Those who believe the United States should become more like Europe probably didn’t have the following National Review story in mind, though it might be a nice place to start.

The headline in the London Times read, “Macron gives bosses new powers to hire and fire in a bid to jump-start French economy.” The opening sentence: “President Macron began a high-stakes gamble to liberalise the French economy yesterday, loosening labour laws to encourage employers to recruit and easing curbs on smaller businesses.” Millions of Frenchmen are screaming at Macron, in protest. The president said, “I will not yield in any way, not to slackers, nor to cynics, nor to the extremes.” That made them scream all the more. May Macron keep his nerve, allowing his popularity to plummet even as he strives for vital, and revitalizing, reforms.

Not bad for a “self-described post-ideological moderate.”