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If the French are or not... the credibility of the President takes a big hit. He's already the most unpopular President with the lowest ever approval ratings. Maybe that's the reason.
But you lose them how you got them... He was with his first partner several decades and then started cheating on her, before even breaking up with her. So he's doing the same thing again.
I'm pretty liberal, but that's just not very presidential. A President should have some degree of integrity. He didn't visit her in the hospital for one whole week. If I was her, I'd dump him ASAP.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BugsyPal
That may be true of Americans, but it is not how the French see things.
To the French a man has duties towards his wife and she has certain privileges that must be respected, but his business is his own.
For a French head of state what is more important than English prudery is that he be seen as in control. This in no small way was Louis XVI's problem. His early failure to consummate his marriage to Marie-Antoinette paved the way to attacks against the queen. Those attacks of adultery and lewd and lascivious behavior are pretty much the one's used by the French Revolution to murder MA. But prior to that event by attacking the queen it was also a direct charge against the king. How could a man master France if he cannot control his own private life?
François Mitterrand, had two families a fact that was covered up until he was nearly dead. Even then the whole thing was orchestrated like something out of the time of the Bourbons. The wife and her children would visit M. Mitterrand in the hospital then leave by one door. Then in came the mistress and her child via another. His Secret Family : People.com
Indeed French presidents have long had a string of mistresses and or otherwise behaved like the Bourbon kings.
So what is different this time? Well fresh off pushing gay marriage though in France (something that didn't go down well with everyone), the country is going down the loo fiscally. Many of the promises regarding the economy which brought Hollande into office have not only failed to occur but things are getting worse. Amid all this M. Hollande is seen creeping from his mistress's bed/building on a motor scooter just as the sun is rising.
It is the whole perception thing all over again. At a time when M. Hollande is telling the French they must take some bitter medicine in order for France to become well, M. le President apparently cannot control his own lusts.
That's not how the French see it? Perhaps.
Wasn't Mitterand a glory example of a President? He faked health reports, frequently lied, slept with several other women, cheated on his wife, fathered children with the other women, too.
How about Jacques Chirac ? Convicted of corruption. Diverted public funds for his own advantage.
Let's not forget traitor Petain. Of course he was convicted as well.
If the French are or not... the credibility of the President takes a big hit. He's already the most unpopular President with the lowest ever approval ratings. Maybe that's the reason.
But you lose them how you got them... He was with his first partner several decades and then started cheating on her, before even breaking up with her. So he's doing the same thing again.
I'm pretty liberal, but that's just not very presidential. A President should have some degree of integrity. He didn't visit her in the hospital for one whole week. If I was her, I'd dump him ASAP.
That's not how the French see it? Perhaps.
Wasn't Mitterand a glory example of a President? He faked health reports, frequently lied, slept with several other women, cheated on his wife, fathered children with the other women, too.
How about Jacques Chirac ? Convicted of corruption. Diverted public funds for his own advantage.
Let's not forget traitor Petain. Of course he was convicted as well.
I guess the French have low expectations?
No, the French just believe as one has said that some part of even "public" persons lives should remain private. For the record they could not understand the fascination American politics had with Mr. Clinton and the whole Lewinsky affair.
Now corruption and so forth are a different matter and do cost dear. Had it not been for the scandal in New York, M. Strauss-Kahn likely would have occupied President Hollande's place today, but there you are then.
"English prudery"? who are the actual prudes here ? those who are transparent about the lives of the Mighty, or those who hide it behind antidemocratic secrecy laws? the hypocrites in this kind of affairs, in my book, are the French.
French secrecy laws are largely ineffective today thanks in no small part to the Internet, this has been so for some time. You saw this with the entire Hollande scandal for even though media in France were muzzled nothing has stopped the rest or Europe or world from taking up the story. All of which is just a mouse click or finger point away.
When the book about M. Mitterrand's life including his affairs and so forth came out, France's secrecy laws were used as threats. So a bookstore owner simply put the entire thing on the Internet, out of reach of France's laws. It was picked up and translated into various languages to be distributed for free....
France's secrecy laws work for the common person as well as those in power. Just ask the magazine that was sued for damages after publishing the semi-nude photos of the Duchess of Cambridge.
No, the French just believe as one has said that some part of even "public" persons lives should remain private. For the record they could not understand the fascination American politics had with Mr. Clinton and the whole Lewinsky affair.
Now corruption and so forth are a different matter and do cost dear. Had it not been for the scandal in New York, M. Strauss-Kahn likely would have occupied President Hollande's place today, but there you are then.
I don't agree with that,a public figure like the president,doesn't represent himself but the whole country,he's supposed to be the good example,not the bad one.
I see a contradiction when you say :"some part of even"public" person life should remain private",i don't think this apply to a sex-affair.
Lewinsky was a distraction,not a fascination and interfered with the president job,because he had to explain himself to the american people.
Again DSK sex-scandal prevented him to be a serious candidate for the presidency in France,which was supposed to be tolerant to pervert and sick people like DSK.
French people were tolerant with Mitterand,Hollande but not with DSK.
I don't agree with that,a public figure like the president,doesn't represent himself but the whole country,he's supposed to be the good example,not the bad one.
I see a contradiction when you say :"some part of even"public" person life should remain private",i don't think this apply to a sex-affair.
Lewinsky was a distraction,not a fascination and interfered with the president job,because he had to explain himself to the american people.
Again DSK sex-scandal prevented him to be a serious candidate for the presidency in France,which was supposed to be tolerant to pervert and sick people like DSK.
French people were tolerant with Mitterand,Hollande but not with DSK.
DSK was accused of rape, and as one stated previously there are limits to the pass Frenchmen get on sexual matters. Even French kings knew the limits; no children, no unmarried girls/women, and no force.
If France were not going though it's current social and economic upheavals the average Frenchman or Frenchwoman wouldn't give a toss about M. Hollande's mistress or who he sleeps with; after all it isn't as if he won the election as some paragon of bourgeoisie values.
French do not see their elected officials even those to highest offices often the same as Americans. The place of "first lady" is not universally sought the way many American politician wives seem to do. In fact one now former first lady of France when asked shortly after her husband's election what she was looking forward to in that role replied; "no longer to be one".
France is a Latin based culture, not English. Once you understand that then many other things fall into place. What a man be he a mayor or street sweeper does in his private life is his own business. Long as he is not committing crimes or whatever no one is going to bother if he is running around on his wife. Lord knows he wouldn't be the first or only one in his area to be doing so.
That's not how the French see it? Perhaps.
Wasn't Mitterand a glory example of a President? He faked health reports, frequently lied, slept with several other women, cheated on his wife, fathered children with the other women, too.
How about Jacques Chirac ? Convicted of corruption. Diverted public funds for his own advantage.
Let's not forget traitor Petain. Of course he was convicted as well.
I guess the French have low expectations?
Power corrupt, nothing new.
McCarthyism ? Watergate ? Lies about WMD in Iraq ? Whitewater ? Lewinsky scandal ? And plenty of abuse of powers as well.
If you think you can become senator or president and being an angel, welcome to the reality. Politic is for wolfs..
McCarthyism in the period of intense Cold War of the fifties was understandable. A "president" who is more involved with his love life than with his duties like Mr Hollande is a pure scandal, reminiscent of the mores of absolute kings ...
Power corrupt, nothing new.
McCarthyism ? Watergate ? Lies about WMD in Iraq ? Whitewater ? Lewinsky scandal ? And plenty of abuse of powers as well.
If you think you can become senator or president and being an angel, welcome to the reality. Politic is for wolfs..
Ah, forgot a word.. "If the French are prude or not.... (who cares)".
What are you talking about? Watergate? Richard Nixon DID resign over watergate. McCarthy wasn't even president. On top of that, you could perhaps say he made a fool of himself, but that was it. And he was censured, as well. Clinton was impeached by the House. Iraq... huh ? Compare Iraq to this ? No.
Why you even pulling this out? Because others do it, you can do it, too ? Imaging they had said that about Hitler...
The thread is about France and the conduct of the French president. You don't get a pass for bad behavior just because others do the same. Then there wouldn't be anybody in prison.
If you are a manager of Paribas, you are expected to act a certain way. You just can't walk through Paris all drunk and insult everyone you see. And it's not just about him not acting the way I'd expect a President to act... he cheated on his partner for pete's sake. Who wants to be cheated on? Really? He couldn't separate before sticking his donkey into someone else ? And that wasn't the first time. You are supposed to be on your best behavior. The President of la Ve Republique should be setting a good example and not behave like an amateur.
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