Political establishments are in their death agony in capitalist France just as in capitalist USA. Le Pen is comparable to Trump in being the ultimate French " nationalist " - and much feared by a nervous bourgeois Establishment. The two party system has now imploded in France. Potential chaos in Europe. The family name Le Pen was linked to anti-Semitism. But this Marine has moderated this, they say.

None of the mass parties in France -just as in the USA - show any roots in the French working class. You have to go back to 1968 to see the truly " class conscious " parties on the Left.

The French communist writer and philosopher Jean Paul Sartre made cogent observations back then ( " Talking with Sartre " ). He recognized the reality-the fighting energy- of " class hatred ". But it should be channeled into organized political revolution- as peaceful as possible under ruling class oppression.

And his very book title "Nausea " best describes the present world political crisis .Does it not ?

Or better " No Exit " ?

" The Times of Israel " describes this 65 year old Melenchon as a former Trotskyist, but the " Trotskyist " World Socialist Web Site places Melenchon- with no flattery- among the numerous " pseudo -left " in France and Europe.

Like our own " socialist " Democrat Bernie Sanders they see clearly the evils of capitalism but just can't seem to break with the ruling class establishment.

The mainstream news media in all capitalist countries view real socialists with fear and trembling. A hundred years ago a real militant socialist, Vladimir Lenin, led the 1917 Russian Bolshevik Revolution as reported in American journalist John Reed's book " Ten Days That Shook the World ".

Is there a French Lenin ready and waiting in the wings with his own " April Theses " ?

With or without " progressives " Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren , the hard core of the Democratic Party has degenerated into a neo-con War Party. It has promoted a shameless and lying " Hate Russia " campaign in the USA . Call it the " New McCarthyism " . Call it preparing the country for nuclear World War III .
I was a critical supporter of Bernie Sanders for reasons you give above. I supported him until - his campaigned sabotaged by the DNC - he still endorsed " Hawk Hillary ", " Wall St. Hillary ".
Working class voters , I think, have had quite enough of " lesser evil-ism ".
We need an American Labor Party - with more backbone than the British Labor Party.

The left wing political activists have to learn to SEE and HEAR the voices of working class people - who are immune to stupefying pseudo-left deceit and CONTEMPTUOUS of their craven cowardice before the " master class ".
George Orwell got it right in " 1984 " when he has Winton Smith scribble in his diary : " If there is hope , it lies in the proles ".
But Winston also observed : " They lack general ideas ".

You think millions of French working class " deplorables " will finally support Le Pen just as working class " deplorables " in our Rust Belt states supported the right wing nationalist Donald Trump ?