Two worlds, two languages, two methods. Two different ideas of democracy. Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen could not have looked more different in the great debate on Tf1 and France2. There was not, between the two leaders, the distance between those who have already ruled and those who try to replace him, but something deeper, which also marks the public image of the two opponents.
The populist …
Emmanuel Macron the elite man, the technocrat. Marine Le Pen the populist. The language of the two characters reveals that the labels reveal at least part of reality. The leader of the Rassemblement nationale really superimposed on each other i complaints book of the French, the problems they perceive, which distress them, especially in the countryside where Le Pen is strongest. He threw a few rhetorical hooks even to the left, evoking the Marxian “value-work” several times. She was less concerned not only with the coherence of the various policies with each other, but also with the compatibility with the available resources, with the constitutional framework. With reality.
… and the man of the elites
The outgoing president – considered by the polls to be a winner in the elections and also, at points, in the debate – had a good game to underline all the contradictions between the rival’s proposals, and the absence of a precise idea of the resources to be used and of the sources where to find them. He has made a very studied use of reasoning, with his sometimes somewhat abstract language that has made him far from the masses, who therefore accuse him of “blah, blah, blah”. More effective appeared the numerous times in which he accused Le Pen of not having voted on the measures that could have addressed the problems that the rival complained of.
The purchasing power
In a confrontation with civil tones, but not without mutual attacks, all the great issues of French politics today were addressed. Seven, among the many marked the rhythm of the evening, brought out the differences between the two candidates. The more the eighth, the deeper: the model of democracy they propose. The debate began on the issue of purchasing power, which Le Pen wants to address by cutting VAT and taxes, but without indicating which “useless expenses” he intends to cut. The fears of those who think of an increase in the French deficit, in the event of its victory, have emerged strongly. Easy for Macron to answer: the VAT cut – an effectively regressive tax – helps the richest more, and the poorest much less. Unlike the tariff shield he introduced that Le Pen wants to keep (even if he didn’t vote for it).
Similarly: Le Pen proposed exempting companies that will increase wages by 10% from the additional contributions, and Macron immediately tried to “dismantle” the rhetorical game: it is an incentive, “you don’t manage wages. I would not want those who listen to us to think that, with you, wages will increase by 10% ».
“You depend on Russian power”
The war on Ukraine was where Macron was able to pursue Le Pen: a very topical issue, while the populist right-wing leader’s accusations against the president who divided France sent her to protest in the streets, although true, they looked rather dated. Le Pen “depends on Russian power and Putin,” said the president, citing the 9 million euro loan, not yet fully repaid, obtained in 2015 from a Russian bank: “You talk to your banker when you talk about Russia “.
“We are a poor party, and this is not dishonorable,” replied Le Pen, who has claimed his support for Ukraine since 2014. Macron replied by pointing to the example of Eric Zemmour, Le Pen’s opponent in the leadership of the radical right. , which did not resort to foreign loans. “You have always been ambiguous on this issue, because you are not in a ‘power to power’ situation, but your interests are linked to those of Russia”.