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French election

Sarkozy's last minute pandering to the far right sealed his fate.

Romney better take that as a lesson.

Not too confident that is the only or even primary reason for Sarkozy's demise. He appealed to the far right because he knew he was going to lose without taking additional measures, not the other way around.

The election's results could have a major impact on global affairs in the years to come. Europe is facing immense challenges. They've started two world wars over less daunting circumstances.
 
Germany's Angela Merkel may yet prevail in the next general election, thus preserving some fiscal sanity and stability to the Eurozone.

The Greeks have learned to use red baiting techniques to stir up anti-German sentiments. The French are much more politically sophisticated to indulge in that.

It's curious to see how French politics have overtaken Greek politics in their sophistication over the past few hundred years.
 
I wonder how the outcome of this election will effect the financial market around the world.

Most analysts I read think Sarkosy losing is already factored in market conditions and the next obstacle in world markets is if Spain can keep their financial house in order. Spain's ability or failure to manipulate their debt should be revealed by the end of August.
 
Not too confident that is the only or even primary reason for Sarkozy's demise. He appealed to the far right because he knew he was going to lose without taking additional measures, not the other way around.

The election's results could have a major impact on global affairs in the years to come. Europe is facing immense challenges. They've started two world wars over less daunting circumstances.
It will have a major impact on global affairs not in years to come, but months to come. Also French people are probably the most selfish people of the modern western world, and your right, they always start shit and let others clean up their mess.

My prediction, with the result of this election and the way Spain and Greece's help, the Euro will collapse.
 
The French Left has been waiting for this since 1995.

Party on!

It was a squeaker though.

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And a Renault engine will win the next F1 race (the obligatory F1 comment).
 
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NY Times editorial http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/opinion/the-american-in-paris.html?ref=europe&pagewanted=print

Mr. Sarkozy could not have been more different. He occupied the throne as a man of flesh, neither celestial nor sovereign. He had earthly desires and prejudices, and often seemed blind to how they’d be perceived. He held a lavish dinner on the night he was first elected. He took a vacation on a wealthy supporter’s yacht. Soon after he divorced his wife he dashed toward celebrity, marrying a supermodel after taking her on a date to Disneyland Paris.

If you have a hard time picturing a French president wearing mouse ears, imagine France’s reaction. The French like their presidents fatherly, even grandfatherly. In Mr. Sarkozy’s case, there simply was too much skin — pictures of the president sunbathing next to his bikini babe, or wearing running shorts on the palace steps after a jog.

Nor did he seem to hold much esteem for the masses. Only two weeks ago, a video surfaced online of Mr. Sarkozy, pressing flesh in Paris’s Place de la Concorde, discreetly slipping off his $70,000 watch, as if he feared a supporter might steal it while shaking hands.​
 
NY Times editorial http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/opinion/the-american-in-paris.html?ref=europe&pagewanted=print

Mr. Sarkozy could not have been more different. He occupied the throne as a man of flesh, neither celestial nor sovereign. He had earthly desires and prejudices, and often seemed blind to how they’d be perceived. He held a lavish dinner on the night he was first elected. He took a vacation on a wealthy supporter’s yacht. Soon after he divorced his wife he dashed toward celebrity, marrying a supermodel after taking her on a date to Disneyland Paris.

If you have a hard time picturing a French president wearing mouse ears, imagine France’s reaction. The French like their presidents fatherly, even grandfatherly. In Mr. Sarkozy’s case, there simply was too much skin — pictures of the president sunbathing next to his bikini babe, or wearing running shorts on the palace steps after a jog.

Nor did he seem to hold much esteem for the masses. Only two weeks ago, a video surfaced online of Mr. Sarkozy, pressing flesh in Paris’s Place de la Concorde, discreetly slipping off his $70,000 watch, as if he feared a supporter might steal it while shaking hands.​
Hate to point this out, NY Times doesn't know s..t...... They're probably loving the result of the election because everyone on their staff are socialist/communist.
 
Hate to point this out, NY Times doesn't know s..t...... They're probably loving the result of the election because everyone on their staff are socialist/communist.

Let's see now..... Krugman = check. Friedman = check. Dowd = check.
Yep, all three belong in France but the N Y slimes pays them for their drivel.
 
I think Europe is learning what we(most of us) already know.
Austerity during a recession makes it worse.
 
I think Europe is learning what we(most of us) already know.
Austerity during a recession makes it worse.

But Angela M. has a point; "Growth via more debt can lead back to where the collapse started." Somewhere along the way the debt needs to be reduced and the governments, in all countries, don't seem to be able to do a very good job of spending to create growth. I think you're right, I just don't have much faith in governments ability to spend efficiently and effectively.
 
But Angela M. has a point; "Growth via more debt can lead back to where the collapse started." Somewhere along the way the debt needs to be reduced and the governments, in all countries, don't seem to be able to do a very good job of spending to create growth. I think you're right, I just don't have much faith in governments ability to spend efficiently and effectively.

Its pretty complex... Over the past 50 years or so the West chose to outsource poverty to the East little by little.

The end result was that some in the West solidified a position of staggering wealth and control, while most have enjoyed comparatively modest success, but still lavish compared to most of the world.

Unfortunately, the quest for continual growth at the top end ultimately required wringing the homefield dry which is what we saw over the last 20 years with the derivative bubble, IMO. IB basically turned the American consumer into the ultimate hedge fund and *many* made billions. The only real risk was what happened - that real estate valuations would meltdown. This really only impacts the middle class. The wealthiest (globally) are actually impacted *positively* by this as it affords them the opportunity to vacuum up property at firesale prices. The equity markets (almost purely synthetic now) have rebounded and the wealthiest are *far* above pre-crash highs.

Meanwhile, for average citizens, home ownership has pretty much become a flatline proposition and instead of the US being in the hands of the people, it is now in the hands of the banking system. Most average citizens are either heavily leveraged or flat out underwater with their home on the chopping block.

In the meantime, the East grew *incredibly* flush since the wealth was concentrated at the top from the get go. They now have the luxury of rapidly building a consumer class out of a chunk of their population and this is currently happening *rapidly* (Ferrari sales in China have doubled and are set to eclipse the US next year - this is *staggering* if you really think about it).

Whether the governments in the west "spend for growth" or not is really almost academic. Western elites are, for now, pretty much globalized and largely detached from what happens at home anyway.

If an American company can make record profits selling entirely to a population of 300M Chinese consumers, products which may very well be made by the other 1B Chinese who remain suppressed at poverty level by the 300M Chinese elites, then they will happily do so. Ditto a European company.

IMO the world has become a *lot* more matrixed and complex than traditional understandings of economics allow for and most folks wont be able to see the big picture. It makes it tragically easy for political special interests (on the right *and* the left) to effect whichever change *they* want (which may, or may not, be in any way beneficial to the rank and file at home)
 
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But Angela M. has a point; "Growth via more debt can lead back to where the collapse started."

There are TWO 100000% separate issues that are both counter to each other.

One issue is the debt. The debt has been an issue since the 1970s. It was fixed for a few years when Clinton was in office, but basically it's been an issue for 40+ years. It is a real issue.

The other issue was the pending second great depression.
To keep unemployment under 50%, they had to stop deflation. Simple as that.

If you try to do both, you end up not fixing either.
This is what the tea party, and europe doesn't understand.
You can't deleverage when you don't have inflation. You'll create deflation, and then you could enter a great depression with no easy way out.
 
I heard on NPR yesterday that the new pres of France wants to tax all earnings above $1M euros at 75% and apparently has overwhelming support. The news story said this only affects approximately 3000 people. There are only 3000 millionaires in France?? I was surprised by that.
 
I heard on NPR yesterday that the new pres of France wants to tax all earnings above $1M euros at 75% and apparently has overwhelming support. The news story said this only affects approximately 3000 people. There are only 3000 millionaires in France?? I was surprised by that.

I think your analogy needs tweeking. You can be a millionaire without making a million per year. So there are assuredly more than 3000 millionaires in France, but possibly only 3000 that make that much each year.
 
J P Morgan pretty well proved my suspicions yesterday - It's all out of control. Line up the boilermakers barkeep, it's gonna be a wild ride for a while.
 
I think your analogy needs tweeking. You can be a millionaire without making a million per year. So there are assuredly more than 3000 millionaires in France, but possibly only 3000 that make that much each year.

good point, i didnt quite think of it that way, but still surprising there are only 3000 people making over $1m per year
 
I heard on NPR yesterday that the new pres of France wants to tax all earnings above $1M euros at 75% and apparently has overwhelming support. The news story said this only affects approximately 3000 people. There are only 3000 millionaires in France?? I was surprised by that.

No, the 3000 millionaires they want to tax voted conservative. Just like the people here. All the rich people voted liberal gets a tax break loophole.
 
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