We can choose to ignore the lessons of the US because they don’t apply at all to France, which has had mostly socialist governments in recent years (Sarkozy being the only real exception), and even the right wing governments they have weren’t able to push through much reform (or in the case of Chiraq weren’t at all right wing by US, or even most other European, standards - he initially made a few reforms of some of the more egregious state interferences (like price controls), but fundamentally did little to change the strength of the state’s role in the economy). France is still a fundamentally social democratic country, one of the more socialist of any country in Europe. France’s current problems aren’t too little socialism, they are too much socialism.
That’s not the only difference between US politics either, the US is a two party state, the French system is far more diverse. Neither of the two final candidates this time around were from either of the major parties.
I also disagree with your assessment that Hilary was to the right of some recent Republicans, that’s rubbish. She might be similar to some of them in respect to a few narrow economic policies, but nearly everywhere else she’s solidly Democratic.
