Posted on 05/06/2012 8:14:35 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
French President Nicholas Sarkozy conceded defeat today in the presidential elections to Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, making him the first incumbent president to lose an election in France since 1981.
Hollande, who was leading 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent in the exit polls, will be France’s first socialist president since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995.
“I’ve tried to do my best to protect the French people from the unprecedented crisis that has shaken the world,” said Sarkozy, whose defeat makes him the eighth leader of a Eurozone country to be replaced or swept from office in just over a year.
But Hollande’s victory was a clear rejection of Sarkozy’s attempts to get the debt crisis under control through an austerity program.
“Austerity can no longer be the only option for Europe,” Hollande said today in his acceptance speech in reference to Sarkozy’s policies to cut government spending.
Under Sarkozy, France’s unemployment rate rose to 10 percent. Hollande wants to put France on a different economic track, promising to raise taxes on France’s wealthiest and stimulate economic growth. During his campaign, Hollande promised to deliver more jobs for policemen and 60,000 jobs in the education sector without increasing France’s total number of civil servants.
“May 6 gave us a new start for Europe, a new hope for the world,” Hollande said today in his acceptance speech.
Hollande used one of President Obama’s favorite campaign terms several times in his speech, noting that “change” is a “heavy mandate,” but it is his “mission and duty.”
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
It'd be interesting if New Orleans got a new infusion of French blood. How sad is it, though, that a city like that would be a step up from some of the Muslim-plagued cities of France?
And as an interesting aside, I noticed recently that Home Depot has added a French language option to its self-checkout touch screen registers. In TEXAS.
I thought that damned odd, given the virtual lack of French immigrants here. Memo to the French: If you can't get in through official channels, just come up through Mexico. Everyone else does.
Yea, yea...sure. The seas are going to stop rising and the planet is going to heal, and all that. Heard it before.
Here, you socialist/marxist. Take a bunch of quotes from the guy we have here in America who said the same Bravo Sierra and who is about to get unelected.
Obama in his own Words
http://www.jeffhead.com/obamayourtube.htm
LOL!
Well y’all know that those French Lumberjacks (tim-bearrrrr!) all come down to Texas to shop Home Depot!
Thanks Cincinna.
BTW all, I may start doing a daily digest (one ping to rule them all) instead of my frequent flyer approach.
There is so much waste that equals the GDP of all of Africa. Enough said because I am getting madder and madder.
Calm down, Sweetpea....
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