Channeling the world's mindset, Francois Hollande loudly and clearly began a new dialog in the global war against "the people". Once again, led by the French (no strangers to revolution) they're reconfiguring Europe's economic debate. Poised to stand down Germany's demand for stiffer economic discipline (Germans being no strangers to discipline) Hollande's promises to place fresh options on the table, while assuring "the people" a seat at that table.
During all of the summits, conferences and global negotiations staged thus far to mitigate escalating damage to the world's economy, little attention has been paid to the actual degree of damage "the people" are forced to sustain. Few of those charged with stabilizing the West's crumbling economic state are even remotely aware, or if so even care how "the people" are to manage their lives under crippling austerity measures.
Under said policies, lives will be crushed, careers delayed and derailed, futures downgraded and potential for economic and personal growth unrealized. If there are existing alternatives to those offered by the elite's handpicked representatives, President elect Hollande and America's Barack Obama must be the leaders to bring them to the fore.
Advocating long term pressures on the individual through lower wages, longer hours and fewer benefits will only weakened and anger the world's already desperate middle class. Although one could argue Europeans and Americans are strong, resilient and willing to sacrifice for the greater good, no one can be expected do so for very long in the face of runaway income disparity.
By every measure, those who stand to benefit most from the path of austerity are the very entities that caused the global economic calamity in the first place. Imposing financial discipline and severe austerity on everyone but themselves after creating vast wealth opportunities for the very few will hardly be tolerated without a fight. Hiding behind arguments of envy and class warfare will be seen as an insult by those simply looking for work at a livable wage and access to affordable healthcare and education.
Provide these basic essentials to any populace and one will find people automatically rising to levels commensurate with their talents and work ethic. Newly elected Hollande, like American President Obama are representing "the people's" interest. They both seem to have wisely listened to the voices of the weary and constructed policy responses that'll reinvigorate the shriveling middle class, while offering hope to those who've already being left behind.
Both taking office under the most dreadful economic circumstances in recent memory, Hollande and Obama have apparently opted for the Keynesian approach to stimulating the global economic contraction. In our view, austerity (global economic retrenchment) has proven to be structurally unsound and fundamentality unfair.
Francois Hollande's victory should provide a dire warning for Mitt Romney and the GOP's chances in November. Even the hoards of money that'll be spent to marginalize the American President's achievements in the face of near treasonous obstructionism, will have minimal impact.
Against a sitting president who's ingratiated himself with a majority of Americans through maintaining a strong personal connection at "the people" level of governance, the elite's candidate will have difficulties spinning a tale of compassion for anything but unmitigated profit.
With a message of: Fairness will lead to opportunity and opportunity will lead to forward progress for all "the people" being the foundation of his campaign strategy, President Obama should handily defeat his politically contorting rival without much effort.