Some were disappointed at the results of the French presidential election, but I noted thetremendous scope of the political surge for Marine Le Pen.
Marine Le Pen has been gaining fairly steadily. In 2012, she couldn’t break out with less than 18%. Last time around, she made it to 33% against Macron, and this time she appears to have picked up over 41%.
A loss is still a loss, but there’s no denying the reality that she’s made gains that would have appeared impossible in the past.
The parliamentary numbers are much more of a gamechanger.
According to estimates, Le Pen’s party will win between 85-90 seats, up from just two in 2012 and eight in 2017, which could make it the second-largest party in parliament. Major pollsters last week estimated just 25-50 seats.
“We have achieved our three objectives: that of making Emmanuel Macron a minority president, without control of power and that of pursuing the political recomposition essential to democratic renewal,” a triumphant Le Pen told reporters after being re-elected in northern France and vowing to be a respectful opposition.
That is an even more massive increase.
The media was cheering for Melenchon and the Left, and the anti-semitic Islamist apologist is indeed sitting pretty.
Socialist veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon’s new leftist NUPES coalition secured 131 seats, becoming the main opposition force.
NUPES includes the French Communist Party and other Marxist groups. Hardly good news, but it’s also a message. The establishment had the opportunity to fix this, and after repeated promises, much of the public is going to the margins. And we’re kidding ourselves if we think it couldn’t happen in America.