Hollande And Holland: Europe's Tumultuous, Gradual Return To Growth

By Daniel Shvartsman:The art of campaigning is to promise a lot and to excite voters; to offer an alternative to one's rival and make it clear what it is the candidate will do differently and better; and to provide a compelling, uncompromising vision of where a country is going. The art of governing is to compromise visions and break promises while implementing policy that adheres to the realities and possibilities of a given political climate.French voters elected Francois Hollande on Sunday over incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Pundits, markets, and pretty much anybody else paying attention had been expecting this result for weeks. The immediate response has been a mostly benign market and pundit hand-wringing over what this repudiation of German-backed austerity measures (as well as the Greek vote held the same day) means for the Euro zone and Europe in general. Even if everyone knew it was coming, the return of aComplete Story »