ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW THE ANGLOSPHERE PREVAILED IN THE LONG WAR...:

With no political party to speak of, and never having held elected office, Mr. Macron, 39, a onetime investment banker and former economy minister, is leading an improbable quest to become modern France's youngest president. His profile is that of an insider, but his policies are those of an outsider. If the ever-precocious Mr. Macron is to succeed, his first challenge is to sell a product still largely unfamiliar to almost everyone: himself. [...]

Mr. Macron has begun a new political movement, En Marche!, which means "Forward" or Onward," that draws from both sides of the political spectrum. He is gambling that his postpartisan philosophy matches the national mood. [...]

In a runoff -- presuming both he and Ms. Le Pen get through to the final round -- she would be the political placeholder, the vote to preserve or restore a nostalgic (critics say outmoded) vision of France and one that revives nationalism and fans anti-Muslim sentiments. She has expanded her movement by assailing globalization -- the European Union, the loss of French jobs and an influx of migrants.

Mr. Macron is the establishment's anti-establishment candidate. He tilts at sacred cows -- retirement benefits, employee protections -- with an eye toward making France more business-friendly, while professing he will preserve its social safety net. Many question whether he will really be able to do both at the same time.

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