European Elections Harbinger of US Elections
Europe’s election results are in. Here are some of the headlines from Drudge followed by my comments:
- FRANCE TURNS LEFT…
- Battle with Berlin…
- EU DRAMA…
- Sarkozy latest victim of anti-incumbent backlash…
- Hollande: ‘My real enemy is the world of finance’…
- Wealthy eye move across the Channel…
- Euro Weakens…
- Angry voters deliver blow to Greek ruling parties…
- …neo-Nazis gain seats
- Bailout at risk…
- Merkel loses power in state election…
What this really means will become more apparent as time unfolds. Two preliminary thoughts regarding the underlying motives are the following:
- This is a revolt against incumbents, much like the 2010 election in the US.
- This is a move further toward socialism by an already highly socialized part of the world.
Both hypotheses are reasonable. They may also not be mutually exclusive.
Europe differs from the US in many ways economically. For decades their economies