# voter apathy in france **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849 "2002-04-21T20:19:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/1 "2002-04-21T20:19:07Z")
Holy shit. holy fucking shit. What the fuck is going on in France? Jean Marie la Pen got 17% of the vote in the french Primaries. This is a guy who is Xenophobic, Racist, anti-semetic. You name the flaw, this guy has it. for a history, go here. [http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html](http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html) OK, its only the Primaries and 23% turnout, but it is scary that this guy has the chance to take over the presidency of France. This is a worrying development. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/2 "2002-04-21T21:02:46Z")
Le Pen is back? I’ve heard reports of his political death several times. I guess evil is harder to kill than good. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/3 "2002-04-21T23:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Holy shit. holy fucking shit. What the fuck is going on in France? > > Jean Marie la Pen got 17% of the vote in the french Primaries. > > This is a guy who is Xenophobic, Racist, anti-semetic. You name the flaw, this guy has it. for a history, go here. > > [http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html](http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html) > > OK, its only the Primaries and 23% turnout, but it is scary that this guy has the chance to take over the presidency of France. > This is a worrying development. \*\* Oh indeed it is…if it’s voter complacency/apathy, then they should join the club. But if that guy gets the presidency or even gets close to getting it, I bet all those apathetic voters would be sorry… ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/4 "2002-04-22T00:15:46Z")
With a Chinese wife and a next job coming up in France within a few months, this did not make a good start to the day… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![POWER\_station](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@POWER\_station](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/POWER_station)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/5 "2002-04-22T00:33:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Holy shit. holy fucking shit. What the fuck is going on in France? > > Jean Marie la Pen got 17% of the vote in the french Primaries. > > This is a guy who is Xenophobic, Racist, anti-semetic. You name the flaw, this guy has it. for a history, go here. > > [http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html](http://www.adl.org/international/LePen-1-introduction.html) > > OK, its only the Primaries and 23% turnout, but it is scary that this guy has the chance to take over the presidency of France. > This is a worrying development. \*\* I’m not from France, but it may have something to do with all the immigrants from the third world. Most countries in Europe have had a large problem with immigrants the last decade. It’s simply too many to handle. Integration have not been a success either. Crimes among immigrants are an increasing problem. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/6 "2002-04-22T09:57:22Z")
The thing is **Twisty** , if you look at the historical support for this scumbag, you’ll see that it hasn’t actually changed much in all the time he’s been running. Furthermore, at the last set of elections some staggering proportion of voters who voted for him in the first round (something like 80%) said in an exit poll that they didn’t actually want him to win, they just wanted to register a protest vote. What was different this time? Simply a particularly low turnout (23%, as you said), which allowed the protest votes and kooks to be more dominant than they usually are. Combined with a late surge in _un_popularity for Jospin and an apparent cleaning up of Le Pen’s act that allowed a few self-deluded voters to choose him. He’ll be creamed by Chirac in the final vote, with a much **much** lower percentage than he got in this first round. I agree that the rise of the European right is a touch concerning but I wouldn’t read too much into this specific vote. pan ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/7 "2002-04-22T10:04:50Z")
I’m just worried that this is going to give creedence to LaPen and his views. I suspect that there will be a huge turnout against La Pen in the elections, but that is just going to strenghten Chirac’s position. This really is a Lesser of two evils situation. I blame Jospain for this. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/8 "2002-04-22T10:39:10Z")
Well, yes. I can’t argue with that. However, personally I blame Le Pen for this. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/9 "2002-04-22T10:46:01Z")
I blame La Pen for everything, including the shocking decline in the quality and quantity of Jean Michelle Jarre’s music. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/10 "2002-04-22T10:52:56Z")
You mean that Jean Michelle Jarre _ever_ produced anything of quality? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voter-apathy-in-france/104849/11 "2002-04-22T11:16:52Z")
Please please please don’t endorse the fucker. By even mentioning the hideous bastard in this thread you give him some backing. People who may not know of this danger may decide to “educate” themselves and look up his history. What happens then? You guessed it they waddle down to HMV and buy his greatest hits. Jean Michelle Jarre is a scourge on society and should be ignored at all times. 😃