Some boring takes on the French election

Once again, taking popular positions on high-profile issues matters. In the 2022 French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron triumphed over rival Marine Le Pen. However, beyond the surface statistics, the facts remain that the far-right National Rally went from a fringe party to the status of the main opposition, and Macron played a dangerous gamble by digging his heels in on specific issues. Matthew Yglesias discusses the most prominent topics from the election, including tactical voting, Le Pen's pivot towards the centre-right and Macron's significant (and unpopular) risk in committing to raise the French retirement age.