Liberal or liberal?

Having a political conversation is just so different here for a number of reasons. For one, not even the anti-communists care about the insidious "redistribution of wealth" that provides everyone with healthcare and education. So it obviously isn't that aspect of communism that is problematic. Getting rid of these programs, even talking about it is plainly a non-starter. Here it seems that you can, in an intellectually honest way, be anti-communist and pro welfare state. It is completely unproblematic.

Further, even among the pro-business, free market group here, no legitimate candidate thinks about getting rid of free health care or education. I guess that's not entirely true as people are going to start paying tuition in France pretty soon, but I think only for the Grandes Ecoles. So, again, you can be an intellectually honest free marketer and support state paid health care.

Interestingly, at least to my ignorance plagued self, the term for the group who supports free market (sort of) principles is liberal. Liberal! It's just so counterintuitive, I can't wrap my mind around it. Even stranger for me as concerns my political identity in America, I am pretty sure I would be on the right here.

In fact, as I understand it and admittedly I am still learning, the version of the free market that the EU proposes is right up my alley. The people have a safety net, there are strong unions, banks have regulations (theoretically), healthcare is (almost) free as is education. There is an obvious price to pay in terms of taxes but, it is at least fairly clear what you get in exchange. If you add to that a genuine enforcement of anti-trust laws and a genuine concern for consumer protection while allowing for businness to flourish... Oh, wait,I guess this last part hasn't been all that successful, although France is ranked 16th in business climate ratings. By comparison, the U.S. is ranked #1.

All of this, of course, makes the suggestions that Obama is socialist or communist because he wants more people to pay taxes than paid under Bush just plain crazy. In fact, all of the assembled Europeans agreed that Obama would be the most liberal candidate that their country could produce.

On a related note, a news program here interviewed a bunch of French people in the street about whether they supported Obama. It was a landslide for him. Then they asked whether a black candidate could win in France. Again, they all said of course, no problem. One little problem, however, at least according to the in-studio guy: the way the selection of candidates works here makes it nearly impossible for a minority to be selected for a national post. Now, I don't know anything about this. The guy went on to say that an Obama candidacy is only possible in America due to changes in the primary process, allowing for greater participation. I knew nothing about that but it sort of makes sense.