Daniel Cohen:

"Le Pen's unexpected popularity emphasized the public's sullen rejection of the Socialists' agenda and placed his themes at the center of political debate [...] All of Le Pen's adversaries, in fact, have had difficulty finding effective ways to oppose him. His ridiculing of "the Gang of Four"—the major parties—touched a popular disenchantment with the familiar political figures, and his own vocabulary became acceptable in political discourse. [...] Jean Poperen, a prominent Socialist, walked off the stage—on national television—rather than debate Le Pen, with the justification that his themes didn't merit discussion. Le Pen scorned the left's refusal to debate as "anti-democratic." [...] The conditions and sentiments that gave Le Pen his support are deeply enmeshed in current French society, however, and are not likely to vanish any time soon."

From the Atlantic Monthly... February 1985.