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Patrick Kovarik / AFP - Getty Images
Francois Hollande after a campaign speech in Toulouse, France, on Wednesday.
Updated at 1:40 a.m. on May 7: France crowned Francois Hollande as its first Socialist president in nearly two decades in an election on Sunday.
Originally published on May 4: Understated, bespectacled and often clad in dull gray suits, he is nicknamed "Flamby" -- after a popular brand of caramel pudding. Meet Francois Hollande, the likely next president of France.
Largely unknown outside his own country, he is ahead in opinion polls by five to 10 points against the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and is poised to become France’s first Socialist president since Francois Mitterrand, whom he served as an economic adviser.
The 57-year-old owes his candidacy to the downfall of the former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who had been the runaway favorite for socialists until sex scandals ended his professional and political career.
However, in a feisty TV debate Wednesday with Sarkozy, Hollande showed voters he is far from characterless.
During the debate, which lasted nearly three hours, Hollande claimed Sarkozy, 57, was using the global economic crisis as an excuse for not delivering on his promises.
"It's never your fault,” Hollande said. “You always have a scapegoat. 'It's not me -- it's the crisis that hit me.'"
Left-wing mom, right-wing dad
Born into a middle-class Catholic family in the city of Rouen, Normandy, Hollande’s views were shaped mostly by his social worker mother; he often disagreed with his father’s far-right views.
The young Hollande took an academic path well-trod by many French politicians, attending the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences-Po) and later the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), both in France’s version of the Ivy League, which produced seven of the past 12 prime ministers, according to The Economist.
He graduated from ENA in 1980, along with Segolene Royal, the woman who would become his partner of more than 20 years, mother of his four children and Socialist presidential candidate in 2007. That year, the two called it quits and Royal went on to lose to Sarkozy in the run-off.
Sarkozy fails to floor Hollande in France election television debate
Hollande and Royal never married, and for the past few years his partner has been French political journalist Valerie Trierweiler. She has said she expects to remain a journalist and a working mother if she becomes France’s first lady.
His love life may have been complicated, but Hollande's commitment to politics has been constant, and he proudly puts it on display in a campaign video posted on his website that touts his 30 years in politics. Set to a piano soundtrack, the roughly three-minute clip looks at “the victories, the defeats and the historic moments.”
“Nothing was given to me, nothing was entrusted to me, nothing was assigned to me,” Hollande is heard saying. “Everything I have, I took by right.”
'A rather dangerous man'
He now wants to take the presidency, and some worry about what that may mean for the future of France and Europe in general.
“Mr. Hollande evinces a deep, anti-business attitude,” writes Britain’s pro-business The Economist, adding that his hostility to change could undermine the Eurozone’s determination to pursue painful reforms that could help save the euro. “That makes him a rather dangerous man.”
Despite The Economist’s anxieties, the election is more of a referendum on how Sarkozy and his government have handled the economic crisis.
With unemployment at a 12-year high and France stripped of its AAA status by one credit rating agency, the Bank of France offered no solace for Sarkozy. Figures for growth were revised downward -- news that Hollande could benefit from, as he promises to forge a new economic direction for Europe with a drive to spend and thus promote growth.
This plan is in stark contrast to Sarkozy’s policy of financial discipline and austerity, a solution to the financial crisis also championed by Germany’s Angela Merkel.
Despite his promises of less austerity, Hollande has pledged to balance the budget in 2017, Bloomberg reported, while Sarkozy promised to reach the target a year earlier.
"We will keep to the fixed plan of reducing our public deficit to 3 percent [of GDP] in 2013," Hollande said in an interview with La Tribune. "It's France's word."
One of the ways he plans to achieve this is through higher taxes, including a 75 percent rate on income over 1 million euros ($1.3 million).
Some analysts, however, worry that weak growth will derail his goal and think Hollande should turn to sensible cuts in spending instead.
"People voting for Sarkozy are thinking about somebody who can lead in Europe and handle the crisis,” Dominique Reynie, professor at the Sciences Po, told Reuters. “Those who vote for Hollande are thinking about their own purchasing power and social well-being."
Serge Raffy, chief-editor of the French newspaper Nouvel Observateur and author of “Francois Hollande: A secret itinerary,” noted there was little enthusiasm and passion in “desperately rational” Hollande’s candidacy.
“At least it didn’t cause illusions from the outset,” Raffy writes. “Francois Hollande will not disappoint if he wins. He can only surprise us.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Those Socialists sound like bad news. We all know big business is what's saving the world from going bankrupt.
Sorry! It was big business in the form of greedy big banks with their selling of risky financial instruments...even to nuns and cities...good for the bank's profits but bad for the people...that caused this world financial crisis. It will be interesting to see if his financial recovery plans work. If so, it could be a repudiation to the "save the banks let the people suffer" vomit that people like you throw at us. Maybe even the start of a new world socialist movement.
Sarcasm sir! But I agree. :D
Time for socialists to take over. We left it to the capitalists for a while, and see what happened.
Hello Prokhor, you do know that the largest recipients of social welfare in the history of the world is our "Free Market Capitalist" banks and financial institutions, right? Remember the bailouts (plural)? John and Jane Q taxpayer has bailed out the banks to the tune of not millions or billions but tens of trillions of dollars. That's trillion with a T.
Let’s put this in a context that should give us pause when we talk about the size of the bailouts.
One million seconds is twelve days ago.
One billion seconds is 32 years ago.
One Trillion seconds is just under 32 thousand years ago.
The reality of our economic situation is that if the banks had not been bailed out when the economy collapsed in 2008, everyone in the stock market would have lost everything! But alas, we've learned nothing and continue to print money at an exponential rate.
I can't help but think that the French election may be a preview of our own election this fall .
As for the E.U. it reminds me of the story of Humpty Dumpty . He hade a great fall , all the Kings horses and all the Kings men couldn't put him together again . All the pieces and players are in place for the fall of the E.U.
Hello Prokhor, I posted before I read your second comment, sarcasm noted. It appears the Merkozy attempt to take over Europe will fail and rightfully so as they are willing to sacrifice anything and everything including Democracy for their grand experiment!
Taxing more is such an easy answer for the short-run and shows no thinking outside the box. So he is just another spend and tax politician that will further sink France. Not long ago a poll was taken in Europe at the university level. The question was who did graduates want to work for. The answer by a huge majority was government. So European graduates are picking the easy life provided by those paying more taxes. It is astounding that college grads would not want to be their own boss and create a job for themselves and others. That poll was revealing of the cancer seen in Europe that has spread to the US. Working hard? That is a thing of the past. Politicians promise big, like balancing a budget when they have no intention of doing so because spending is the ONLY game to stay in power.
I am not fond of Sarkozy, and under him I would say France will still linger when it should be flourishing. With this socialists it will fall much more quickly. That is the choice. The real problem is the people. They aren't willing to stop demanding and instead encourage each person to lift themselves up. Instead of hating the rich, assuming all of them somehow got rich doing unscrupulous activities, how about figuring out how money works and learning a few things from the. Don't we want all people to become more wealthy? I want that but not by giving money to those not working or contributing. I want to encourage hard work and success. Not all spending is good. Not all cutting is good either. It isn't an all or nothing game. Both sides are ignorant and unwilling to concede that developed countries are failing in a big way because they do not understand how to say NO and how to lead.
Actually, your wrong. We all know big business is what caused this financial meltdown. Those pesky unregulated free markets created tyhe environment which led to our demise.
Austerity has not worked, not any where. We already know how to get out of this mess, just look at the history of our own country.
The lessons learned from the Great Depression should be our model.
But, fascist rethugs are doing everything they can to stop or slow the growth of our economy for political reasons.
They, and their supporters, are economic traitors.
I completely agree...you are right!! His ideas for taxes will destroy France's economy.
"Those Socialists" Really? Do you even understand the term? Obviously not. Romney would be considered a socialists. You watch too much Fox - they interchange socialists with communist and facists without a clue. So you appear to be without a clue also.
Prokhor - Sarccasm NEVER works on the internet People are just too smart for it. By the way - IO got a big kick out of ROB 50000 years post he must hav beeen using the BIBle for his source material. hah! People in the US have seeemngloy ZXERO understanding of France. I love the country.
Prokhor...dry sarcasm indeed- and what a damning commentary on the average intelligence of posters that so many took you literally. Germany has actually had more progressive policies than France during the reign of Nicolas. Yet German unemployment recently hit a new low of 7%. French unemployment, despite Sarkozy's rather business friendly stance, is up around 10%- despite the fact that they are neighbors in every sense of the word and enjoy virtually identical opportunities. It will be interesting to see how Francois' policies- which remain to be seen- affect that over the next few years. One fact can certainly be derived from our recent economic meltdown: an unrestrained, unregulated market enjoying historically low taxation is extremely good for those already wealthy- and disastrous for the rest of us.
Here's what needs done to fix France, America, or any other country.
Think back to after WWII, when things were good. The middle class was the largest portion of society, with the poor and rich smaller groups at either end.
Now, when you take away regulation, what happens? Entropy for one thing, but those with the most power, the rich, can sway things their way easier than any other group. This results in wealth migrating upward, and the middle class shrinking and the poor group growing. Sound familiar? It's where we are now.
What is needed is some redistribution of the wealth. I'm not saying just take it away from the rich and give it to the poor, but however it is done it needs to happen. The poor group shrinks, the middle class grows. Once you get back to this economic situation the economy needs to be regulated to prevent the sort of uncontrolled redistribution of wealth we went through.
Yes, it may be a form of socialism, but left unregulated entropy will always win out and the system will crash. That's reality.
How we get back to the balance needed I don't know, but it must be done or we will continue to struggle. Also, growth cannot be endless. Resources are finite and eventually the upper limit will be reached. Once that happens the economy must shrink, at least a little. This is just a simple fact that cannot be avoided.
Wait a minute...
Does anyone else think it is sort of strange that Strauss-Kann, the President of the IMF, was the "runaway favorite" of the Socialists before the scandal?
The IMF and the World Bank are two of the major players in this whole austerity thing. (I disagree with those who think austerity is the way to go -- look at how it has hurt the worldwide economy except, of course for the 1%). Isn't Socialist philosophy in opposition to the shenanigans of the IMF and the World Bank?
Prokhor -- you really DO need to learn to click that sarcasm button before posting! LOL
Socialism only works until you run out of OTHER people's money! Duh. It sounds like Obama:
"It's never your fault,” Hollande said. “You always have a scapegoat. 'It's not me -- it's the crisis that hit me.'"
he wants to tax the rich at 75 percent.what you don't hear about is the number 2 guy.our media tries like the devil not to bring him up.melenchon.google him.he wants a 100 percent tax on anything over about 500,000.he says the hyper accumulation of wealth at the expense of thousands of their neighbors must end.is it class warfare he freely admits it is just as the free trade and outsourcing is class warfare against the working man.they have candidates that are for the middle class.we have none
The entire world wide collapse was caused by the American Congress (republican at the time) and a democratic president(Clinton); that unraveled the regulations on banks (Glass-Stegal), that had kept the greedy bastards in check since 1935, Glass was passed so the banking community would not collapse the economy as it did in 1929; however the pied piper of the banking industry (Allen Greenspain), convinced , that those pesky regulations were no longer necessary, , it collapsed the western world economy in 7 years.
all efforts to reimpose Glass-Stegall has been stopped by Bernake and geitner, who were closely tied to greenspain, Volker and a group have tried several times to get the bill in congress moving, the banking community with the white house agreeing to stop it.
Rob- I suggest you watch a movie called Inside Job. Then you will really know what happened and who started this, and it's not who you listed. They were a part of it but not who started it. You can take my advice and watch the movie, or continue to let Fox tell you what to think and who the problems are.
Hint, deregulation and Reagan started all this and nothing has been done to correct it.
Saxon has it right, although it began under Reagan, Bush 1 contributed to the problems as did Clinton, then Bush 2 and Obama has as well, why? Because Wall St. is the government and the President does what they tell him to do.
Oh, it NOTHING to do with the democrats!
Because government passed laws and enacted policies which made it easier for more and more people to buy houses. This included people who could not afford to pay mortgages, at least over the long-run. Because of the buying frenzy created by these government policies, demand for houses went up -- along with prices. As demand fell when millions of people (and their lending banks) realized, kind of all at once, that they can't afford houses after all, well -- you know the rest. House prices began their free fall.
Bush felt, like Clinton and Carter before him (and Obama after him), that government should make sure that everyone owns a house if they want one. So when people blame the housing crisis and the resulting Great Recession on Bush's policies, they're right, although only half-right. The other half of the truth is that socialist policies such as those of Carter, Clinton and Obama are the very ones that Bush was doing his hardest to implement.
This is what happens when you have a majority of people feeding at the government trough. They vote in someone who will give them even more. The problem is they don't realize it has to be paid for and you can rape the rich all you want, that's not where the money is.
If we eliminate the Bush cuts for the rich and enact the Buffet rule, that's only $75 billion/yr. Our deficits are $1.3 trillion a year! Do the math, that's 6% of the problem. Guess who is going to pay for the rest!
One other problem, if this guy is voted in, the rich will pick up and leave and take their money with them. Monaco, the Caymans, etc. are all too eager to be quite hospitable to all those multimillionaires and billionaires. Hundreds have left this country already, expect the trickle to turn into a tsunami if Obama is re elected.
Oh yes, go for the Socialism and you will see how fast that country falls and alienates the rest of Europe it soooo much needs to even exist. France always believed, why is a big question, that they should lead Europe or that they are better than the rest of Europe. Truth is, they are nobody without Germany and her economy. France always was, and is, an undefined sinkhole for funds she does not have.
This will be a disaster for France, and hasten the economic and social collapse of Europe (which at this point--barring an unimaginable "black swan"--looks to be inevitable in any case).
Speaking of social collapse, I find it emblematic that his previous "partner" was a woman he lived with for 20 years, had 4 children with--and never married. When the morality of a nation erodes, its will to defend itself whether militarily, culturally or economically, soon follows. There's simply nothing left to fight for. Goodbye Europe.
The top 20%, in terms of wealth and income, own 85% + of the income and wealth of the nation. Because they have more income and wealth, they utilize, directly and indirectly, more of the resources of the government. The wealthy SHOULD PAY MORE.
The excessive concentration of wealth in the hands of the rich has not helped the nation. The promise of jobs for those who are not wealthy created by the "job creators" has not happened It has resulted in the opposite effect. Jobs and companies have gone overseas, never to return. Excessive concentration of wealth has harmed the nation. The only effective means is to have confiscatory tax rates for a short time period followed by reductions to where the top rate will be in the 70%-80% range (reserved for incomes in excess of $2,000,000.)
If wealth individuals no long want to live in the US, I say good bye. If you want to live here, you need to pay for the services our government provides for you.
Until it was listed here, I didn't realize that Sarkozy and Romney not only look alike, but they also promise things they can never deliver, i. e., promises to halve immigration, pledges to reform labor markets and taxes to bolster industry and job creation, fails to curb unemployment, and promotes austerity and deficit cutting. The conservative rhetoric today in the US is filled with the same ideas that Sarkozy couldn't deliver to the French. There's a good chance the same will happen to Romney should he become President here. He, too, will likely blame his failure to deliver on his ideas & promises, not because they don't work, but because of a distraction from some global crisis.
He advocates for the policies I KNOW would get this country out of the red. His policies are what Krugman has advocated and as Dr. Krugman said on Larry O'Donnell you do NOT preach austerity in a global Depression and that is what Dr. Krugman calls our economic catastrophe. He is utterly CORRECT. Can I live in France please? Krugman is NOT against austerity BUT not as we are now and that is what I have thought all along. I kept saying Krugman is RIGHT. You do NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT cut government jobs like that IDIOT Walker did in Wisconsin, or like Snyder did in Michigan, or Scott did in Florida and other states did. That leaves the middle class with no jobs and no health insurance and often no home. It has a rippling effect. My God how stupid does one have to be NOT to get these simple principles. Government CAN help it's NOT the pariah. IT has helped before until the corporatists MUST have their greedy dirty money.
We need jobs, jobs come from government and stimulus and taxing those who can afford it more than the middle class here which are lacking jobs. Once the recovery truly takes place those people who have jobs get taxed and those who have over a million get taxed MORE and THAT is how you come out of a depression. Krugman is not against austerity but austerity at the right time NOT now.
It is simple. If your investments fail because of big bank frauds, if your mortgage fails because of banks rancid frauds, and then someone comes along and fires you how does that help you and multiply that by millions. We can get out of this but NOT through the failed policies of Bush or those advocated by the Republican Party of hate!
More stimulus is needed, more jobs which the government can provide are needed, STRICT STRICT regulation of the banks who ruined us is needed, taxing those that can afford it is needed and most importantly STOP STOP STOP eternal useless war. I believe that part of Ron Paul is dead on correct! Rome died because their empire and its military was unmanageable. Useless empire building is impossible to manage. We are sowing the seeds of our own demise.
I want to see if Hollande of France can institute some of his policies -- HERE it must be that the Congress turns deep blue and HELPS the president and does not hurt him because they do not like a black man in the presidency. I always wanted the president to pick Robert Reish, Paul Krugman and Paul Volker NOT Geither, Bernanke who came from the foxes who ate the chicken coup -- Goldman EVIL Sachs and the others.
Romney is one of the WORST candidates in our history. He cannot connect with the ones who most need his connection. He seems soulless, empty and very very very awkward. Ann Romney is NOT running for president. She connects better than he but HE is the candidate and he simply cannot do it he is SO awkward, so disconnected and just plain HORRIBLE!
You people who think the USA is so horrible MOVE there are plenty of places which are socialist/marx (like obama wants to make the USA) go find one and move. Start your own country and take obama with you. Leave our country alone. Romney 100 times a better choice than the liar in office right now!!!! Nothing he said he would do, has he done. Kool-aid drinkers awake up!!! ROMNEY 2012!!!!!!! obama back to his own country somewhere in the middle east. We the people will even pay for his one-way ticket. AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!!!! YOUR CHOICE!!!!
Speaking of liars how about Mitt the Ripper. I believe I've seen him flip flop and lie a whole hell of a lot more than Obama is. Even his hair is a lie; it's dyed. That said I love America, doesn't mean I have to love everyone in it.
There we go.. I knew it wouldn't be long until someone called upon the old "If you don't like it, LEAVE!" mantra.
A lot of the people throughout our country's history haven't liked how things were being done. Many of them were displeased enough that were motivated to stand up and force some changes... you know, women's right to vote, equal rights for minorities, worker's rights, etc.
I suppose it is your stance that all of these people should have moved to some other country as well. Do you know how utterly ridiculous and shameful your stance is in regards to voicing displeasure in the status quo? Obviously, you are content with things as they are. Perhaps by some turn of fortune, you haven't felt the pinch of this rotten economy on a personal level.Perhaps you're one of the people that is able to take advantage of it and have been using it to accumulate wealth by stepping on the necks of your countrymen. Perhaps neither of those apply but you are just drinking another flavor of Koolaid.
Personally, I think the two-party system is a farce and a sham; a little song and dance show used to give people like you the illusion of choice. Dems and Reps alike are responsible for the deep sh!t this country is in, and it's because they are controlled by the same bosses, and those bosses are NOT We The People.
If you don't believe in US citizens standing up and voicing their displeasure at the injustices, corruption and stacked deck being used against them, perhaps it is you that doesn't belong here. Perhaps it is you that should get the Hell out of our country.
To PAS-5293270. It might surprise you to learn that thousands of intelligent people emigrate from the US every year. I know expatriates who won't even change planes in the US. If you had actually ever traveled outside Mississippi, you might come to realize the the US is not such a great place after all. I would leave in a heartbeat were it not for my wife's successful career and my grandchildren - and move to France.
I don't think people want to leave the USA, PAS. I think they want to make it a better place for everybody to live in, not just the filthy rich.
Why do you want to vote for Romney, BTW. Because he's not black and not Democrat? Do you realize that Romney probably has more houses than you have pairs of underwear in your top drawer? You also realize that he's installing an elevator in one of those homes just for his cars? And that he got those homes by buying up companies and gutting them? People will argue that Obama has never created a job. Well, neither has Romney.....he trashed them on a regular basis. Romney is what you call a 'corporate raider'. I've no problem with rich people, I'm one of them according to most polls. However, what I do have a problem with is standing on the backs of others to reach that golden ring. It's something called ethics, something that the GOP seems to severely lack.
Natalie,
Gotta love Paul Krugman's recipe: "When you're in trouble because you've spent too much, the way to fix it is to spend more." That work's fine up to the point where your credit card is declined.
Has everyone gone crazy? Why not put all the middle class on the gov't payroll and tax the rich at 99% and let them be the real 1%? It's time to get our country back to being a producer and not a consumer. Big gov't produces nothing all it does is consume. Takes $ from the working class and transfers it to the rich and the poor. That only creates more wealth for the rich and lazy dependent poor that are happy living that way. Wake up France your new president will lead you down the path of America only you will get there sooner. Ron Paul 2012!!!!!!
Natalie, you and the rest of the 'entitlement generation' keep preaching the 'liberal lie, let's tax the rich, let's spend more money that we don't have, give me what I want now, let's not reward hard working people who invest in new business and we'll all live in 'la-la land'. Just like this idiot in France, the liberal-socialists idea is fine until you 'run out of money' because you've tax it all away, you've run business investment out of the country and discouraged people from investing in new business. You guys never learn!
Natalie, I think it may have been a typo, but I LOVE your term "the chicken coup" for the ascendancy of the "banksters!
And NJ John -- it's you guys who never learn. Christie and his henchmen exist for the enrichment of the 1% and really do not care much at all for anyone else. Just look around you. Economics as practiced by the Chicago School (a la Christie, Walker, Scott, et. al.) is destroying the public sector and the middle class. If you are in the middle class, you ought to see that! And if you are in the 1%, then I understand how you might feel as you do...
The Liberal Lie - is the paper tiger that you (Limbaugh, Beck, and others) created to discount liberal views. One needs only look at the 40's, 50's, and 60's to see how 50% + taxes on the wealthy actually spurred investment in jobs, and created the largest and strongest middleclass in the world. Higher taxes, plus tax breaks for people who invest in jobs in the US will make us more than competitve again with ANY other country.
The "Conservative" Lie - is that wealthy people will invest tax breaks in jobs, when they can get a higher rate of return overseas. As for the fear that wealthy investors will all leave the US - we are the largest market in the world by far - they would be cutting their own throats by leaving the US and they know it.
Natalie, you are 100% correct! But why stop at taking money from the rich, let's just kill them and split all of their money then they will not be around to steal it back. Let' give it to the government so that they can make thousands of new jobs. Socialism is the way to go, it is working in Greece and it will work here. We don't need business and the greed that goes with it. If we became a socialist country everyone could be middleclass and we could all start working 20 hours a week. Let's model our government after the ultra successful USSR, In case you don't know or can't remember that was the United Soviet Socialist Republic. That country did so well and we can repeat it here in the good old USSA.
Randy, what you're talking is extremes.. and extremes never work. Total and complete socialism doesn't work and neither does unchecked unregulated capitalism. One way, you have no progress, no drive to succeed.. and on the other you have monopolies, rampant greed, corruption, destruction of the middleclass and people owin' their souls to the company store.
There is a balance that can be reached that is beneficial to all... it's just that in this country, you have biased talking heads filling the general populace's minds with extremes and potential "slippery slopes", thus the balance can not be achieved.. it's pretty sad.
War Beast, you are right about extremes. If you take the best from each end of the spectrum, you can construct a healthy and effective middle ground.
However, when one side takes over so completely (as the extremist Republicans in the House have) the other side has to have some people at the other extreme to create a balance. Neither extreme should completely overtake the other. I haven't given up hope yet -- I believe our country can find a balance, that strong middle ground, if the people are allowed to listen to everything that is being said.
Sounds like obama to me. If he had his way the rich in the U.S. would be paying 75% taxes as well. Not that it would matter or help pay down the debt, obama would spend the money in 10 minutes. obama hates big business and the oil industry. If he really wanted to create jobs he would OK keystone pipeline. God HELP us if this evil american destoying man wins again in november. I hope my fellow americans are smarter than that!!! ANYBODY but obama!!!!
Who loves big business? Let's see their track record, Destroyed Pensions, destroys living wages, relying on Red states to implement laws to overturn a minimum wage that one cannot be sustained on, is in talks of not having to match funds in 401k's and all the time keep making "Record" profits.
I quit calling what I do a job, I refer too it as economic enslavement.
This is probably just the first in a line of European electorates that will reject the right-wing austerity regimes and their economic policies that have prolonged and worsened the economic crisis.
President Obama did not create this mess, he inherited it from bushthejunior.
Rightwing fascists are doing everything they can to stop or slow any progress our economy is making. All for political reasons, the people be damned.
These rightwing fascists are the evil, and they must be stopped.
You sound like one of those who would have to pay their fair share to me. Quit your crying after you get past your first payment or two, you'll get used to it and no more tears.
childlikeguy....at any point will you ever admit that Obama owns ANY problems or are you a "dead right at any cost" LIEberal...Your excuse is getting old, put on your big boy pants and man up with the president that you adore and fawn over....your lack of reality saddens me.
You people are just racist.
Hollande's victory is a turning point for the EU. The current consensus of "austerians" is about to end. The right will bleat about how the French economy will be ruined, but look what happened in Argentina when they rejected IMF imposed austerity. They have prospered ever since with government-funded stimulus, protection of the social security net and more recently the nationalization of the largest component of their oil industry. On the other hand, the UK and Spain sink deeper into depression while following the austerity programs of their conservative governments. Socialism triumphed in Argentina and it will overthrow the failing right wing consensus in the EU. Hollande is the harbinger of a Europe-wide popular backlash. No more rule by “banksters”.
Rob you are the only person I see talking about this will be free and that will be free. Us liberals know that nothing is free. Will it mean higher taxes probably so what does not bother me. Unlike you it isn't a horrifying thought to me to help my fellow man in their time of need.
United Kingdom, please be wise and get out of the EU as soon as possible to save yourselves. It is a train wreck. We can all see what will happen.
..His love life may have been complicated..
Complicated for whom? Thank God for the French.
I think he has the right idea: Ditch the Euro.
It's hard to start a socialist movement when your broke! Don't you think most making over 1.3 million euros are going to get the hell out of france or find a good tax shelter. This can't be good for the debt crisis in europe he we go again.
So the French decide to kick out their Czar Kozy? That's crazy.
That sounds like a good plan to me. Most of the people who complain about taxing the rich have forgotten history. The greatest expansion of industry in America came after WW2 when the tax rate for the rich was over 90%. How did that work? Taxes for the top earners stayed over 70% until the Reagan era. What's happened to America since then? The rich have gotten richer while the working class has suffered. As for Mitt - his father was a lobbyist. That says a lot doesn't it.
What's your name?
Puddin' Tain.
Ask me again and I'll tell you the
same.
No mention of his running mate, Bananas Foster?
Me thinks the French just want to postpone the inevitable. Yes, tax those rich and I can stay at home longer getting government benefits while eating baguettes and cheese. Socialism does not work. The Government just takes money, they do not create wealth. If someone believes tey do please explain what product they sell other than BS
If every country would wake and see this lopsided world wide economy and the problems it causes for the working class they would ALL TAX THE RICH. Then where would they go?
What happens when they are taxed to the mean like everyone would like? Who will then pay for everything. It is always easy to spend other peoples money.
Rob-
Why so mean. I do not even know you and also do not know what your comment has to do with what I am saying.
jljoe I don't think anyone is wanting to tax people like warren buffet into poverty. Just leave a little something for the middle class. If all the money in the hands of a few was the best solution for the majority of the people then we would never have split monopolies like standard oil. But the best economies always exist where there is a large middle class.
If it be me, I'd quit working for you welfarers and start collecting my check too!
its good to know that europe spent almost what a century fighting off Socialism and Communism just to hav a buch lazy teenagers and hippys hand it over without a shot fired
MSN. Please put an end to all the stupid titles. They're not catchy, just simply annoying!
Oh come on - the Flanby angle is fun.
Almost as fun as the Etch-a-sketch angle here at home.
hey this guy is a freakin genius if elected he has probably saved italy, greece and spain because his future taxes are going to drive their jobs to those three countries and anyone who succeeds and makes 1mil euro will be packing up and heading to quebec because improving ones standard of living through hard work is not politically correct.
Way to go .....Tax 75% of the wealthy so they can sink into that pit of worthlessness like you do to all those trying to make something out of the years of sweat blood and tears.
France still lives in the renaissance days of royalty and peasants with nothing in-between and god forbid if you become more wealthy then the KING!
So glad I'm back in the USA were I make my own road to success.
WTH are you even talking about? Royalty and peasants really?
Hold on to your hat Philip T, there is a movement here to do the very same thing. The anti-capitalist will never understand when you take away the rewards of success fewer will strive to succeed.
Fewer are ALREADY striving to succeed, Dave. People can only bash their heads against the wall so many times before they start to understand that there really IS a wall there! The rewards of capitalism are only rewards to those who ALREADY have the money to make more money. The man or woman who works 50 - 60 hours a week will never get ahead, but will continue to pay more taxes than the rich and the corporations. Capitalism is a failed experiment. Move on.
Maybe if they would stay out of the Olive Garden every week and don't drive those 1000 dollar a month vehicles they could. Here's a new Concept===== Live in your within means and save a little for God's sake.
Caramel Pudding? Bet that name never caused him any problems growing up!
Our WORLD needs BALANCE,BALANCE, BALANCE. The HEAVY HANDED RIGHT WINGERS really do not understand that your dealing with HUMAN LIVES trying to just SURVIVE in a WORLD where the RICH and the RIGHT are squeezing the life out of PEOPLE to feed the GREED of the UPPER SOCIETY.
This is done with HIGHER PRICES that they dictate to the rest of us at what we CONSUME to Survive and be Happy !! And GIVING all freedoms FINANCIALLY by our own GOVERNMENTS to FLOURISH AND SQUEEZE MORE out of the people.
This needs to slow down dramatically! The Scale needs to swing back to the PEOPLE. We Need balance !!!
MAYBE FRANCE AND THE ELECTIONS ARE TELLING THE WORLD SOMETHING PROFOUND AND HUMAN BY NATURE !!!!!
I see France as a COOL Country and want to continue to PRESERVE a CULTURE of BASICS that mean a good life. Their People and Intellectual Resources do show that.
VIVE LA FRANCE !!!!
Remember Charles DeGaulle? Francois Hollande will do a lot like DeGaulle- get out of NATO (too expensive-France's foreign policy has always been based on realite. Get out of Euro- not France's fault that Greece,Spain,Portugal,Ireland are rapidly disintergrating. France has got a refugee problem caused by the Arab Spring-bankrupt EU countries. Furthermore Francois Hollande is from Normandy, old enough to remember the real France. C'est la vie Sarkozy- au revoir.
The start of the end of the euro. Germany and poland will be the power houses in europe. Next I can only hope The IMF goes down with the euro.
The thiefs that call themselves the world bank may only become a joke. Sad to say I think the only way to solve this problem is to take one very hard hit at one time. Each country to pick how they tax, spend and stop the free lunchFrance will take a hit, then understand they messed up and start to turn it around. I think spain and italy will never figure it out. Greece will continue to be what it has been for over 100 years, just a mess!!
Vladimir Pudding Russia's leader. This is his brother. In all sense to convert the country to communist Muslim rule.
WOW Raymond just wow don't even have words for your statement. Just WOW
Neko, Are you here to have some sort of in put or just complain about everyone else and their in put? You seem like a troll ....speak up or move along.
If the writers that stress BUSINESS and the MILLIONAIRES will leave a COUNTRY? If that happens where are they going to find CONSUMERS in Mass willing to BUY THEIR PRODUCTS? The THIRD world Countries do not MAKE a HEFTY PAYCHECK to afford the LUXURIES PRESENTED BY THE MILLIONAIRES and THEIR BUSINESS.
I have not SEEN A whole HELL of a lot of BUSINESSES and MILLIONAIRES JUST UP AND LEAVE THEIR BIRTH PLACE ?????? it is here say and hog wash !! They will open a business in another Country, YES !