At the White House Summit on Working Families, Barack Obama held up France as a shining example of a modern economy. “So the bottom line is 21st-century families deserve 21st-century workplaces,” Obama said. “And our economy demands them, because it’s going to help us compete. It’s going to help us lead. And that means paid family leave, especially paid parental leave. There is only one developed country in the world that does not [mandate] paid maternity leave, and that is us. … Other countries know how to do this. If France can figure this out, we can figure it out.” Does he really admire France, the country with a stagnant economy and a 10% unemployment rate caused by its draconian labor laws? If Obama really wanted to help working families, he should take a play from his rival, Bill Clinton: “It’s the economy, stupid.” More…