French presidential rivals indulge in tit for tat during Le Grand Débat

[muriel_volestrangler]

In what quickly descended into an ill-tempered exchange, the pair outlined their policies, but also sought to exploit the weaknesses and personal flaws of the other just three days from the runoff vote to decide who will lead France.

Sarkozy, currently trailing badly in the opinion polls, had threatened to "explode" his Socialist rival. Lagging up to 10 percentage points behind Hollande, according to opinion polls, the incumbent president was fighting for his political future and took a punchy approach during the two hour, 45 minute debate.
...
Within the first hour, Sarkozy called Hollande "irresponsible" and accused him of "lying". Hollande accused Sarkozy of creating "injustice and inequality".
...
After Sarkozy accused him of "calumnies and lies", Hollande said: "You think you can just say anything. This is your method; you cannot maintain a reasoned argument without being disagreeable".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/03/french-presidential-rivals-grand-debat

It sounds like it was a flamefest. From The Guardian's live-blog:

• Commentators viewed it as the most aggressive and bruising debate in more than 30 years of French TV stand-offs. Hollande, who had been slated by the right as being bland, vague or too soft to lead France, attacked Sarkozy over his record in office. Sarkozy's repeated line of argument was to call Hollande a liar and incompetent. The president styled himself as much as a challenger as a sitting president.
• The first snap reader poll on the newspaper Le Parisien's website showed Hollande had won ground with the public. The Socialist managed to convey a presidential stature, even if attacking Sarkozy on his own record allowed the president to kept the subject-matter of the debate on his own ground.
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11.34pm CET: Aha, the first reference to Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Sarkozy says he won't take lessons from a party behind DSK.

I didn't nominate him to the IMF, Hollande retorts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/french-election-blog-2012/2012/may/02/french-presidential-election-debate-live-blog

[Warren DeMontague]

1. I thought we established that the word "tit" was a misogynist slur

No more tit threads!!!

http://election.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2437896

[malaise]

2. I didn't nominate him to the IMF, Hollande retorts

Ouch!!!

[Mass]

3. It was a good debate, where issues were actually discussed, and not parallel stump speech, as US

debate are.

Sarkozy was extremely arrogant and insulting, but Hollande did not let go. Good for him.

[CherokeeDem]

4. Thanks for posting....

One of my closest friends lives in Paris and she was emailing me furiously as the debate occurred. She is not a fan of Sarkozy...

[JDPriestly]

5. If Hollande wins, it will be a huge shift across Europe and possibly the entire world.

Hollande in France and then the various South American leaders on top of the changes in the Middle East. We may be on the threshold of a new political reality.

[pampango]

6. BBC: France presidential election: Who won TV debate?

By turns passionate, confrontational, rowdy - even abusive - but also instructive and comprehensive, it must have kept viewers glued to their seats for the full three hours. The tone was set in the first minutes, when - after Francois Hollande's measured, maybe ponderous, opening remarks about his three key principles: justice, recovery, unity - Nicolas Sarkozy went straight on the attack.

This was no polite exchange of views. It was a clash of personality, ambition and politics at the highest possible level. The format took the participants through a range of subjects: unemployment, the deficit, Europe, immigration, nuclear energy and Afghanistan.

On the economy, Mr Hollande spoke of his plans to cap petrol prices; create 60,000 teaching jobs over five years; end tax exemptions enjoyed by the wealthy; and set up a Public Investment Bank to put money into new projects.

On Europe, Mr Hollande repeated his pledge to renegotiate the budget pact, and "reorientate" the EU from the policies of "generalised austerity".

On immigration, both promised to reduce current levels - but there were angry exchanges over the right for non-EU foreigners to vote in local elections. Mr Sarkozy, who opposes this, said it would open the door to "community-based" voting, with places with large Muslim populations choosing to have separate hours in swimming-pools for men and women. Mr Hollande said Mr Sarkozy was making nasty assumptions about Muslims.

On the nuclear industry, the president said Mr Hollande - in promising to reduce France's dependence on atomic power - had "sold the workers… on the altar of a pitiful political deal with the Greens".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17934146