royal wants....

I hope she is the winner against this bigot.

[Tom Joad]

2. "pro-american" and "pro-iraq war" are a contradiction in terms.

[tocqueville]

3. you are not "pro-american" because you pick up some ideas in the US

because it would mean that all the people that don't agree with Sarkozy are "anti-american"...

besides if Sarko was an American politician his stands would probably be those of a centrist Democrat. Fabius is of course "citicizing". Fabius is not even a social-democrat by European standards, he is more like those aristocratic communists in the Scandinavian countries. BTW he effectively sabotaged the referendum about the European Constitution, to the big joy of the US neocons, and this only for his personal political agenda...

Most of what Sarkozy proposes is hot air to seduce some groups in France that are afraid of the unsecurity in suburbs they don't live in and pay less taxes - but keep the same services of course...

Even if Sarkozy was elected, he couldn't accomplish what he says he wants to do. The legislative elections following the presidential one, would give a "leftist" majority, which would actively counter his policies at home. He would be left like Chirac to accomplish some deeds on the international scene... but probably in the same way. If Sarkozy had been president 2003, he would have had the same stand on Iraq than Chirac who he never criticized on that point...

so much for the "pro-American"...

[IChing]

4. What are his chances I thought the Socialist was ahead in polls?

I don't understand the reference "aristocratic communists in the Scandinavian" since my kids live there.
No flame, I started 1st grade in france

[tocqueville]

6. there are some guys like that in Scandinavia

but I must say I coined the expression. Fabius is a typical "aristocratic" product of the ENA, the French top school of administration. A typical snooty bureaucrat. The guys thinks he is like "the average Marcel" if he takes off his tie. At the same time a lot of his "socialist" standpoints are to the left from mainstream European social democrats. You have the same kind of standpoints in the former Swedish communisparty, nowadays called VP.
Thus the comparison.

His role in the referendum was truly digusting. He promised the French it was safe to vote "no" because there was a "plan B" that is to say a "constitution lite" in the drawers that would be more "socialistic". The problem is that it wasn't so, and the European construction was delayed at least 3 years. All this because he hoped to be "the hero" and thus become the natural Presidential candidate for the left. It didn't work either.

About Sarko's chances it's 50/50 if you look at the polls now. But it depends who will be his main contender from the left. If it is Segolene, I'll bet she'll win, even with a close margin.

[IChing]

8. Thanks, I didn't recognize that in Denmark but DK was never Sweden.

Sounds like a close race, thanks

[tocqueville]

9. still a long time to the elections (8 months)

on thing is interesting to know : the elected French presidents have never been the poll leading (favorite) contenders in the period 3 months previous the election. There are plenty of examples. Chirac is a living example of that.

[Robbien]

5. This article is in the US news, does the French press

have as much bias as the US does in equating anyone left of rightwing conservative as far left Socialist?

[tocqueville]

7. Depends what press you read....

but if you read the MSM papers (Le Monde, Le Figaro, Liberation plus some weekly magazines) and watch the MSM TV (which mostly is public service - BBC like -, except TF1 - which mostly deals with entertainment except a news bulletin and some interviews) the different political tendencies are mostly "correctly" represented. If there are some that are taking some shit, it's the De Villiers catholic fundies and Le Pen's extreme right (he his quite like Pat Buchanan today)... The extreme left is more treated with a smile, "you guys are romantics"...

There is no comparison with the US, because the approach to society is different. A guy like Chirac is considered as right wing in France. If he had candidated with the basically SAME ideas and program in the US, even 20 years ago, he had been considered as a left wing Democrat.

Imagine a US presidential candidate wanting to reinstore a real social welfare system based on taxes....

[w4rma]

10. He's not "pro-American" any more than Segolene Royal is. (nt)