French Presidential Election, 1969 with a United Left

[Peter the Lefty]

      All right, here's a crazy one which I'm sure could never have happened.  What if, after the 1968 legislatives, the FGDS didn't disband, and Mitterrand just got blamed and resigned as he did in rl?  Then, they pick a Unifying (hint hint) candidate to represent the non-communist left (though with their grudging support): Michel Rocard or Alain Savary.  Preferably the former.  I assume he would've made it to the second round, although I'm also sure he would've lost to Pompidou just as Poher did in otl.  But would that make Rocard the new standard-bearer for the left?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Rocard? There's no way on earth he would be supported by the SFIO and I'm doubtful about the PFC too. The only candidate from PSU who could unite the left was Pierre Mendes-France, but an old stubborn prick declined to run cuz he opposed the direct presidential election.

Remember that in 1968 Rocard represented quite a minor party, with awful lot of bad blood between them and the SFIO, rivalizing with the Communist on ideological grounds and being a synonymous with the May 1968 and it's rejection by the electorate (if I'm not mistaken, the PSU lost all seats that year). It's not 1980s/1990s Rocard that led the PS moderate wing we're talking about.

Ironic as it it, Mitterrand was pretty much the only politician who could unite the left before the PS was established, because he wasn't a member of a party (thus posed no threat to dinosaurs like Mollet... well, at least they believed so) and wasn't hostile to the Communits (like Defferee, who wanted to continue the isolation and go to bed with the centre-right).

Remember that in 1968 Rocard represented quite a minor party, with awful lot of bad blood between them and the SFIO, rivalizing with the Communist on ideological grounds

[Peter the Lefty]

Damn.  Well, thanks for the info.  The reason why I thought it could've been Rocard is because he was a social democrat, thereby making him at least somewhat acceptable to people like Deffere, and he'd also been a member of a "left of the SFIO" party, making him somewhat relatable to the PCF.  And he'd supported Mitterand in 65, if I'm correct.  But thanks.  I have an incurable admiration for Rocard, if that weren't already obvious.