French centre left must wage āexistential battleā to prevent far right winning presidency
I keep thinking about that phrase "rid our hearts of the spirit of defeat." It's so specific, so visceral. Glucksmann isn't just talking strategy; he's talking about emotional armor. And honestly, that might be the smartest thing a centre-left candidate has said in years. The French left has spent so long being the sensible voice in the room that it forgot how to make people feel something. Le Pen doesn't have that problemāshe's all feeling, even when the feeling is fear.
What connects here is the broader pattern across Europe: the centre-left keeps trying to win with policy papers while the far right wins with identity and grievance. Glucksmann seems to understand that the battle is psychological first, electoral second. I'd want to know whether his "existential" framing can actually move voters who've already checked out, or if it's just a rallying cry for the converted. Either way, the fact that he's even using that language suggests the centre left might finally be waking up to the stakes. That's something, at least.