With all that said, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and Le Pen`s loss is a resounding victory for democracy and for the French people, who, despite deep frustrations with the president, chose democracy over extremism. It should come as no surprise that Le Pen has received the backing of not just Russian banks, but of Trump`s most slovenly supporter, Steve Bannon, who is an active opponent of democracy. Just take a look at Hungary, where Viktor Orban was resoundingly reelected, after turning the country into a white Christian ethno-state that bans gay marriage is aggressively anti-Muslim immigrants and attacks liberal institutions, the press and controls the judiciary system.