Bayrou was far more of a threat to Sarkozy than the socialists -since he would be certain of winning any second round (and would have been, in 2007).

Indeed, Sarkozy has put a lot of effort into fighting him. More so than the Socialists (he even campaigned for the Socialist candidate, against Bayrou, in Pau).

Also, in this Overton window, I disagree with calling Bayrou center-right.

Having said that, yes, it's true that a lot of what many socialists are saying makes sense, far more than what is being done. It should be added that France does fare better than many other countries, not because of what UMP did to start to destroy the French social model, but because they did not have enought time to complete the destruction.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi