Let’s Talk Politics
Let’s talk politics.
When I do talk politics in these Nouvellettres®, very often right-leaning readers (not many) write to complain that my opinion has no place in my own missives and that it will hurt my business! This always gives me a chuckle—because 1) it’s MY missive and I am entitled to write anything I want to write, 2) they clearly place money over more important issues in the world, 3) they don’t realize what a minority they are among a very left-leaning Francophile community and 4) since most readers are left-leaning themselves, they appreciate my opinion and contribute to our business (although that has nothing to do with why I write what I do).
There’s a lot of scary stuff happening in the world right now. While the Israeli and Ukraine wars should be top of the list, the threat of the far right taking power in both the U.S. and France is what’s at the top of mine.
For the record, I consider myself a centrist…at least in France. The left in the U.S. is the center in France because the politics in France are much further left in general, as a Socialist Democracy, with a fear of capitalist ideals ruining their pretty safety net. Once you’ve lived in France for any length of time and benefited from that safety net (education, health care, infrastructure, retirement benefits, etc.), it’s impossible to see capitalism, particularly extreme capitalism, in the same positive light. That’s when you realize that a balance of the two would be an ideal world and gravitate toward the center. As a result, I have been an Emmanuel Macron supporter from the beginning. The 25th president of France, he positions himself as a centrist. Some observers describe him as a social liberal, while others call him a social democrat.
A couple of things happened this past week that have us all concerned: the results of the snap elections in France, the Trump-Biden debate and now the Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. I swear, I don’t know what’s the worst of them.
When I want to get to the core of the politics, which is hard for my head to wrap around, I look toward my friend, David Andelman, who always has some brilliant opinion on it all. Monday morning his article on MSNBC posted: “As France votes and Biden stumbles, it’s time to Trump-proof Europe. Europe (and much of the rest of the world) woke up Friday morning with one more worry.”
Andelman: “Europe (and much of the rest of the world) woke up Friday morning with one more worry. Following President Joe Biden’s shaky debate performance, America’s role as one of Europe’s main partners in the fight against spreading autocracy may be in doubt. The timing is ominous, with France’s ascendant right-wing coalition pushing for gains in Sunday’s snap election. Meanwhile Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s hardly democratic leader and Vladimir Putin’s stalking horse in Europe, takes over the reins of the European Union council for six months on July 1 as part of the 27-nation community’s rotating system of leadership.”
On July 1st, he went further to comment in “Andelman Unleashed“: Elections 2024: France Round 1 The end of a road or just a fork….hope and fear in France and across Europe. Some reassurances from history?
“It’s not over til it’s over. At the door of power: France’s long-feared political party with whom the Hexagon has long nursed a deep love-hate relationship.”
Andelman’s article outlines it all, so read it to get the summary since it’s complicated, especially for a simpleton such as myself. But the bottom line is that there will be a lot of horse-trading going on this week among the other parties to form a coalition that will crush the far right. My fingers are crossed that these politicians will be able to put aside their own differences to unite and send Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella to the back of the room. France and Europe depend on defeating the fascist right that could do as much damage to democracy as Donald Trump, should he get elected.
So, where’s the real concern? U.S. politics or France’s for us expatriates?
For me, U.S. politics are more threatening than the debacle taking place in France. At this stage I have no faith that the American people will wake up to the serious damage this one person can do to the core of the American Dream. I see him as Hitler revived and anyone who votes for him is voting against themselves, even if they believe him to be their savior. I can’t get my head around it. How does one equate Trump’s barrage of lies during the debate with Biden’s verbal stumbling? And that’s what has happened in the press, at least, encouraging some Democrats to seek another candidate who can beat Trump. And isn’t that the same thing as forming a coalition in France that can beat the right-wing National Rally party? We’re all scrambling to move people more to the center because it threatens our freedom and democracy on both sides of the planet.
All we can do right now is wait, watch and see. We need to pay attention and we need to exercise our right to vote, and vote to protect ourselves from fascism.
Fascism is a far-right form of government in which most of the country’s power is held by one ruler or a small group, under a single party. Fascist governments are usually totalitarian and authoritarian one-party states. Under fascism, the economy and other parts of society are heavily and closely controlled by the government, usually by using a form of authoritarian corporatism, where companies and workers are supposed to work together under national unity. The government uses violence and police power to arrest, kill or stop anyone it does not think useful. (Source)
Is that what you want? Because you might just get what you wish for. Stay tuned for more talk of politics.
A la prochaine…
Adrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group®
Adrian with David Andelman
P.S. We’re doing double-duty assisting Americans wishing to better their lives by moving to France. Many Americans have realized that the U.S. will take many years to recover from the fascist ideas imposed on them by powerful leaders who only care about themselves and not the good of the people. I believe that Europe has a long way to go before they will entertain another Hitlerish regime—remember, they are the ones who suffered greatly during World War II—it would be shocking if their memory fails them entirely.
If you want to entertain the idea of making the move, be sure to get on our calendar for a consultation. It’s easier than you think. Visit our website to learn more.
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Dear Adrian,
Congratulations! And thank you very much for addressing these issues with honesty in an open way. I wish the world had many more people like you, so it would be a better place for all.
Your nouvellettres are a pleasure to read (and they keep my dream alive about my flat in the city:)
I am going to confess to you one of my big regrets. I have lived in Paris for 1 year and haven’t met you in person. Maybe next time…
Or, as you used to say, la prochaine….
With appreciation wishing you success, love, and happiness
Sara
Bravo Adrian,. Well put.
I agree. In the US the threat is clear. Trump is a monster. In France , from what I can see , the “far right” is nowhere near as dangerous. Adjusting immigration laws, raising the minimum wage, (re)lowering the retirement age all just seem like politics as usual
I agree with you. I have been involved in politics in the US since the late 70’s. Never have the political decisions we are facing been so difficult and so extreme. We are encountering the result of the last 20 years of the careful construction of a ill educated electorate that is barraged with fake news manufactured by ultra right players at a time when the economy is recovering from covid and the disastrous past rule of Trump. Many people are on the losing end of the growing number of billionaires. We have a carefully maneuvered Supreme Court that is the most activist ever and a construct of ultra right wing judges feeding it.
The debate offered only a repeat of Trumps biggest lies which are unhinged and a denial of reality. Even though Biden’s debate performance was a disaster his years of leadership have lead America to have the strongest economy in the world, while protecting the rights of women’s healthcare, protecting minority rights and voting rights and funding the rebuilding of the US jobs market.
I’ll take him any day over a deranged, narcissistic, misogynistic business failure that is being herded into office by billionaires and a sad mob of cult members.
Thank you for sharing your views and fears on the politics of today. It’s valued and appreciated.
Bravo Adrian!
Thank you for publishing your comments. I just want to tell you that I agree with what you say very much and want to encourage you to keep writing. I have had nightmares about the Biden debate performance, the prospects of the American presidential election, the French election results and the world’s conflicts. Keep writing and stay well!
I too have little faith that Americans will avoid a second Trump term at this stage. I live in Texas and although many in the city of Houston are liberal/centrist Democrats, much of the surrounding suburban and small-town areas in the entire state are bright Red and see Trump as their savior. I believe they think he will bring them greater prosperity, above all, but they do not seem to realize that the Biden administration has spurred economic growth long beyond anything ever achieved in the pre-Covid Trump days.
I’m MOVING TO FRANCE! I am moving to a small town of Montmorillon, near Poitiers, the “Cite de l’Ecrit” (City of Writing) to pursue my writing profession from a country that (hopefully) will align against the hard right. I do not want to live in the USA if Trump wins a second term. I worry that if he does win we will all be threatened in Europe as Putin is Trump’s good friend, and Trump doesn’t seem too fond of NATO. Fingers crossed that we will all be safe from war, pestilence, and more disease as a complete narcissist takes over the US. Thank you for your wonderful blogs. Vive la France!!
Thank you for your comments. I love the fact that you don’t filter your political beliefs. It’s courageous and refreshing. Let’s hope that there indeed will be a coalition to block the right wing for the second round this weekend.
Adrian, I teared up as I read your blog. I’m a new subscriber, but I’ve been watching your YouTube posts on moving to France for the past year or so. I got emotional because you deftly articulated the thoughts and fears that have preoccupied me ever since Trump descended the golden escalator and announced his candidacy. My anxiety has only grown over the years. Time and time again I’ve been appalled at the license to practice thuggery that the American electorate has granted him. I watched live as the events of Jan 6 unfolded. I was expecting there might be a hitch in the counting of the electoral votes, but I could not in my wildest dreams have anticipated what actually went down. I remember yelling at the TV screen in horror, “What the hell!? Where is the National Guard!?” ” Hang Mike Pence? OMG!”
Your blog perfectly captures my own concerns and anxieties. No one, and I mean no one, in my circle of family and friends is sufficiently alarmed at what is happening in the US. They are beyond tired of me bringing up the topic. Project 2025 is a nightmare scenario, along with the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and Trump’s recent approval of the idea of a tribunal to try Liz Cheney as a traitor. Talk about projection.
I am nervously anticipating the results of the July 4 vote in France. I don’t want to see my hope of moving to France evaporate. After lots and lots of research, it’s number one on my list. I’m hoping and praying Macron and other leaders can build an effective coalition and crush Marine Le Pen and her fascist fever dreams.
Thank you for your post. It’s a voice of sanity in a world gone mad.
Thank you so much for your insight. It is also a very large concern for my wife and I, so we pray and hope and vote.
We look forward to living in France within the next couple of years, and with your groups assistance we will make it.
We would encourage you to always speak your mind and look forward to hearing what you think.
Chris and Kathleen
This newsletter is right on target, Adrian … I’d like to think my wife and I are planning a move to Nice IN SPITE of what is going on here in the States. The more I see, as a long time environmental justice advocate, independent leaning, person of color, it’s clear that part of our reason for making the move will be because of it all.
I know there will be problems of one sort or another no matter where we live … but I also know I have choices to make that can ameliorate our circumstances.
Keep up the good work and let us know your thoughts on all of it!
Thank you for your comments. The Supreme Court decision is a potential nightmare here in the US. I was surprised by the French election but hopeful that common sense will prevail.
Thank you for this well written and informative article Adrian. I think you have explained the current political situation brilliantly. We should all be concerned and ready to cast our votes against fascism. I have more faith in the social welfare of Europe than I do of the US and will be making my move soon!
Well said. It’s a very scary time in the US.
I love reading your Nouvellettre and gaining more insight to living in France. I also appreciate your candidness about your political persuasion as everyone has a right to their own opinion and experience. Something that may be new for you to hear is that there are Trump supporters looking to retire in France. Not because of the politics (everyone is aware that Europe in general is left leaning), but because of the beautiful people, stunning country, relaxed lifestyle, amazing food and lower cost of living. I’m happy to be friends with people who don’t share my political opinions because their friendship means more to me than the political party in power. As the U.S. and France grapple with division in political opinion, let’s remember that at the end of the day, the relationships you have with others is what brings joy to your life. I recently read a quote from Living in the Light by Deepak Chopra, “…the higher truth is that bringing light to any situation begins by not increasing the darkness”.
Adrian,
We share your concerns, fears, shock, and angst over what’s happening here in the US and there in France and Europe. The US seems to be in free-fall, and it’s terrifying. My husband and I are so grateful to be able to retire in France where we are much more, even if not totally, politically aligned. It’s the sense of community and humanity that largely drives France, and more and more, that is being driven out in the US by MAGAlomaniacs, and those who enable them (including those who don’t bother to vote.)
I must say, I am always disappointed to hear the constant blaming of “the media.” Scapegoating journalists is nothing new, but now, more than ever, we need journalists, a still free press, to REPORT the truth. The actual journalists out there (as opposed to the blowhard opinion-spouters and propagandists) are doing a crucial job to, among other things, hold our leaders accountable. I love and trust President Biden, but what journalists are reporting following the debate is not political fiction. Any of us who watched and listened to the President in that debate know what we saw and heard. That was not just “a bad performance.” What we heard and saw cannot be denied, and the American people deserve to know the truth about the mental fitness of our President who is asking for us to give him four more years. To be clear: I would vote for Biden in he were in hospice to avoid voting for Trump. He is FAR more dangerous. But we need and deserve the truth. As a longtime journalist, I still believe that “democracy dies in darkness.” Anyone who doesn’t think so needs only to look at countries without a free press and ask if that’s really the kind of nation we want. We need journalists, now more than ever. The truth is not always what we want to hear. It’s tempting to blame the messenger. But once in a while, we might stop to thank them. Then go grab a friend and VOTE.
Thank you, Adrian. Food for thought. One factor that gives me less hope for the U.S. than for France is the anti-democratic features built into the U.S. system. The electoral college, the filibuster, and an unaccountable supreme court all combine to subvert the democratic process and facilitate minority rule. In a recent ranking by democracymatrix.com, France (#19) was rated a “working democracy”; the U.S. (#39) was rated a “deficient democracy”. In France the will of the majority is more directly manifested, and if citizens can be awakened to the danger of the far right, the trend toward fascism can be reversed.
Adrian – Thank you for your commentary.
I fully agree with your political assessment. My wife is a French national who came to the United States for her doctorate in psychology. We married in Les Baux de Provence in 2022. In the past several months we purchased a home outside of Arles and intend to permanently relocate to France in 4/25. Much in the same way as you describe, my wife is a French centrist who, by American standards, would be considered a leftist. In part, our decision to relocate is being driven by the deteriorating political environment here in the United States. Also our belief that we can effectively align with the Nouveau Front Populaire to oppose the RN. To us this seems to be an easier task than attempting to fight against a cult of personality that is transactional and not grounded by a meaningful set of beliefs or morals..
Even with the ascendency of the right in French politics, we are looking forward to relocating to France – it’s a small village on the Petit Rhône where few people speak English…and pastis and pétanque rule…and it will be home.
Well said
Thank you for your comments ! I, too, am having difficulty wrapping my head about the current political situation here and abroad. Living in the USA, I’m saddened and dismayed but our current politics. I’m just about ready to pack my bags. You have helped clarify a bit of what is happening in France, too, thank you for that. Now with good fortune, here’s to the “centerists”.
Adrian, I for one completely appreciate your political writings and thank you today’s email. Question: IF the far right wins a sound majority in the run-off and takes control of the government, and since they are so anti-immigrant, do you think their attempt at radically changing immigration laws will affect your business and Americans moving to France? Perhaps Macron can keep them somewhat in check for the next three years, but what if Marine Le Pen wins the presidency in 3 years? Does this or could this mean trouble for your clients and a loss of benefits being non-French citizens?
Based on the election results we’re anticipating an increase in business now.
Thank you for your most recent post about the dangers we face in the USA, and in France , if the far-right wins the upcoming elections. Especially thank you for the concise definition of the word, “fascist.” So many throw that word around on their FB page that next time I see it, I will ask just what they mean by it. And have your definition at the ready.
Such a great read you should have been interviewed by MSNBC! So many of us agree with you
Go, Adrian, Go! Thank you for pointing out the dangerous issues in simple terms. Imm worried.
Adrian,
You’re absolutely correct about Trump. What a disrupter of democracy. It appears to me that Americans, how many I am not able to know, care more about image than Substance. Trump is an idiot and should have been put in jail for his 2021 foment of the insurrection. I saw in Trump at the beginning of his political career that he was just another bombastic Mussolinie. Hopefully, Biden will now get energized like I know he can, and beat this son of a bitch Trump in November!
Could not agree with you more. Here in the US too many are uninformed. Still, hard to understand that one look at trump and anyone could stomach voting for such a man. Enough to make you despair. Especially difficult for me, having moved from a blue state to the south, dominated by religion and republicans. People have not noticed how much their party has changed and what they keep calling “conservative” is now actually “radical”. I marvel every day how smart yet how stupid humans can be. I have been considering for several months now a move to France and have been following you, intending to contact you. But I think I am too old to get a long term visa, we’ll see. As for politics, I am not a bystander by nature and will do everything I can to prevent the looming disaster.
In re politics: I agree completely with everything you wrote. J’aimerais bien vivre en France. Ma grand-mère m’a emmenée à Paris alors que je n’étais pas encore adolescente et depuis, c’est une histoire d’amour. J’y ai étudié (Dijon) lorsque j’étais à l’université. Je suis tombée amoureuse d’un Français. J’aurais dû rester en France. Dommage.
I am fleeing the US and the solid red state of Florida. We were once a purple swing state. Our horrid governor never stops implementing toxic policies. Last week he vetoed ALL funding to the arts statewide because a gay organization had received a grant. Add to that the wins of several MAGA candidates in my formerly Blue city of Miami Beach. As an artist vendor in a city program I may have my livelihood cut off because the MAGAS want us artists gone. Then there are the endless hikes in insurance, special assesments and tax hikes for my condo and I can no longer afford to live here, nor do I want to. I just hope I can make it to France before everything implodes for me here, it is that dire. I have faith in the French people that they will not be seduced by the toxic messages from the right. As a former resident of both Sweden and Spain I have always been somewhat taken aback by the US version of Capitalism, but the last few years it has ramped up to absurd levels with no end in sight.
Adrian thank you for your strong grasp on reality and for speaking up. I’ve always loved and trusted Joe Biden, but I do feel he has become too old and frail to run the country. But if he is our nominee, then I will definitely vote for him to stop trumps team of white supremacist Nazis! Finally, they are putting Kamela Harris more in the front and center so that we can get to know her better. I think she will do a great job if once Biden is elected he then steps down and let her take over when the time comes.
I adore Macron. he is such a hero. After the first vote, he had all of his people who were in third place step down, so that there was a chance for the left party to have a better chance of beating the national rally. He put his country before himself and his own party and it paid off. France has gone left, Britain has gone left. Sweden went left in the EU elections. Who is to say what my dumb american compatriots will do. It’s not the republicans I’m worried about: it’s the young dems who morally can’t vote for someone they are not excited about.
They either won’t vote or will vote Jill Stein. 1/2 their vote goes to Trump and bam! We’re in the Handmaid’s Tale! That’s why I appreciate you using your megaphone to speak the truth. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your comments on US politics. I’m as concerned as you are and cannot fathom living here if Trump is re-elected. It boggles my mind why anyone can support him. But then, it’s really a cult now.
I so appreciate your blogs. I lived in Paris in 1962 and was an au pair and went to The Alliance Francaise. I would love to move but woke up one day and was old. At 83, I just can’t manage it. It’s wonderful to live vicariously through your experiences!
I was pleased with the election in France, that the far-right didn’t come out on top!!! Let’s hope the best for the USA.
Sue S
AZ
I think your insights and optimism are wonderful. I hope that France, as well as the U.S., survives this most recent attempt to overtake peaceful, honest citizens. People our age and older have a very different perspective on just how destructive to humanity it really is. It seems all we can ever do is repress its tendency to return like weeds in a garden every few decades and that we might never be completely rid of it. Democracies must be always vigilant, must always rise to the occasion and speak the truth, choose equity over hate. Thank you for doing so.
I too agree that your honesty is refreshing. Not living in France yet but soon….Trump is a monster, no doubt! Thank you for all you do.