The first French Primary debate

A few days ago, we watched a replay of the center-right presidential primary debate in France (compared to the USA, we're talking about a "mild" Democratic party).

We were struck by the civility of the participants and their general acumen compared to the 17 “deplorable” we had to put up with earlier this year on the Republican side.

A true breath of Fresh air! Based on what we saw and heard, and keeping in mind that we are rather disconnected from French culture and current affairs, we liked Francois Fillon best, followed by Alain Juppé and Bruno Lemaire a close third.

We were not that impressed by Jean-François Copé and Jean-Frédéric Poisson; as for Nicolas Sarkozy, he appeared to be struggling pathetically while Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet had not much to bring to the party, except that she was the only woman competing.

If, as the polls suggest, Juppé makes it through, I think France will have a solid candidate, with just one caveat: He's even older than Clinton or Trump!