# French Presidential Election, 2017
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [March 3, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294 "2017-03-03T14:29:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 7
### Author:  [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/121 "2017-05-06T07:25:03Z")
I can’t help but suspect the timing of the leak was entirely deliberate. Releasing this stuff 2 hours before the legally enforced French media blackout smacks of maximimum online viral potential.
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### Author:  [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/122 "2017-05-06T07:33:19Z")
Agreed with regard to the timing.
The email hack and leak, and shaky late developing allegations of wrongdoing just seems like déjà vu all over again.
The Cayman scuttlebutt about the allegations of offshore accounts is that some things don’t quite add up. Skepticism is high.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/123 "2017-05-06T09:33:46Z")
According to various sources ([sample cite](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/06/emmanuel-macron-targeted-by-hackers-on-eve-of-french-election)), there’s a mixture of real stuff and possibly fake stuff in the leak.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/124 "2017-05-06T09:35:00Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#):
>
> I can’t help but suspect the timing of the leak was entirely deliberate. Releasing this stuff 2 hours before the legally enforced French media blackout smacks of maximimum online viral potential.
If they’d been sensible, they’d have released it a day or two earlier. Now, because of the blackout, the French press can’t publicise it or comment on it.
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### Author:  [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/125 "2017-05-06T10:18:11Z")
> [@Quartz](#):
>
> If they’d been sensible, they’d have released it a day or two earlier. Now, because of the blackout, the French press can’t publicise it or comment on it.
Which might be part of the plan.😕 The French media can’t publicise or comment on the leaks. This will lead to many, many French people downloading information from various online sources. Some of these sources will be more credible than others. I assume whoever carried out this leak is fairly intelligent. I would not underestimate how much “sense” they are showing.
Also, putting my tinfoil hat on. The aim of the timing of this leak may not ultimately to swing the election. Im going to assume that the internet and social media in France today will be one unholy mess of blackouts, censorship and rumours of shadowbanning. Underming media and social media may be one aim of this particular bit of timing.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/126 "2017-05-06T11:17:21Z")
What is the very strange is the great interest by the anglophone far right in the French politics, which I have no recollection of having happened in the past. There is something in this that stinks of the other agendas. I do not think that in the France this has escaped notice of the middle voters, this strange wave of the outside interventions.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/127 "2017-05-06T11:18:55Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> \La\
>
> It wouldn’t surprise me if he did - tax evasion is relatively common here, since taxes are high. I suppose the severity of the news, provided the allegation is true (debatable) depends on the amounts he hid and where that money comes from.
>
> I highly doubt this will be enough to swing the vote however - back in 2002 we voted for Chirac over Le Pen, even though we \*knew \*he was an out-and-out crook who did much worse than that - pay-for-play, bribes, misappropriating party money, using his position as mayor of Paris to list luxury apartments owned by the city as rent-controlled housing projects for his friends, fake jobs and fake bills…
>
> My point is, we don’t let a little corruption get in the way of saving the kingdom 😃
also the obvious signs of the anglosaxon far right taking interest, it is not something that makes the average voter very happy.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/128 "2017-05-06T11:27:03Z")
> [@octopus](#):
>
> So Obama endorsing a candidate is not meddling? Or is it only nefarious when it’s the political equivalent of Voldemort?
No it is not as it was engaged with the very campaign. A public endorsement in an ordinary way is not meddling.
In the France, Obama is very well liked.
the hacking and the fabrication, these are meddling. A simple video statement by a well liked political is not meddling.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/129 "2017-05-06T11:53:14Z")
> [@Great\_White\_Dope](#):
>
> There’s a lot, and it’s all in French, so it’ll take time for the the corruption to surface, but we all know it’s there.
I’ve got to admit to some bemusement about this complaint. A leak aimed at French people who live in France and speak a language called French that is intended to affect an election in France. Released in French. THE HORROR!
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/130 "2017-05-06T11:59:01Z")
> [@Salvor](#):
>
> So you are in favor of PutinLeaks tilting the election to LePen?
Those on the right think this is okee-dokee because so far it has not negatively affected those on the right. It’s sort of a foundational thought principal of the right.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/131 "2017-05-06T12:05:56Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> I’ve got to admit to some bemusement about this complaint. A leak aimed at French people who live in France and speak a language called French that is intended to affect an election in France. Released in French. THE HORROR!
the footware is not very self aware even its perfmance art.
But it is funny, the idea that ‘it will take time’ because it is in our language…
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/132 "2017-05-06T12:06:26Z")
Amazing how American right-wingers are perfectly fine with Russian attempts to use cyber attacks to elect candidates who are anti-EU and anti-NATO, as long as those same candidates hate Muslims as much as they do.
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### Author:  [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/133 "2017-05-06T13:44:09Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> Amazing how American right-wingers are perfectly fine with Russian attempts to use cyber attacks to elect candidates who are anti-EU and anti-NATO, as long as those same candidates hate Muslims as much as they do.
We don’t care because
(A) (contrary to the opinions of the French people) France is a country that just doesn’t matter very much in the world; and
(B) regardless of which political party is in power, France has shown a pretty consistent anti-American, anti-capitalistic bias for the last 40-50 years. Literally about the only thing that they’ve managed to get right is their attitude towards nuclear power.
Furthermore, France itself was pretty strongly anti-NATO for a long time.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/134 "2017-05-06T13:48:21Z")
funny the ignorant opinions of the monolingual anglophones.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/135 "2017-05-06T14:17:28Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> Furthermore, France itself was pretty strongly anti-NATO for a long time.
It wasn’t anti-NATO, it was pro-French sovereignty (also pro-French arms industry). There’s a difference.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/136 "2017-05-06T14:27:20Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> We don’t care because
> (A) (contrary to the opinions of the French people) France is a country that just doesn’t matter very much in the world; and
> (B) regardless of which political party is in power, France has shown a pretty consistent anti-American, anti-capitalistic bias for the last 40-50 years. Literally about the only thing that they’ve managed to get right is their attitude towards nuclear power.
>
> Furthermore, France itself was pretty strongly anti-NATO for a long time.
Let me guess: you make it a point to order “Freedom Fries” at McDonald’s.
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/137 "2017-05-06T14:29:19Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> We don’t care because
> …
You’ll care when it affects righties, but not until then. It’s the right wing way.
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### Author:  [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/138 "2017-05-06T14:33:04Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> It wasn’t anti-NATO, it was pro-French sovereignty (also pro-French arms industry). There’s a difference.
Refusing the American run central command = anti-Nato in their minds.
Just like having the 7th largest capitalist economy in the world = anti-capitalism.
it is the bar stool ranter type analysis.
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### Author:  [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/139 "2017-05-06T14:57:47Z")
> [@bobot](#):
>
> Those on the right think this is okee-dokee because so far it has not negatively affected those on the right. It’s sort of a foundational thought principal of the right.
Agreed. Much of Trump’s hard core have openly admitted they don’t care about Putin meddling in the American election since it helped their guy. Why would they be upset about a country like France they’d have difficulty finding on a map?
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### Author:  [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-presidential-election-2017/781294/140 "2017-05-06T15:19:26Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> We don’t care because
> (A) (contrary to the opinions of the French people) France is a country that just doesn’t matter very much in the world; and
> (B) regardless of which political party is in power, France has shown a pretty consistent anti-American, anti-capitalistic bias for the last 40-50 years. Literally about the only thing that they’ve managed to get right is their attitude towards nuclear power.
>
> Furthermore, France itself was pretty strongly anti-NATO for a long time.
What a load of crap.
I won’t even dignify the first response but as for the second if you think France is anti-American or anti-capitalist you haven’t been paying attention or you’ve decided that certain sections of Parisian society are representative of the country which is a little like thinking Greenwich Village represents the US.
And I’m not one of those who thinks France is in any way perfect. They really aren’t very good at welcoming and assimilating immigrants and having spent time in France, admittedly back in the 90s, I would say that anti-Muslim racism in France is worse than anti-Black and anti-Hispanic racism in the US.
However your comments were offensive and wrong-headed.
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