Socialists take a thrashing in Venezuela and France

While Americans are fixed on the upcoming presidential elections, political developments in Venezuela and France point to a worldwide shift to the right and away from socialism. Reuters reported on Monday that the opposition parties achieved a landslide victory in Venezuela, capturing that country’s Parliament from the ruling socialists. Meanwhile, AFP reported that the far-right National Front Party led in the first round of regional elections in France. Combined with the results for Nicolas Sarkozy’s Republican Party, center-right parties thrashed the President Hollande’s ruling Socialists by about a two to one margin. More…