The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

I'm not saying the Sensible Centrist anglo press is filled with people who want the far right to win in France, but the way they breathlessly build them up (largely by people who, as I've said, know nothing of France's politics just like me) every election suggests a bit of wishcasting for some reason.  BBC:

Even though Macron is the ultimate personification of the Sensible Center, its essence given Life, I think there's a widespread view that The Left somehow deserved to be punished for Going Too Far (despite not being in power anywhere ever).  Because woke. 

Basically a lot of people who imagine themselves to centrist/center-left sympathize with backlash politics, because they too are annoyed at trans people or whatever. "We warned you this would happen" kind of thing.