Sen. Bernie Sanders congratulated French voters for rejecting the xenophobia and racism of Marine Le Pen by electing Emmanuel Macron president.
Sanders tweeted:
Congratulations to the people of France who today, by an overwhelming vote, rejected racism and xenophobia.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 7, 2017
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Sen. Sanders was correct. This was an important victory for the French people, but it was also a victory for Western democracies which had their confidence shaken by the Russian interference in the US presidential election and the victory of Trump.
Almost immediately after Trump won in the US, election and security experts were warning that Russia was going to interfere in the French presidential election, and sure enough, the Russians and the WikiLeaks co-conspirators pulled the same stunt on the Macron campaign that was so effective against Hillary Clinton and the DNC.
The difference was that the French media didn’t salivate and breathlessly report on the leaked emails.
The movement of right-wing racism and xenophobia was dealt a resounding defeat in France. The Macron victory was a great day for France, and it helped to reassure the rest of the world that the Trump victory was not the beginning of Putin fueled right-wing march that will destabilize democracy.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
