Éric Woerth: the rhetoric of rallying

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Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly, Eric Woerth, historic member of the Republicans, very critical of Emmanuel Macron throughout his five-year term, finally announced last week that he supported him. And it takes creativity to justify such a turnaround. One of the main figures of the parliamentary opposition who finally supports the candidacy of the President of the Republic – even before this candidacy has been declared – that promised some rhetorical contortions.

This is indeed what we witnessed on Wednesday February 16th. Éric Woerth was the guest of LCI. He explained the reasons for his choice. Basically, things are simple: he and Emmanuel Macron would have each walked on their side, simply to find each other! “You evolve yourself. You meet people, they themselves have moved quite a bit, changed quite a bit, says Eric Woerth. And deep down you realize that you are not very far from what they themselves think. / And I think he stepped into the suits of a president in an extremely powerful way. There is a bet to be made on the future which is that he will be up to it and I think he will be.”

Behind the story of a beautiful mutual journey, there is a real argument. Emmanuel Macron would have gained in experience, and would now be able to meet the challenges of the next five years.

We must measure what it means: the differences between the two men would be less a matter of ideology and substance than of competence and execution. And moreover, Éric Woerth says it himself, putting forward a very curious concept: Emmanuel Macron would make a good second-term president.” “Emmanuel Macron can be, I think, a very good candidate for a second term. / If at some point he has demonstrated his ability to be President of the Republic and his deep sincerity in his desire for reform, then we must give a little time./ A second-term president who is unable to stand for re-election, who is freer in his personal choices is a president who can be extremely effective. A second-term president, we don’t have try again.”

So, I’m going to come back to this expression, “second term president”. But first, you have to be aware of the vocabulary that surrounds it. According to Eric WoerthEmmanuel Macron would have “demonstrates his ability to be President of the Republic”. His abilities: as if exercising the presidency was only a matter of technique, and no choice! He would have shown”profound sincerity in its desire for reform”. His desire for reforms: as if it were not necessary to say which ones, since in any case there would only be one possible direction for reform! Éric Woerth even speaks of a president “effective”. Effective: basically, a good manager, and nothing more! . .

We now understand the usefulness of this expression: “second term president”. The idea behind it is that France would above all need an experienced president, free from the constraints imposed by the prospect of re-election. So why not. But there is a question that remains in the shadows, and not the least, that of the decisions that will be taken! From the direction in which the president wants to take the country! In short, the policy he intends to pursue! However, let’s not forget that politics is always a matter of ideology: there is always a choice, there are always alternatives.

Basically, Eric Woerth tells us half-word that he finds himself in the political orientations of the government. This poses a double problem. A problem of political strategy, on the one hand, for Emmanuel Macron, it will become increasingly difficult to claim that his orientation is “and to the right, and to the left”. And then, an institutional problem too. According to the regulations of the National Assembly, the presidency of the finance committee must go to an opposition deputy. We are entitled to wonder what opposition Mr Éric Woerth really had.


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