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FORMER US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has released a video endorsing Emmanuel Macron for the French presidency.
Macron faces Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s run-off vote and today received the significant endorsement of Obama.
Speaking directly to French voters in the video, Obama says he will not be campaigning in “many elections” from here on out but has made an exception in this case.
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“I’m not planning to get involved in many elections now that I don’t have to run for office again but the French election is very important to the future of France and the values that we care so much about. Because the success of France matters to the entire world,” Obama says.
I have admired the campaign that Emmanuel Macron has run. He has stood up for liberal values. He put forward a vision for the important role France plays in Europe and around the world.
In a sentence that would seem to be a direct accusation at Le Pen, Obama adds:
He appeals to people’s hopes and not their fears.
Obama concludes the video mentioning the name of Macron’s fledgling ‘En Marche!’ movement.
“En Marche! Vive La France,” Obama says.
It’s not the first time former Rothschild investment banker Macron has used Obama to promote his campaign.
Ahead of the first round of French voting on 23 April, Macron and Obama spoke to each other on the phone and Macron released a video of the conversation.
https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelMacron/videos/1951062761792967/
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@canuckandgo: More likely it won’t change anything. Le Pen voters are certainly not going to be swayed and I can’t imagine any Macron voters saying they are going to change their mind purely because Obama backs him. There may be grumbling from Le Pen voters about interference, but they were always voting Le Pen anyway.
@canuckandgo: if I recall correctly, a decent amount of French people signed a petition for Obama to run in their election.
I don’t think he’s targeting Le Pen voters, it’s more aimed at the 14 odd million people who wish to abstain.
This won’t make a considerable difference but I can’t see how it could hurt Macron. Anyone who would vote Le Pen simply because of this endorsement was probably already going to vote for Le Pen anyway.
@Dave Harris: nonsense, he is interfering in another countries election as he tried to do with Brexit and the polls then went in the opposite direction to his endorsement.
@Paul Fahey: I don’t think you really understand what the issue is. He stated a preference, stood there and said it and left no doubt about where it was coming from, what allegedly happened with Russia is sinister and underhanded. Unless you believe that every article written by anyone that wasn’t American that expressed a preference was interfering with the electoral process
@Dave O Keeffe: I didn’t say it but I certainly thought it, yes. Besides, farage is not nearly as well known and wouldn’t have the influence of Obama so it’s not a very good analogy.
@Matty kinevan: how is Obama using Macron? There’s only one of them running for office. Also, it’s a perfect analogy, both retired politicians talking about an election in a different country
@Dave O Keeffe: On the surface the analogy seems fine, it’s the details that make it invalid. Obama is using Macron because he’s like an American rep for Merkel and the Eu at this point. Macron represents the establishment of which Obama, Merkel and Holland are a part. Also as I said, he is vastly more well known than Farage. Trump had to call him Mr Brexit so the yanks would know who he was. It’s simply not the same.
@Matty kinevan: so it’s not a good analogy because Farage is a clown and an alt-right rep instead of a naive liberal? It’s the same thing just on different sides.
@Plus Prom: That was a very good line alright. She also brought up his accepting an endorsement from a pro sharia islamist group. He spent a lot of the debate squirming and looking flustered. People call her the french trump though in terms of experience… I think macron is more like Trump and her like clinton
@Matty kinevan: she also had another great line – which anyone familiar with Macrons personal life will get – DON’T PLAY GAMES WITH ME, THIS IS NOT A TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP
@Matty kinevan: Maybe, its (apparently) a big gap to close (if accurate or true) – certainly the riots recently with cops being set on fire have not hurt her case.
@Plus Prom: I disregard all polling I’ve seen on this. People can say one thing and think another, brexit, trump, shy tory etc etc. I’m going with my gut. People have a hierarchy of needs. Water, food, comfort, security etc… Most french people have all the basics i.e water, food and shelter. Security is near the top of the list. Macron says just live with the terrorism, le pen says let’s try do something. Most people who are concerned about security will vote le pen. Over 50% of french police have said they’re voting for her. France is in trouble and Macron is too weak to lead, in my opinion.
@Big Lee: Ohhhhh, Lee put that in “Quotes” so that must mean Colbert actually said this …. which you KNOW he didn’t … because it was about Trump’s mouth for Putin, wasn’t it Lee?
@Big Lee: After the events of the last 2 years in France – terrorism – if the French vote for a Rothschild banker = Merkel’s/U.S. Bank’s kid then…zero sympathy.
The arrogant American, doing his part to ensure the war monger ally France is led by someone who will continue the U.S / E.U friendly agenda. Like most of his potus predecessors, he should be on trial for war crimes, not promoted by media interests as a voice of integrity. The French have a difficult enough choice to make without further interference from the vested interests of the monopoly minority.
@Matty kinevan: the Russians only crime was giving the American public a view into how the Democrats REALLY think……that and hacking….but mainly the other thing.
@Plus Prom: I’ve said this before but they were basically calling the Russians tattle tales. They didn’t actually disavow any of the info the Russians gleaned from them. Pathetic
@Big Lee: He did with three choir group members, who miraculously all turned up dead in Chicago within a few weeks of each other – not long before it was announced he would run for presidency..Fact..
@Seamus Mc Meel: You’te a victim of where u live. U buy into the Liberal rubbish you’re fed there. Not much local commentary on the abuse suffered by that Baltimore Oriels batter this week?
He looks a little star struck. It really shows his lack of experience and that could be his downfall. I hope he wins but not sure this video makes him look like a strong and powerful leader, which people want.
Let’s see how Macron gets on with reducing public spending by €60 billion and cutting public service by 120,000 as he has promised ….Think Le Pen might prefer not to be in power at the moment….Better chance of winning in 5 years….
@Lepanto: Would you like me to tell you a story about that talk? Don’t care if you don’t as I’m going to tell you anyway ..
Here goes : The firm that has asked Obama to give a speech,it’s building took one of the biggest impacts when the planes struck on 9/11.The CEO of that firm was off that day as he had to take his child to Kindergarden ,and that is why he survived..Afterwards,he gave the victims families 25% of all of their profits for the next 5 years and paid their health insurance for the next 10 years. To this day he still suffers with nightmares..Who knows what Obama will donate this money towards ..Whine,whine,that is all you get from the whine merchants ..
@Joe Caulfield: What an awful thing to say.This money is going towards summer jobs in Chicago,with 1500 jobs being created during the construction of the Obama Presidential centre .Shame on you for being so miserable!
@Francis Mc Carthy:Nice try . He gives $2million yet he will earn $50 million on his autobiography and charges $400,000 per speech for the wall st mob so thats 5 speechs . Its a win win for him and his Chicago base and is seen to be doing something . $2million will be written off for tax reasons . Why no action when he was President Chicago’s murder rate soars 72% in 2016; shootings up more than 88%
@Robert Preston: Eh? He gives two million of his & Michelle’s money,what part of that are you struggling with ?
He has been asked to give a speech and is getting $400,000 for it,have you heard anything about the firm that has asked him? Has he said what he will do with the money>do you know? What was he supposed to do about the murder rate in Chicago,it was the governors problem.Do your research on the topic or else you will bore me senseless..
@Francis Mc Carthy: Ah… Franny bored with the truth . No but as president he DID nothing for the people of Chicago under his watch over 800 murders last year . Surely as President he has way more power than the governor??? Stop making excuses
@Robert Preston: “He did nothing for the people of Chicago” -Hmmmmm isn’t he the President of AMERICA,yes? Did he invest money in Chicago,yes? You will agree with me in saying that he did not control the purse strings in Congress,yes? The person that needed to ‘clear’ up Chicago would have been the Governor of Illinois,but he would have had to ask Obama for his help…that help would be by sending in the National Guard….but you see Robert,that is all fine and dandy,but one would need a long term plan for the area afterwards..which there is none..And if you think for one second that the Republicans are going to invest in poor,segregated areas,you would be one gullible lad..And,I don’t make excuses,I provide facts..
@gregory: take it easy on the out of date kool-aid as it’s supposed to be deadly stuff…..the man ‘saved’ the auto industry in America…and there is currently a 5% unemployment rate…look it up…and what has Obama got to do with NAFTA-you muppet!
@Anne Marie Devlin: Funny how it doesn’t translate, you’d think that if ever there was a people who could identify with the plight of the ethnic Kekistanis it would be the French.
The only surprise here is that he got involved at all. He was never going endorse Le Pen. Mind you more than 40,000 citizens did sign a spoof petition for Obama to run for President in France.
The man who made a bill to look after Monsanto, who used drones to kill children in 7 countries, who let the NSA spy on everyone, a man who spun Russian nonsense to NATO countries to sell more arms to them and the man who risked war with Russia to cover Hillary’s rear because people didn’t like her as much as she loved herself…
And the POTUS who supports a banker to be the leader of France… Are people crazy?
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