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When the american liberals use France's election as an illustration of the need to VOTE, they ignore that people were not only voting against the far right but *for* something. They voted for a campaign which promises to: increase minimum wage, lower retirement age, pay for all childcare, etc

The far right in France lost, in a very large part, because people weren't just being asked to vote against them but *for* something. The New Popular Front campaigned in taxing the shit out of the extremely wealthy, for instance.

French politicians weren't telling their voters to shut the fuck up, look what the alternative is. French citizens weren't telling each other to enjoy the camps. There was something to vote *for* other than a tired j/o gesture and a threat.

The winners of the election promised to recognize Palestinian statehood, and to oppose the genocide. They promised to make it easier for refugees to arrive, to streamline the asylum process.

In every way, it was the opposite of how the US is approaching the threat of far right power. The message liberals *should* be learning from it, instead of tepid VOTE messaging, is that they are miserable fucking failures at being people. To actually even *try* to fix shit.

It turns out people really, really like to vote for a campaign that promises to do specific things to make their lives better, and that this motivates people a hell of a lot more than making a j/o gesture and telling them to enjoy the camps unless they pokemon GO to the polls.

"We're going to raise minimum wage, lower retirement age to 60, pay for your childcare costs, make it easier to afford housing by both building a ton of homes and also regulating housing prices, and also not support genocide" Look at the policies offered: www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...

French elections: What we know about the policy platformswww.lemonde.fr Le Monde compares the main known proposals of the four main blocs vying for seats in the June 30 and July 7 elections: President Macron's Renaissance, the far-right Rassemblement National, the left-wi...

It is a startling fucking failure as a person to look at the French election and think the lesson is to just go out and vote. Or else. Give people something to vote for, for fuck's sake.

Also what we are going to see the effects of, probably as soon as later this year, is that the fascists still gained seats in France. A lot of seats. RF held them off but if they can't offer a better vision those gains could become permanent. I don't think a policy of "we're not them" lasts forever.

i completely agree with the core principle here, no caveats there, but i do wonder what the hell people are talking about because the dems passed a lot of actual, serious policies these last four years that got zero dialogue. we got right to repair in my state and i wasn't even expecting that

This honestly just tells me you are not paying any attention at all to what the democrats have done and will do. Biden has paid off billions in student loan interest debt, rebuild the middle class—with congress back, we can end child poverty which they did in 21/22 before the gop let that expire.

"we're already giving you the 'fuck' and now you want us to throw in the 'you' for free??"

Just read about the Biden admin causing an economic and industrial renaissance in red states that are never going to credit him or vote for him. Maybe American voters are just too driven by feels? (I’m not arguing against your point, just wondering if French and US people are different re voting.)

“My opponents suck!” isn’t nearly enough to save incumbents from a rising tide of populist fascism, and I have no idea why American politicians haven’t worked this out

Because they don’t actually want change. They love the money faucet as much as the Republicans.

i'm generally in agreement with you, but i think it's worth noting it's the freaked-out social media scolds who are telling people to shut the fuck up, not the actual politicians; Biden *is* running on increasing taxes on the rich

Last march he proposed a 20% tax on anyone making more than $100 million, his SOTU didn't offer any actual details other than "taxing the rich more" The median american making $70,000 pays 14% in taxes. These rich people currently pay about 3% in taxes. FDR increased it from ~25% to ~80%.

this is fair!

if it takes being a policy wonk to know hat he wants, than the message cant get across.

Lol

it shouldnt take a policy expert to know what biden plans to do in his next term. i have a polisci degree and even I couldnt tell you.