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Go Home Great Minds Think Alike

THE PLANK APRIL 17, 2007

Great Minds Think Alike

BY TNR STAFF

From the "what the heck" department comes this interesting tidbit from a
BBC news story on the
upcoming French Presidential election: 8% of French Muslims say they
will vote for the National Front, the party of Jean-Marie Le Pen,
France's answer to Pat Buchanan. How is this the case?

Fayid Smahi, a regional councillor and National Front member in Paris,
claims Mr Le Pen offers much more wholesome values than mainstream
politicians.

"Above everything it's his family values we share. When we're eating our
dinner, watching TV at night and we see two homosexual men kissing, it
upsets us. As Muslims, and as decent French citizens, it shocks us."

Finally! Something xenophobic French nationalists and fundamentalist Muslims can
agree to hate.

--James Kirchick

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18 comments

Does this mean that Dinesh D'Souza was right?

- benjamin81

April 17, 2007 at 11:29am

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This has been true all along. Besides, they can both deny or minimize the Holocaust together.

- jacksondyer

April 17, 2007 at 11:36am

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What Christian fundamentalists, Muslim fundamentalists, Communists, Nazis, tyrannies on the left and right all share in common - hatred for gays. D'Souza should be proud to be among their ranks

- dubyadoubte

April 17, 2007 at 12:20pm

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in Reason's coal mine.

- williamyard

April 17, 2007 at 12:29pm

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I notice that the post was edited, deleting "devout" and inserting "fundamentalist." Might this have been a Freudian slip, Marty/James?

- glacialspeed

April 17, 2007 at 12:31pm

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You get complimented all the time, and I don't want this to go to your head. But your post 4 is freakin' brilliant.

- epicciuto

April 17, 2007 at 12:39pm

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Really? That many. Wow. Was that plus/minus 3 or 4%? Le Pen may get as much as 16% of the vote, so he does not do very well among Muslims, relatively speaking (with 92% of Muslims apparently not being enamored of his politics). Meanwhile, here in America, far more than 8% of us supported Bush and his proposal to ban gay marriage by Constitutional amendment. Maybe we need to import some French Muslims? Neil

- purcellneil

April 17, 2007 at 1:03pm

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Don't worry about it going to my head. There's no room; the Sonoma Hooker has stuffed it full already (e.g. "You're so blahblah..."). I just bought her an iPod. Funny how that works, huh?

- williamyard

April 17, 2007 at 1:03pm

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This from the link on the French presidential candidates: ". . . .and Jean-Marie Le Pen, the ultrarightist, recommends masturbation instead of free condoms to meet young people's sexual needs."

- dubyadoubte

April 17, 2007 at 1:04pm

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I'm late to this party, but what channel was that on?

- Bartolomej

April 17, 2007 at 1:07pm

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James Kirchick must have thought he had died and gone to heaven - an opportunity to criticize the French and Muslims in one fell swoop. The reality is that the supporters of the National Front are precisely the type of individuals who form the Republican base in this country. The deep irony in all Kirchick's trumpeting on the Plank is that he can be loudly proud only because the American left, which he so despises, has won so many victories for gay rights over the years.

Kirchick is trying to inhabit an intellectual space somewhere between Andrew Sullivan and Martin Peretz. Frankly, Sullivan has his position totally sewn up and even one Peretz gibbering on TNR is one Peretz too many. I really do not understand why Kirchick still has a position at TNR now that Peretz is no longer the owner. It can only be a sign of management weakness by Franklin Foer.

- ndmackenzie

April 17, 2007 at 1:08pm

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". . . .and Jean-Marie Le Pen, the ultrarightist, recommends masturbation instead of free condoms to meet young people's sexual needs." That's probably a more effective policy than "abstinence only."

- adamvaught

April 17, 2007 at 1:09pm

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Um, I don't know Kirchick, or Marty or you personally - but what does your comment on them or on the American left have to do with the Plank or, indeed, the subject matter at hand? I live next to France - I can see the French soil literally from my bathroom window - and it's scary what is happening there. Someone was saying the other day, "one more suburban riot, and the only choice left on the ballot would be the color of the shirt: brown or black." That's all we need, Muslim fundamentalists allied with facist goons in domestic politics. And if you think this is far-fetched, look no further than in Canada. The Conservatives, for all their talk of Queen and country and good relations with the US and all, were going out of their way to court the most backward elements of Muslim immirgrant communities - PRECISELY ON THE WEDGE ISSUE OF "TWO MEN KISSING" (and getting married). Canadian immigrants proved a but more sensible than the French Muslims (the Liberals throw more money at immigrant communities ...), but who knows how long it'll last. The irony is that it may well be formerly backward Spain, Ireland and Austria, for formerly [*] Germany who could stop this unholy alliance from progressing too far ...

- icarusr

April 17, 2007 at 2:54pm

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Ignore ndmackenzie, he is The Plank's socialist blogroach, trying to find a new target on which to shine his Israel-hating ghostbusters beam now that Peretz is gone. Kirchick, surely these French Muslims channeling D'Souza hasn't escaped your notice?

- jpagano

April 17, 2007 at 3:03pm

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All 8% of them. Geez.

- purcellneil

April 17, 2007 at 3:25pm

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Good point. 8% of any group are likely to support something crazy. And again, as Neil points out (and I have to say, I did not notice) this is actually lower than the percentage of French overall who are likely to vote for Le Pen. Also, I read somewhere today (but can't remember where, so take this with 16,000 grains of salt) that French polls are notriously inaccurate, since a huge amount of French refuse to tell pollsters anything.

- epicciuto

April 17, 2007 at 4:38pm

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icarusr wrote:

Someone was saying the other day, "one more suburban riot, and the only choice left on the ballot would be the color of the shirt: brown or black."

When I see a person using the someone locution in writing like that I immediately assume they are referring to themself - especially, when they use words like scary to describe the French political situation.

- ndmackenzie

April 17, 2007 at 5:35pm

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Wait: We're overlooking the real news here: There are people in France who admit to *watching TV while they eat dinner*!

- frippo

April 17, 2007 at 8:48pm

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