Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that Macron practically oozes intelligence and competence. The record backs him up, too; the French economy is doing well, and unemployment is way down, in spite of the recession.
Notwithstanding the good news, there is a real chance that he could lose the election to a counterrevolutionary populist. The message to Democrats is simple, but scary: delivering the material goods isn’t enough. You have to figure out a way to get the identity politics right, too.