German federal election (September 18, 2005)

[minionofmidas]

A road in East Berlin is to be renamed for Frank Zappa.

Btw - how far to go til PA-13?

[Jens]

A road in East Berlin is to be renamed for Frank Zappa.

Btw - how far to go til PA-13?

Hilarious We have a square in Cph named after a Danish hippie musician, Eik Skaløe. It makes good sense cause the academy of rytmic music is in that square, but the academy is on the old naval base and the naval academy is right next to this square named after a hippie. Needless to say the street sign "Eik Skaløes Plads" is the most stolen in Copenhagen. 

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

We have a Rufus Thomas Blvd.  Oh yeah, and that Presley fellow has a major street named after him too

[Jens]

We have a Rufus Thomas Blvd.  Oh yeah, and that Presley fellow has a major street named after him too

Jaime Pressly??

[CARLHAYDEN]

Ah, Jens, your knowledge of American cultural icons is even greater than you knowledge of American politics!

LOL

[Jens]

Ah, Jens, your knowledge of American cultural icons is even greater than you knowledge of American politics!

LOL

My pleasure to serve...

[angus]

article in today's spiegel on-line (english version) saying Schröder has staged the First post-War putsch in Germany:  "He has staged the first putsch in German post-war history, a putsch against reality. On the evening of the election, he announced that he had no intention of allowing Angela Merkel to take the helm of a possible grand coalition between his own party and the CDU...  Suddenly the German political stage has turned into a Las Vegas casino, where everyone furiously plays poker by day and watches Siegfried and Roy, the illusionists, put on their act by night. But in Berlin the illusionists' names are Gerhard Schröder and Franz Müntefering, who, it turns out, have shown themselves adept at transforming mice into elephants, poodles into tigers.  Last Tuesday the two performers stood before the press in Berlin's Reichstag building, two good-humored men who have spent so much time telling themselves that they are champions that they now come across as champions."

Pretty clever.  But not clever enough.  The economic forecast for the immediate future stinks.  You boys need to straighten this out one way or another, Deutsche Telekom is still tanking.  $18.20 today.  I paid $21 something a share last year.  WTF??  We americans don't really give a flying f uck one way or the other who wins, but we'd like to see a winner, so just pick one.  You're as bad as we were in the late fall of 2000.  Jeezus, remember that?  Hmmm, do I invest in munitions or in public transit?  Man, it's the not knowing that kills you.  What does Schroder have over Müntefering anyway?  He's supposed to be the party chief, but comes off more like Gerhard's bitch.  Articles are pointing out how Kohl was BundesKanzler for 16 years, so why not?  but then Kohl wasn't the bumbler that created, then rode, a wave of anti-american sentiment to its limit, now was he?  At some point, you gotta realize that your 11+ percent unemployment rate isn't Dick Cheney's fault.  anyway, like I said, we don't much care whether it's Gerhard, or Angela, or even Max von Sydow who becomes chancellor, but we do know that you people need to get your sh**t straightened out so we can go back to doing business.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Angus,

Unlike the Americans and the Brits, the Krauts and the Frogs haven't grasped the fundamental idea that too much government strangles the economy.

Remember the 'German miracle' under the pre-socialist governments in the 50s and 60s?

[Democratic Hawk]

Have they not sorted anything out yet?

Dave

[minionofmidas]

They have sorted out that there are no viable alternatives to a grand coalition or fresh elections. And as long as the CDU/CSU maintains that it has "won" when they've deservedly suffered arguably their worst defeat ever, fresh elections is what we're going to get unless the SPD behaves really stupidly.
This isn't just about the chancellorship (no way Schröder gets to stay on. Doesn't mean Merkel gets to be chancellor though; not that the SPD's result was any better after all), it's about the issues too.
Anyways, right now it looks as if both camps are going to wait and see what happens in Dresden next weekend.

[Democratic Hawk]

Is a rotating 'Chancellorship' between the CDU/CSU and SPD, or a further general election, increasingly likely?

A Grand Coalition may not be a bad idea, they worked pretty well in Austria from what I can gather

Dave

[minionofmidas]

Is a rotating 'Chancellorship' between the CDU/CSU and SPD, or a further general election, increasingly likely?

Rotating chancellorship's not gonna happen. It's the SPD version of the Jamaica coalition.
A further general election is unlikely too, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out although all the politicians claim that they do.

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Sort of, yeah. It also worked well in Germany back in the 60s. Experience in German states in recent years is much more mixed...

[Gustaf]

This is a little late, but the out-come of this election really sucked. I was pretty disappointed. A Grand coalition is not a very good idea, as far as I'm concerned. Politics needs confrontation, at least to an extent.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Sigh, nothing new from Germany yet, aside from countless rumours which seem to multiply at an exponential rate here. But a Grand coalition under Angela Merkel still seems to be the most likely outcome, although it will probably take a few more weeks (months? ), before CDU/CSU and SPD come to an agreement.


And there's the Dresden I special election this sunday, which will determine whether the CDU wins/keeps/loses an additional seat. Sound rather exciting, I know.   Here's a poll about the Dresden race, released a few days ago...

First vote
Andreas Lämmel (CDU): 32%
Marlies Volkmer (SPD): 29%
Katja Kipping (Left.PDS): 18%
Peggy Bellmann (FDP): 9%
Stephan Kühn (Greens): 8%
Franz Schönhuber (NPD): 3%

Second vote
CDU: 29%
SPD: 28%
Left.PDS: 17%
FDP: 12%
Greens: 10%
Other parties: 4%

Of course, since Sept. 18 we all know how accurate polls are.

[minionofmidas]

Sigh, nothing new from Germany yet, aside from countless rumours which seem to multiply at an exponential rate here. But a Grand coalition under Angela Merkel still seems to be the most likely outcome, although it will probably take a few more weeks (months? )

Here's praying for years.

[Michael Z]

Been checking some of the German news websites, and rumour has it that Schroeder is ready to relinquish the Chancellorship should the CDU decide to forebear Merkel as Chancellor. This would leave a plethora of potential candidates, including Edmund Stoiber, Christian Wulff, Roland Koch... maybe even Wolfgang Schaeuble. No matter who's Chancellor (and my gut tells me Schaeuble), Muentefehring would be Vice Chancellor in such a scenario.

[minionofmidas]

I'd like to see Peter Müller, personally, but it's not gonna happen. Of course, Friedrich Merz would be great for the symbolism.

Koch's not gonna happen though. Not because he doesn't want the job - he obviously does - but because the SPD would risk losing half the Hessian state party if they helped the little scumbag to the chancellorship.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Been checking some of the German news websites, and rumour has it that Schroeder is ready to relinquish the Chancellorship should the CDU decide to forebear Merkel as Chancellor. This would leave a plethora of potential candidates, including Edmund Stoiber, Christian Wulff, Roland Koch... maybe even Wolfgang Schaeuble. No matter who's Chancellor (and my gut tells me Schaeuble), Muentefehring would be Vice Chancellor in such a scenario.

Yeah, that's one of the many rumours I mentioned.

But I would say that Merkel's position looks stronger now than just a week ago (which is more the result of a increasingly weaker Schröder, than a strong Merkel)... but who knows?

At the moment, only one thing seems relatively certain... Bavarian PM and 2002 election loser Edmund Stoiber has repeatedly stated that he will be a member of the new cabinet in the case of a Grand coalition.

[Michael Z]

I'd like to see Peter Müller, personally, but it's not gonna happen. Of course, Friedrich Merz would be great for the symbolism.

Merz as Chancellor? Half of Germany would probably emigrate if that happens. Heck, I would if I hadn't already.

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I can't see Koch either. How about Wulff, or would the SPD be risking the same problems in Lower Saxony?

Maybe that's why I think Schauble is a realistic option. Not many people particularly dislike him on either side (unlike Merkel, Stoiber or Koch), he's experienced, and from all the potential candidates he's the one least likely to cause a riot. Plus the fact that Merkel offered him a cabinet seat should he support her does suggest she regards him as something of a threat (much the same way the CDU tried to get rid of Stoiber by proposing him for the Presdential candidacy).

At the moment, only one thing seems relatively certain... Bavarian PM and 2002 election loser Edmund Stoiber has repeatedly stated that he will be a member of the new cabinet in the case of a Grand coalition.

Stoiber has been suspiciously supportive of a Grand Coalition ever since election night, which tells me that he's been brokering a backroom deal ever since, maybe even beforehand. I wouldn't put it past him, given that he's a real snake.

[minionofmidas]

Big ole Solarium Tan Back Rattler.

Wulff's quite popular apparently - depending on what measurement you use he is or is not one of the handful most popular politicians in Germany. He's suffering a wee bit of a name ID problem still, though.
And anyone who can get the top spot nomination, in the CDU of all places, in a state election in a major state at 34, then lose two state elections pretty badly and still not lose power in his state party but instead comes back to win his third state election is a force to be reckoned with.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Merz as Chancellor? Half of Germany would probably emigrate if that happens.

Despite his extremely conservative views on economic issues, Merz is more popular among the electorate than you might think. He has a huge personality bonus.

I can't see Koch either. How about Wulff, or would the SPD be risking the same problems in Lower Saxony?

No, Koch is a scumbag, but Wulff isn't. Wulff's only problem would be his lack of experience... he became PM of Lower Saxony just two and a half years ago, I think.

Stoiber has been suspiciously supportive of a Grand Coalition ever since election night, which tells me that he's been brokering a backroom deal ever since, maybe even beforehand. I wouldn't put it past him, given that he's a real snake.

Who knows... perhaps it has simply something to do with the fact that a Jamacia coalition with the Greens would be a real horror for the CSU.

[minionofmidas]

Damn, there's a really good article by Franz Walter on the Spiegel website, but it's not in the english miniversion, and I'm to lazy to do the translating myself. I thought about babelfishing it, but the result's unreadable.

[Michael Z]

Merz as Chancellor? Half of Germany would probably emigrate if that happens.

Despite his extremely conservative views on economic issues, Merz is more popular among the electorate than you might think. He has a huge personality bonus.

I'm surprised, he always struck me as rather arrogant and pompous.

Damn, there's a really good article by Franz Walter on the Spiegel website, but it's not in the english miniversion, and I'm to lazy to do the translating myself. I thought about babelfishing it, but the result's unreadable.

Is there ever a babelfish translation that is readable?   I personally can read German so it's not a problem for me, but of course other members won't be able to. What's the URL for the article?

[Middle-aged Europe]

I'm surprised, he always struck me as rather arrogant and pompous.

Perhaps it's just sympathy for being ousted by Merkel.

Is there ever a babelfish translation that is readable?   I personally can read German so it's not a problem for me, but of course other members won't be able to. What's the URL for the article?

Mhm, I think Lewis meant this one here: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,377242,00.html

[minionofmidas]

I'm surprised, he always struck me as rather arrogant and pompous.

Perhaps it's just sympathy for being ousted by Merkel.

Definitely plays a role.

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Mhm, I think Lewis meant this one here: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,377242,00.html
[/quote]Yes I did.