My wife and I watched most of the French Presidential debate between Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal last week, and although I can’t say we understood all (or even most) of it, we were struck by how different the Sarkozy/Royal debate was to the Presidential debates here in the U.S. Seated across from each other at a table, with a running clock to ensure both had the opportunity to speak for the same amount of time, the two engaged in a real debate for over two hours. The debate was not without some acrimony, but the overall impression was one of civility and engagement rather than the posturing and spin we get in our debates. I tried to picture Bush and Kerry or Bush and Gore having this kind of a debate … sitting down across from one another (rather than standing behind podiums) and discussing their policies at length. But I couldn’t picture an American debate happening this way, because I couldn’t honestly see two American candidates (1) sitting down face to face, (2) debating for over two hours, (3) saying anything we didn’t already know. Now I’m not sure that Sarkozy or Royal said anything new (their positions are well-known), but they both conveyed great sincerity and conviction in advancing their view of what is best for France. Although I would have voted for Sarkozy (who won the election today with 53% of the vote), I found myself wishing that our system could produce a debate like this.
Some interesting links: Flash map from Le Figaro showing which departements each candidate carried. Report on the relatively brief speech Sarkozy gave to his supporters following his election, in which he emphasized working with the left … “I will be President of all the French people.” Interestingly, although not included in the referenced article, Sarkozy also spoke of the friendship between France and the United States, but shortly followed that by emphasizing the importance of addressing global warming.