• Avoiding debates about the debates: Why France is the perfect haven for Americans during the presidential election

    My parents got to Paris from North Carolina the morning of the presidential debate on Oct. 3 — the one where Mitt Romney was proclaimed victor on both sides of the Atlantic, by both the left and the right. My dad and I get a long really well, but we’re supporting different presidential candidates. “So how about the debate last night?” he asked. “Let’s not talk about this,” my mom said. That seems to be the theme of the discussion around the presidential debates and elections among my American loved ones: For the sake of avoiding conversations as uncomfortable as…