French presidential rivals indulge in tit for tat during Le Grand Débat
Nicolas Sarkozy fights for political future in televised clash as François Hollande declares he wants to unify the French Kim Willsher in Paris guardian.co.uk,
Thursday 3 May 2012
Screens showing French president Nicolas Sarkozy during the ill-tempered television debate with his Socialist rival François Hollande. Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP
Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande sought to win over the hearts, minds and most importantly the votes of French people in a long-awaited live television debate on Wednesday evening.
In what quickly descended into an ill-tempered exchange, the pair outlined their policies, but also sought to exploit the weaknesses and personal flaws of the other just three days from the runoff vote to decide who will lead France.
Sarkozy, currently trailing badly in the opinion polls, had threatened to "explode" his Socialist rival. Lagging up to 10 percentage points behind Hollande, according to opinion polls, the incumbent president was fighting for his political future and took a punchy approach during the two hour, 45 minute debate.
Sarkozy railed against those on the left who he said had likened him to fascists such as Spain's General Franco, Marshall Pétain of France's collaborationist Vichy regime and, he added: "Why not Hitler?"
He criticised Hollande for not condemning the attacks, which was met by Hollande's riposte: "Mr Sarkozy, you'd be hard pressed to portray yourself as a victim." The Socialist added that he had been likened to all manner of "zoo animals" but did not hold Sarkozy personally responsible. "I condemn all excesses," he said.
Le Grand Débat was watched by an estimated 20 million viewers, just under half of the French electorate.
Within the first hour, Sarkozy called Hollande "irresponsible" and accused him of "lying". Hollande accused Sarkozy of creating "injustice and inequality".
Hollande spoke first after the two men drew lots and told France that "I will be president of justice. We are going through a grave crisis which has hit the modest, the hardest working. The privileged have been too protected. I want to unify the French. For too long they have been divided."
Sarkozy replied: "It's quite classic what he has said. He said he will be an extraordinary president and, by default, all his predecessors haven't been. I want the French to hear the truth. Unity is a good idea, but we have to make it happen; it's when you speak to all French that it happens."
Sarkozy said he was proud there had been "no violence in my five years in power" despite enacting controversial policies. "I am proud of that. There are those who speak of unity, there are those who make it happen."
Hollande replied: "Whatever seems to happen you are happy."
After a long election campaign it was no surprise to discover the two men have polar opposite views of how to deal with almost everything including the global economic crisis – Hollande supports higher taxes and encouraging growth, while Sarkozy backs austerity cuts and savings – cutting unemployment, currently hovering at just under 10%, an 11-year high, and lowering the public debt that has seen France lose its triple A credit rating.
Hollande pointed out French public debt was so high that the second biggest state expenditure after education was making interest repayments; Sarkozy described Hollande's economic programme as "spending madness".
However, they did agree on one point: both candidates want to balance the books, Hollande in 2017, Sarkozy in 2016. But true to form, the pair then began squabbling over the figures.
After Sarkozy accused him of "calumnies and lies", Hollande said: "You think you can just say anything. This is your method; you cannot maintain a reasoned argument without being disagreeable".
At one point the pair began arguing about what constituted "rich".
Sarkozy said: "You want fewer rich, I want fewer poor, that's the difference between us Monsieur Hollande."
"I protect the children of the republic, you protect the privileged," replied Hollande.
The pair also fell out over Europe; Hollande wants to renegotiate the Franco-German deal to limit public spending agreed with the majority of the European Union countries, but Sarkozy has pledged to ratify the austerity treaty.
'Mr Hollande doesn't know about Europe. You don't get anywhere by tapping your fist on the table," said Sarkozy attacking Hollande's inexperience. "I have been to all the meetings."
"That's normal, considering you're president," said Hollande.
On immigration, Sarkozy, who needs to pick up a majority of the 6.4 million voters who supported the far-right Front National in the first round, said France had "welcomed too many people" and he wanted to reduce the number by half to 100,000 a year.
Hollande has said he will regularise illegal immigrants but denied there were "too many legal immigrants". In any case, he said, Sarkozy had been responsible for immigration for the past decade, for five years as interior minister and then as president.
Asked what kind of a president they would be, Sarkozy replied he would introduce a "new economic model" because "France cannot go against the world".
Hollande launched into a long list of things he would do. "I would start by respecting the French, of considering them. I don't want to be president and chief of everything and responsible for nothing," he said.
"Thanks for your arrogance," retorted Sarkozy.
The election campaign will officially end at midnight on Friday, 30 hours before the polling stations open on Sunday.
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 May 2012 17.46 BST
Nicolas Sarkozy, French president and UMP candidate, and his Socialist rival, François Hollande, who will take part in the election's only televised debate this evening. Photograph: Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images
Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande are to face each other in a live TV debate on Wednesday night – a tense verbal showdown seen as the rightwing president's last chance to swing Sunday's presidential vote in his favour.
The French president is six to eight points behind the Socialist frontrunner Hollande in the polls, despite an aggressive campaign.
Sarkozy has reportedly told ministers that he will use the debate to "explode" Hollande. Both candidates have warned they do not view the two-and-a-half-hour standoff as a "boxing match", but French newspapers were billing it as a fight for political survival: The Last Duel or The Final Confrontation.
With an expected 20 million viewers, the presidential TV debate is a classic set-piece in French politics. It makes more impact as a personality clash than a detailed deconstruction of manifestos. In the past it has produced scathing put-downs and killer one-liners, such as Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's snub to François Mitterrand ("You do not have the monopoly of the heart"), Mitterrand's belittling of Jacques Chirac, or Sarkozy telling the Socialist Ségolène Royal in 2007 that she had lost her nerve.
Preparations for the black-and-white acrylic-glass studio set have been tightly organised with the candidates' teams, down to the temperature being set at 19C, with each candidate able to adjust his own air conditioning. Some producers had wanted US-style podiums, but instead it will be the traditional French format of two candidates facing each other across a table, sitting exactly 2.45 metres apart.
While Sarkozy's supporters hope the debate will change the election result, pollsters say past debates have never swung voters' intentions by much more than a point.
Bernard Sananes, head of the CSA polling institute, told BFM TV: "Sarkozy needs to swing 1.5 million people to his side. It won't be easy but that doesn't mean it's impossible."
Sarkozy spent the day at home with his wife, Carla Bruni, preparing for the debate, having postponed his weekly cabinet meeting to study his dossiers. His camp is keen to swing the debate on to subjects such as immigration, integration, the left's proposals to give the vote to foreigners in local elections, and nuclear issues. His aim, commentators said, was to make the French public fear Hollande.
Hollande was expected to attack Sarkozy over his five-year record in office. The Socialist, known for calmness and irony, was aiming to let Sarkozy wear himself out, aides said.
The rivals have debated four times before, most notably in 1999 on the issue of Europe.
04/ 5/12 09:16 PM ET WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Thursday that the 2012 election will be a "fun debate" over two competing visions for the nation, referring to Mitt Romney as the Republican "front-runner" who has backed policies that would undermine middle-class families.
At a fundraiser held at a Washington hotel, Obama told supporters that his administration had spent the past three years "cleaning up after some of that mess, and I don't want to have to do it again." He warned that a budget plan pushed by House Republicans would hurt early childhood education, veterans and road and bridge projects crucial to the nation's economic recovery.
The president told about 250 donors that the House Republican budget was one that "Governor Romney, who is the front-runner on the Republican side, has embraced. He said the budget was marvelous," Obama said. "And when you go through this budget, the vision that it portrays is of an America where everybody is fending for themselves."
Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said in response that Obama was "still pointing fingers instead of talking about his accomplishments. The president who was all about hope and change has now resorted to distortion and fear."
Obama revisited many of the same arguments he made earlier in the week during a speech to newspaper executives, in which he framed the election as a choice between his work to use government to help people prosper and Republicans who would let average Americans struggle while pushing policies that help the wealthy few.
"It's going to be a big debate, and it's going to be a fun debate. Because it's always good to have the truth on your side," Obama said.
Romney, campaigning in Pennsylvania, painted Obama as someone who hasn't spent enough time in the real world to be accountable to the needs of ordinary Americans.
"He's so out of touch with the American people that he doesn't see how many people are struggling amidst his policies," Romney said Wednesday night in Broomall, Pa.
Obama spoke at two fundraisers Thursday that were expected to raise at least $1.4 million. The first, a private reception for 20 supporters who paid $40,000 per person, was held at a hotel near the White House.
Tickets at the larger event at another Washington hotel started at $2,500 per person. Proceeds from both events were going to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Through the end of February, Obama has raised about $300 million for his re-election campaign and the DNC during the current election cycle.
Les francais yang nak kena ubah mentality. Segala2 nya nak kena tanggung dorang ni. From craddle to grave kerajaan bagi kelepasan kewangan. Sakit2 sikit pergi doctor dapat ubat, satu sen tak bayar. Kat rumah ubat free bertindih tindih. Bayang kan kena cancer satu sen tak bayar untuk medical expenses. Bila Sarkozy ubah law untuk budak2 yang baru masuk kerja dan kalau dorang main2 boleh kena buang, terus ribu2 budak buat manifestation. Last dia tarik balik law tu. Mana2 president memang akan susah nak ubah French mentality ni.
Nak swing positive economic growth memang nak kena miracle lah. Kilang2 tradisional semua jadi macam rumah hantu. Hutang negara bertimbun kerana nak layan legacy dari undang2 socialist Francois Mitterand. Sebab tu sampai sekarang ramai orang masih cakap the best president is Mitterand. Rakyat dah sedap bertahun tahun dapat kelepasan, susah nak tukar mindset.
Apa yang Francois Hollande ni boleh buat? Naik kan taxes untuk company, orang kaya? Kalau aku ada company baik aku lari gi China. Sedang kan Sarkozy bagi kelepasan untuk company sekarang ni pun, unemployment rate jejak 10%. Macam mana nak layan austerity Europe? Nak ubah agreement dengan Germany dan bagi problem Greece, Spain merebak? Socialist ni lah perosak
soal debate ni sudah pun di bincang panjang lebar...utk ke arah negara maju, debat ni sebahagian daripada political culture yg matang...mana2 negara yg belum ada budaya debat ni di kategori masih mundur dari segi politik, walaupun ekonomi bergerak maju...debat ni bukan soal buang masa, tetapi as a leader, u are able to provide your supporters your ideas...and input...yg brani berdebat dlm umno je cuma shabery cheek dan KJ, yg lain suma mengalahkan bapok lorong...
Post time 6-5-2012 02:59 AM
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Thursday that the 2012 election will be a "fun debate" over two competing visions for the nation, referring to Mitt Romney as the Republican "front-runner" who has backed policies that would undermine middle-class families.
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