CONTINENTAL NEWS

OK, I'd make an exception for this.

 For three weeks in June, I didn't read, hear, or talk about the news. The first four days were spent in Seattle. My wife stayed behind (spending time with our daughter before a week-long retreat on the Orcas Islands) while I returned, alone, for two weeks. 

I had gotten so used to being out of the current events loop that I felt physically ill upon catching a glimpse of politicians on my Microsoft Startpage. It didn't matter if I liked them or not. Until my wife returned on the third week of June, I had essentially no idea what was going on in America. It felt good.

Did I suffer the effects of withdrawal? Not with my own kind of methadone, my morning and late afternoon ritual of catching up on European news. What had begun with how the hilariously entertaining right-of-center GB News and TalkTV were covering the Royal Family's "traitorous" Harry and Meghan had led to learning about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak having to call a snap election, without a sense of historical irony, on July 4. 

A man who inspires confidence... that he knows
he's a loser.

You think there are Americans who dislike Joe Biden and Democrats in general? Everybody across the political spectrum appeared to be sick of Sunak and his Tory party. (Sunak's perpetual deer-in-the-headlights look suggested nothing more or less than a billionaire who suddenly realized that inside his notorious $600 suede loafers were feet of London Clay.)  Their expected defeat -- which came to pass in a once-every-200-year rout -- will be the new standard by which to use the word "ignominious". 

If nothing else, Macron can make the
"politician face" as well as his American
counterparts.

Meanwhile in France, President Emmanuel Macron was going through an almost identical crisis. Having been elected as a tres cool handsome 39 year-old forward-thinker in 2017, by this summer he was turning into the Francophone Rishi Sunak, a guy who couldn't catch un pause, while alienating every worker, student, retiree, and cafe waiter in the country. Macron, too, pulled the snap election card, and, on Election Day was dealt, if not a joker, then a two of clubs (the better to hit him over the head with).

But here's where things get interesting (if you follow this stuff, anyway). While the Labour Party won the British election as expected, every pundit across the Continent predicted the France's National Rally would take a very strong second place if not win it all. 

The National Rally logo (right) resembles
the National Popular Rally's just enough to
remind people of the good ol' days.

This was worrisome for many reasons, not the least of which is that the words "far right" are always used when mentioning the National Rally (which sounds real, real similar to France's World War II collaborationist National Popular Rally). That's because its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, had a hard-on for Nazis and pooh-poohed historical accuracy of the Holocaust. (Does anybody else find it amusing that a tough, pro-Nazi guy named Jean-Marie sounds like a girl? His daughter Marine, who runs the party now, looks like a second-tier pro wrestler, which perhaps makes up for dad's name.)

Two weeks earlier it said "How Le Pen Will Win".

British pundits warned its citizens that their country was out of step with the rest of Europe's rightward march, and that France's election would be just another step in its "correction". I must have fallen for it, since I, along with everyone else watching live coverage of the French election results, was stunned to see the Left coalition more or less trounce the Right, leaving Macron playing Monkey in the Middle. But before the French get too proud of themselves, let's remember the left coalition is made up partly of Communists, and the right coalition of a party founded by a Nazi-sympathizing Holocaust denier. This is un bonne chose?

Don't forget to save some for the news readers!

There was enough egg on the faces on the professionals who predicted (hoped for?) the National Rally's election to make an omelet large enough for the Guinness Book of Records. Europe's rightward march is now 0-2 on the election scoreboard. The folks at GB News must be a little nervous that their current target of choice Joe Biden might, just might, run Donald Trump into the defeat ditch once again. 

But you know what's not going to change? News folks breathlessly reporting the election results before people actually, you know, vote. Plus la change -- ahh, you know the rest.

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