A gay Chancellor?

[Duke David]

Anyway, I'd like to remind our new poster that Germany is not Oklahoma. Get it?

What do I need to express regret for, Texecutioner?
For having been born in Oklahoma? Or for my parents having moved back to Germany?


@ Sibboleth

Could you delete all comments that don't bear upon the topic, please? Thanks.

[Senator MaxQue]

And he was a cocaine-user while he was in Cabinet, which sounds bad in the mind of voters.

Love the litotes there.

Oh, I'm not denying than him being gay probably had a role in his bad result, but I don't see any litote in my comment.

[Sibboleth]

And he was a cocaine-user while he was in Cabinet, which sounds bad in the mind of voters.

Love the litotes there.

Oh, I'm not denying than him being gay probably had a role in his bad result, but I don't see any litote in my comment.

I'm a bit tired so used the wrong word

I just liked the almost rhetorical understatement (whether intentional or not) of 'sounds bad' in that context.

[Senator MaxQue]

And he was a cocaine-user while he was in Cabinet, which sounds bad in the mind of voters.

Love the litotes there.

Oh, I'm not denying than him being gay probably had a role in his bad result, but I don't see any litote in my comment.

I'm a bit tired so used the wrong word

I just liked the almost rhetorical understatement (whether intentional or not) of 'sounds bad' in that context.

Well, with Quebec voters, you never know!

To return to the subject, the biggest problem of Wovereit is him being quite to the left, not him being gay.

[Old Europe]

I don't think it would be a problem. Not to mention one of the first things they'd see done if they + Greens/Left/etc win the 2013 elections is legalizing same-sex marriage in Germany. The CDU/CSU is the main blockers of this right now I think.

Not entirely. The issue is different from the one in America. We have something that could be called "civil unions" for a little over a decade now. Since then, political debate has been about making those civil unions equal/virtually identical to heterosexual marriages in all but name. Which is exactly what started to happen step by step over the years.

However, Germany never had much of a fetish over calling it "marriage". Colloquially it is usually referred to as marriage anyway, even if the letters of the law says otherwise (officially it is called eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft which of course nobody would use for the sheer length of the term). Debate has been more about substantial things like giving gays the right to adopt children than to change the formal name to "marriage".

Fun fact: Westerwelle originally voted against legalizing civil unions back in 2000. He's now married himself. Then again, he voted against the law prior to his coming out.

[Swedish Cheese]

Anyway, I'd like to remind our new poster that Germany is not Oklahoma. Get it?

What do I need to express regret for, Texecutioner?
For having been born in Oklahoma? Or for my parents having moved back to Germany?

Oh don't mind Kalwejt. He's a nice guy, he just has a complex because his country (Poland) was pwned by so many other places in history he needs to find his own place to pick on to compensate. And he might be confusing you with our other forum Oklahoma Democrat.

[Χahar]

PPS: I am not gay!!!

This is very important, evidently.

[Californian Tony]

PPS: I am not gay!!!

This is very important, evidently.

LOL

[Duke David]

Wowereit's SPD, as expected, has won today's Berlin state election with about 30% and is able to form a red-green coalition.

With this election result, a potential candidacy of Wowereit for Chancellor is coming closer.

[Senator Kalwejt]

Anyway, I'd like to remind our new poster that Germany is not Oklahoma. Get it?

What do I need to express regret for, Texecutioner?
For having been born in Oklahoma? Or for my parents having moved back to Germany?

Oh don't mind Kalwejt. He's a nice guy, he just has a complex because his country (Poland) was pwned by so many other places in history he needs to find his own place to pick on to compensate. And he might be confusing you with our other forum Oklahoma Democrat.

I thought it's Mechaman

(Also, apologize for Deluge)

[Old Europe]

With this election result, a potential candidacy of Wowereit for Chancellor is coming closer.

I don't see how this has become more likely now because of this election. His victory was solid, but not exactly spectacular.

Election result: 28.5%
Final poll prior to election: 31.0%

2006 election result: 30.8%
2001 election result: 29.7%

SPIEGEL Online calls his victory "unglamorous".

[Vasall des Midas]

Wowi is very happy to stay where he is for as long as the voters allow. I think that was quite clear from his tv appearances today.
Which were also uncharacteristically camp.

[Old Europe]

Which were also uncharacteristically camp.

Mabye he was just drunk.

[Duke David]

Wowi is very happy to stay where he is for as long as the voters allow. I think that was quite clear from his tv appearances today.
Which were also uncharacteristically camp.

Either way, Wowereit is going to stay in Berlin.

[Vasall des Midas]

Which were also uncharacteristically camp.

Mabye he was just drunk.

I'm pretty sure he had a couple of glasses of Sekt just before. He was soberer again later on.

[Duke David]

I don't see how this has become more likely now because of this election. His victory was solid, but not exactly spectacular.

When the new senate is built, it will be irrelevant how "glamorous" the election results have been.

In case Wowereit is running for Chancellor, Steinbrück (and maybe Steinmeier) will be his main opponent.
Whereas the latter has never won any election (not even a direct mandate), Wowereit has been reelected for a second time. It's a fact that matters to the party strategists.

[Old Europe]

By that logic, Kurt Beck should have become the SPD's nominee in 2009 (or 2013, for that matter).

[Duke David]

By that logic, Kurt Beck should have become the SPD's nominee in 2009 (or 2013, for that matter).

If Beck hadn't been bullied by his colleagues, he could have run against Merkel in 2009.
Of course, he wouldn't have had any chance of becoming Chancellor, but he might have performed well enough in the southwest so that we could have been spared the humiliation of Westerwave.

Moreover, I don't claim that Wowereit will become the SPD's nominee at any rate, I just say that his chances have risen tremendously since his reelection.

[J. J.]

Since Merkel's CDU will definitely lose the next federal election, which is verified by each poll, it may become possible that Germany will be ruled by a homosexual for the first time. (Hey Forbes, I've got an idea for you. )

Since von Bulow. 

PPS: I am not gay!!!

Not that there is anything wrong with it.

[Old Europe]

Moreover, I don't claim that Wowereit will become the SPD's nominee at any rate, I just say that his chances have risen tremendously since his reelection.

This was his worst election result since 2001. He was re-elected as expected, but not as strong as expected. The fact that the Greens also failed to meet expectations doesn't change that.

So I fail to see how this risis his chances "tremendously". His chances are the same as before the election, maybe even a little lower.

[I left.]

Moreover, I don't claim that Wowereit will become the SPD's nominee at any rate, I just say that his chances have risen tremendously since his reelection.

This was his worst election result since 2001. He was re-elected as expected, but not as strong as expected. The fact that the Greens also failed to meet expectations doesn't change that.

So I fail to see how this risis his chances "tremendously". His chances are the same as before the election, maybe even a little lower.

His government was voted out....and his prefered coalition has a majority of 2 seats. I can't see how this improves his chances for anything. Except being able to continue as Mayor of Berlin.

[The Mikado]

Atheist 2006, is 2006 your birth year?

[Vasall des Midas]

Atheist 2006, is 2006 your birth year?

No, that's your death year, Mick.

[Duke David]

Atheist 2006, is 2006 your birth year?

What's the red blob on your profile picture? An optical magnification of your brain?

[Senator Kalwejt]

Atheist 2006, is 2006 your birth year?

You really need to ask obvious questions?