How Did an Authoritarian Get Almost Half of France’s Presidential Votes?

While Robert Reich’s point shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, I attribute the 40% of the vote that Le Pen received on her softening some of her positions.

According to something I read, this time her platform wasn’t so much about authoritarianism and hate, but rather about helping the less-affluent French to deal with the high cost of living – an apparent weakness of Macron.