France: Left? Right? Depends on Where You're Standing, I Suppose.

A friend who had read this post came up to me and asked why I liked Nicholas Sarkozy. I think he must have been kidding, because he's normally very perceptive. However, it is interesting that my point, which was to wonder whether the asymmetry in calling Sarkozy right-wing while consistently labeling Royale as socialist could be betraying any political biases, could so easily be interpreted, if only in jest, as an expression of my own ideological preference.

Now today, I came across The Demonization of Sarkozy, written by someone who would likely pee in his pants if Mr. Sarkozy so much as looked at him. And sure enough, as early as the second sentence comes this journalistic gem:

"Ms Royal, the left-wing candidate who is about four points behind the conservative Mr. Sarkozy in polls, denounced her opponent for the 'great violence' and 'brutality' of a campaign that she maintained was frightening away voters".

France: Does the English Language MSM Consistently Label Sarkozy a Right-Winger or What?

Does the English language MSM consistently label Nicolas Sarkozy a right-winger, while it unfailingly calls Segolene Royal a socialist? But is Sarkozy a nativist? Is he going to abolish social welfare? And is Royal suggesting nationalizing core industries and collectivizing agriculture?

Given the existence of Jean-Marie Le Pen as the "far-right" candidate, "right-wing" seems to be the more sinister moniker of the two.

The two Japanese Upper House elections being held today do not excite me. The DPJ seems poised to win in Fukushima, while the Okinawa seat remains up in the air, and the outcome will obviously affect the numbers game in the July election. However, it will not otherwise impact the dynamics; what happens in Okinawa stays in Okinawa.

A DPJ victory, particularly with party leader Ozawa tacking to the left, certainly won't help the realignment of US bases there. But then, things there will not be moving any time soon anyway.