Okay, it has been fun. But now, it is just about time to acknowledge that the World Cup is over, and that life goes on. Admittedly, I used it as a sort of break, or a mini vacation that I was giving myself from much of the real world, at least here on the Charbor Chronicles. I made a point of trying not to write anything on some of the typical nonsense that dominates our headlines, and that would be especially true regarding people named Trump.
But the World Cup is over. The games were entertaining, and I believe that I watched more games this time around than any other previous tournament. Also, I followed every game, and wrote about each one here on this blog. That went all the way to Sunday's final, and anyone who has followed this blog entry, or knows me, knows that the outcome certainly made me very happy.
Just a couple of articles left related to the World Cup, and it seems appropriate to do them both on the same day. You will notice, surely, that neither of these are strictly relegated to World Cup action on the field, or the players who helped to make this World Cup special.
This one, for example, is about the current French president. The next one will be a combination, but will also have some political significance, as Croatia's national team was greeted warmly, and seemed on very friendly terms, with an ultra-right-wing nationalist upon returning home to Croatia.
Emmanuel Macron has been in office for a little over a year, but things are not going very smoothly. France, like every other nation in the world, has no shortage of problems, and most French people are not overly impressed with Macron's handling of those problems thus far.
Here was a young, energetic, dynamic seeming leader, an injection of youth in what had seemed to be an office dominated by stuffy older men.
Then suddenly, in an era of sweeping and unpredictable outcomes, Macron forms a new party that sweeps to power. Some rejoiced, at least initially, because it kept ultra-right-wing nationalist Front Nationale leader Marine Le Pen from ascending to the top (with Trump's blessings and support, by the way).
It seemed exciting.
But a year and change after he first took power, his poll numbers are rather shockingly low. He is looking suspiciously like he might be another one-term president. You know, sometimes it seems that the United States and France seem like opposites in many respects, and sometimes, they can learn from each other. Maybe Macron will be different, but already, he is looking seriously like a one-term president. Meanwhile, here in the United States, it seems that once someone gets into the White House.
That's not to say that Macron is doing such an excellent job that he deserves another term in office. But we sure need to stop electing, and then re-electing, arrogant, selfish imbeciles with a false sense of entitlement as our so-called leaders. I have a feeling that Trump might very well win re-election in 2020. We already voted George W. Bush in for two terms, when he did not deserve a single term in office. We voted Clinton in twice when he did not deserve a single term in office. And we idolized, and nearly worship still, Ronald Reagan, when he did not deserve a single term in office. But once these guys are in, it seems that they become a version of "the Teflon president." And now, we have the ultimate Teflon president in there, a man who lies regularly on a virtually every day basis, and who's combination of arrogance and ignorance has already reached astronomical levels. He embodies all the worst excesses of the American character, and the only people who do not see it are his loyal supporters.
But I digress.
Back to Macron. He showed a little bit of that youthful spirit that got him elected in the first place during this World Cup, celebrating the victories that France enjoyed on the way to winning it all. And now, some are expecting that this will bring him a boost in the ratings among French voters. A much needed boost, obviously.
This is not merely some crazy idea. Jacques Chirac, the French president the last time that France won the World Cup, got a significant boost of 18 points after France won the title, during which he was repeatedly shown cheering France on and rejoicing in their victories. Granted, he was not an active part of the game, or anything. Yet, he benefited not just from being a fan of a team that won it all, but his political career got a boost, as well.
It is understandable, then, that Macron would hope for the same thing.
Take a look at the article below:
That's not to say that Macron is doing such an excellent job that he deserves another term in office. But we sure need to stop electing, and then re-electing, arrogant, selfish imbeciles with a false sense of entitlement as our so-called leaders. I have a feeling that Trump might very well win re-election in 2020. We already voted George W. Bush in for two terms, when he did not deserve a single term in office. We voted Clinton in twice when he did not deserve a single term in office. And we idolized, and nearly worship still, Ronald Reagan, when he did not deserve a single term in office. But once these guys are in, it seems that they become a version of "the Teflon president." And now, we have the ultimate Teflon president in there, a man who lies regularly on a virtually every day basis, and who's combination of arrogance and ignorance has already reached astronomical levels. He embodies all the worst excesses of the American character, and the only people who do not see it are his loyal supporters.
But I digress.
Back to Macron. He showed a little bit of that youthful spirit that got him elected in the first place during this World Cup, celebrating the victories that France enjoyed on the way to winning it all. And now, some are expecting that this will bring him a boost in the ratings among French voters. A much needed boost, obviously.
This is not merely some crazy idea. Jacques Chirac, the French president the last time that France won the World Cup, got a significant boost of 18 points after France won the title, during which he was repeatedly shown cheering France on and rejoicing in their victories. Granted, he was not an active part of the game, or anything. Yet, he benefited not just from being a fan of a team that won it all, but his political career got a boost, as well.
It is understandable, then, that Macron would hope for the same thing.
Take a look at the article below:
World Cup 2018: Emmanuel Macron hopes for approval rating boost in wake of France victory The unpopular French president could be in for a boost Jon Stone Europe Correspondent @joncstone 9 hours ago
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