re: #148 Targetpractice

So a quick look in on friends over at FR shows a lot of crying into beer and predictions of the end of France. Didn’t we hear that same shit in 2012?

“The end of France” has been a staple theme of RW polemicizing since 1940 or so; and yet, for some unknown reason, France is still here, still doing pretty well, still showing no signs of collapsing into anarchy/communism/fascism/Islamism - take your pick.
Funny thing about that….

PS: I’m sure this election is going to be thoroughly autopsied, but just an off-the cuff observation: IMO, Le Pen and the FN’s showing this time is actually a lot weaker than it might appear: even if 35% isn’t that great a number, that (one presumes) is the upper limit of its support in numbers: The FN could only manage that with historically-low turnout (by French standards) and higher-than-usual voter apathy. You wonder what the numbers would be if Le Pen had been facing a truly popular opponent…