Re: <nettime> the meaning of Macron (short answer: Tocqueville in France)

[Alexander Bard <bardissimo@gmail.com>]

Excellent analysis, Alex!

But Emmanuel Macron should best be compared with Canada's Justin
Trudeau rather than any current American politician (though as a
pragmatist liberal he is ideologically in line with the Obamas, both
previous president Barack and possible forthcoming Michelle).

Pete Buttigieg is a name I would look out for as a possible American
equivalent to Trudeau in Canada and Macron in France. Let's see if
Buttigieg stays with the Democrats or goes independent in the next
election= . This is my stance: The Left will not regain power and
win elections unless it gets rid of its populist trash with faces
like Corbyn in the UK, Sanders in the U.S. and Malenchon in France.
Charming and clever Malenchon did lose to both Le Pen and Macron in
the most leftist-friendly country in Europe. And I understand why.
His crazy and completely unrealistic economic model was just as silly
as Sanders's was in the US and Corbyn's is in the UK. It was pure
populist nonsense, not Marxism for sure, and not even decent Social
Democracy (which I happen to like a rather lot).

We need a pragmatist realist left. We have one in Sweden that does win
elections. Not any more of this populist non-Marxist nonsense thrown
at conservatives like Theresa May and Donald Trump which they can then
thrash to pieces.

Until that happens, liberals are very strong as the only reasonable
alternative to the populist right. The French Left will vote for
Macron too on May 7. Simply because they won the last election with a
deservedly deeply unpopular lying populist named Francoise Hollande.
In hindsight, people will regard Barack Obama as one of the greatest
president the U.S. ever had. And Theresa May will thrash Corbyn to
pieces in June in the UK. Not because she has a heart or people like
her. But for the simple reason that she knows how to run and keep a
damn budget.

Best intentions
Alexander Bard (a very non-Trotskyist Marxist, as you can probably tell)


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