Mitterrand in Massachusetts

In last night's senatorial debate between Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Elizabeth Warren, Brown borrowed a well-known zinger from François Mitterrand:

After Warren gave a long, three-part answer, plus “icing” for a total of four, about how Brown has been less bipartisan than advertised in voting against jobs bills, he let loose with this: “Excuse me, I’m not a student in your classroom. Please let me respond.”

Old-timers like me will recall that Mitterrand was widely thought to have won the 1981 presidential debate with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (and possibly the election as well) when he responded to Giscard's attempt to trip him up on the franc-Deutschmark exchange rate with the statement:

I don't much like your tone, and I'm not your student.

Mitterrand then gave a precise figure for the exchange rate in question. His response was made even more pointed by the fact that he used the word élève in French rather than étudiant. The former refers to an elementary school pupil. He thus amplified his scorn for Giscard's hauteur, which many people already disliked.

How nice to see a Republican candidate in the US borrowing from a French socialist.

Hollande in the Hamptons

It seems that François Hollande has inspired fear and loathing in the Hamptons. An article in New York Magazine quotes "billionaire Jeff Greene" (a name I'd never heard until a few moments ago):

“Right now, for some bizarre reason, a lot of these people are supporting Republicans who want to cut taxes on the wealthy,” he says. “At some point, if we keep doing this, their numbers are going to keep swelling, it won’t be an Obama or a Romney. It will be a ­Hollande. A Chávez.”

Mélenchon Gets His Wish, Sort Of

During the presidential campaign, Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for the US Sixth Fleet to be withdrawn from the Mediterranean. Now it has been announced that the bulk of the US Navy will be shifted to the Pacific. Probably not exactly what Mélenchon had in mind ... but still a rather ominous development, I think.

"We will win, Barack, you and me."

Sarkozy invites the cameras in to witness his conversation with Barack Obama (il le tutoie!), and it's not clear that Obama is aware that he is being used as a campaign prop, since the cameras are immediately ushered out as Obama shifts to a discussion of Iran and other urgent matters not fit for public airing. It would be shocking if Obama was not told what was going on. (h/t JV)