rahaeli: This is so encouraging, and also a credit to every single politician who dropped out of the runoff so their votes could go to the second-place non-fascist candidate

France out here proving that actually you can tell the far right to go to hell even when it looks like they’re on track for a big victory are we going to let ourselves be shown up by the French?

French exit poll news and which seems a good sign

This is so encouraging, and also a credit to every single politician who dropped out of the runoff so their votes could go to the second-place non-fascist candidate

folks from both coalitions and all the voters who were willing to be tactical as a result even if their preferred guy dropped out, credit all around I am delighted

"I am willing to live with a result that is acceptable but not my ideal outcome for the next two years in order to prevent the worst case scenario" is seriously encouraging to see

At the same time, this also is another case of centrists not caring about democracy. As Taniel pointed out yesterday, Macron didn't just kick this off with his call for a snap election, but he refused to even entertain the NFP strategy (Unlike Attal, who did). bsky.app/profile/tani...

Explosive reporting in Le Monde confirms what was apparent all week: Macron resisted the emergence of anti-far-right front after round 1. His PM, Attal, forced it as a fait accompli, & pressured for drop outs to block RN. Even then, Macron made some phone calls to undercut it.

Législatives 2024 : entre l’Elysée et Matignon, tensions sur le front républicainwww.lemonde.fr L’attitude à tenir face à la montée de l’extrême droite a profondément divisé Emmanuel Macron et Gabriel Attal. Leurs stratégies, parfois contraires, se sont parasitées avant le second tour des électi...

As with conservatives (e.g. J Michael Luttig vs Sam Alito), there are antifascist centrists (like Adam Kinzinger) and there are complicit centrists (like Larry Hogan). We can work with the former and must isolate the latter.

I wouldn't call either of those centrists, but yes, fervent anti fascism = allies, at least for now. What's up with Hogan? I knew he was shitty on abortion and now trying to pretend he's not.

He's running for senate on the notion that we need to counterbalance the "extremism" of the Democrats, which is to say he's running to hand control of the senate to Cruz etc. Susan Collins would have been another example of toxic situational centrism.

Well, it seems at least as much like a case of one centrist not caring, and other centrists caring so much they bucked their leader, doesn't it? Or am I misunderstanding the situation?

No, that's it. Attal and others were more than ticked at Macron dismissing the 1st round scare (esp. as he didn't prep Attal at all about the snap election in the first place), and not doing anything that would have actually helped counter the RN's numbers, so it came down to Attal et al.

Macron's party is now saying that they want to form a coalition without involving the Left, even though the latter did most of the hard work (and in a very short span of time, by the way) - so they want to take credit for a group assignment that their boss welched on.

I initially disliked Attal as just Macron Next Generation, but his recent behavior has won him several points in my esteem.

He really came through here - and for that I have a lot of respect - to the point that some are saying that it should be Macron resigning, instead of him.

Wait, there are politicians that exist that DON'T put their party over the country? Wonder what that's like?

Living with acceptable outcomes is called “life”

"I'm more willing to take a chance with somebody who may lie about not harming me rather than somebody stating with certainty that he will." It's bleak, yes. But it's also a really easy choice.

Unfortunately not enough Americans are willing to think this way it seems

What if...and bear with me here, instead of splitting off into increasingly smaller and smaller, more ideologically niche third parties we work with the rest of broader society in a popular front to stop fascist political parties from attaining electoral power?

Well, sure, but it seems pretty relevant that France had *three* political coalitions, not two.

They do, but for all intents and purposes considering the coordination that's been done over several elections cycles, they have two. They have an opposition that thinks its two coalitions and they have the fascists.

I... really think that this take ignores the fact that the French left managed to unite *into* a strong coalition for arguably the first time since Macron took power (2022 laying the groundwork). It also ignores that Macron has been working against the French left coalition for the last two months

Macron wants a situation in which he's the only bulwark against fascism. He's effectively used that to win multiple presidential elections. Part of the victory here is that the left called Macron's bluff and *still* kept the former front national back.

That's the dream isn't it? Humanity uniting together for a common goal on a large scale. You know actually come to think of it, we have that dream so often it makes me ask, what are we doing right now. Awake, or Dreaming? Which is the real us?

Huge respect to them

Admire them so much for this

Yes

As one of Taniel’s posts shows, if you’re not prepared to compromise and drop out, you can get fascists (Aix, “RN wins with 37%. Left at 36%. Macronists 27%.”)

I really wish I could believe the U.S. Will do something similar. But the resistance to tactical voting among some here is...crazy...

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