If Angela Merkel were an American, to which party would she belong?

[mvd10]

I'm leaning republican. Merkel opposes gay marriage, opposed a national minimum wage until 2011 and is a supporter of austerity. But since government spending is a lot higher in Europe supporting spending cuts in Europe is a bit different from supporting spending cuts in the US, so it's really difficult to compare European politicians/parties with American parties.

[mvd10]

Anyone who doesn't think she would be a Republican along the lines of Kasich, Huntsman, Christie, Daniels, and Sandoval either needs some serious mental help or is one of those "Democrats are center-right in Europe!!!" people.

She'd be so left-wing she'd be right-wing. #HorseshoeTheory

That's not even how the Horshoe Theory works. If you really want to mock it, just call it "just a theory".

Honestly, though while most European center-right politicians will be in the Republican Party, Merkel's moderate heroism, refugee policy, and a desire for unity, I think she'd me a moderate democrat, not a blue dog though.

Oh really? David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Xavier Bettel, Alexander Stubb, Frederick Reinfeldt, and Mark Rutte would all be Republicans, but Merkel wouldn't?

Rutte probably is to the right of Merkel on everything but abortion, LGBT rights and stuff like that. Dutch newspapers actually poll MP's during US presidential elections, and I think Rutte once said he would support Giuliani, but that he also liked both Obama and McCain (was in 2008 obviously). But these little polls don't mean much since Halbe Zijlstra said he supported Obama while he quite clearly is one of the most right-wing VVD politicians (if he wouldn't be a Republican no Dutch politician would be, I love the idea that he's going to be in charge of our welfare system soon). But "would politician X be party Y in country Z" threads are pointless, it's just better to look at the direction in which politicians want to take their country.

Anyway, my opinion on these things changed from last year obviously (and I think Merkel would be a Democrat now, even Germans don't consider her right-wing). CDU and CSU are still right-wing parties though, and I hope they go back to electing conservative leaders soon (even though that might mean a centre-left coalition, but eternal grand coalition sucks anyway).