Politics
Tuesday May 1, 2007
France: Royal Campaign Demonizes Leading Candidate Sarközy for "Hard Right" Views
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
PARIS, France, May 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - France's leading contender in the coming election, Nicolas Sarközy, has been targeted by his key rival Ségolène Royal in a vicious attempt to instill fear in voters over his "dangerous" and "hard Right" policies, reported The Times earlier today.
Mirroring the savage smear campaign waged by Jean Chretien's Liberals against then-Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day in Canada's 2000 federal election, Royal's tactics follow a pre-set pattern of painting socially conservative candidates as would-be tyrants dangerous to the peace of the nation.
Jean Chretien's 2000 campaign team focused their assault on Day's evangelical beliefs, openly mocking him as a religious extremist seeking to impose his views on the nation. The campaign was largely successful--Chretien won--but it appears to be a challenge to pull off a similar victory in France.
With recent polls showing Sarközy in a strong lead, the intensity of Royal's campaign has approached a frenzied tone of desperation. Denouncing the conservative leader for the "great violence" and "brutality" of his campaign, which she said was frightening voters, Royal has contrasted her "France at peace with itself" with Sarközy's "France of the hard Right."
"Sarközy embodies a hard radicalized Right
with all its fears and hates. Entrusting the presidency to a demagogue like this means real danger," Royal supporters declared yesterday.
The battle for voter support in the election has polarized along key social issues, with Royal promising to legalize homosexual 'marriage' and introduce euthanasia, while Sarközy has taken a firm position supporting traditional family on the basis of the needs of children and has publicly rejected legalizing euthanasia.
While opposed to the introduction of homosexual 'marriage,' Sarközy nevertheless does not believe homosexuality is morally problematic. In a recent interview with Liberation newspaper, the center-right leader called it "shocking" that the Catholic Church regards "homosexuality is a sin." He added, "One does not choose one's identity."
Sarközy has nearly two-thirds the voter support of Royal, according to the latest poll conducted Sunday by CSA--65 percent of those questioned said Sarközy was "solid" compared to only 24 percent for Royal.
On questions of personality and charm, however, the socialist leader came in well ahead of Sarközy with 57 percent rating her likeable, compared to only 29 percent for the conservative candidate.
Royal's campaign planners are exploiting that advantage with everything they've got. Historian Max Gallo, one-time spokesman for the late President Mitterrand, said, "I cannot thing of any other case of a politician being excreted like this since the hatred of opponents of de Gaulle."
Read The Times coverage:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1728912.ece
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
No Gay "Marriage" or Adoption says French Presidential Hopeful Sarközy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/sep/06090803.html
France Presidential Hopeful Royal Promises to Legalize Euthanasia
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07022001.html
Attacks Against Party Leader's Christianity Continue
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/nov/001117b.html
W-5 SMEAR CAMPAIGN SEEN AS FOILED ATTACK ON STOCKWELL DAY
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2000/nov/00110703.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.