German federal election (September 18, 2005)

[Notre Dame rules!]

I fully expect the parties of the left to engage in anti-Americanism during the campaign like they did last time.

No, not really. Not unless Bush decides to bomb Iran within the next four months or something like this.

Theoretically, the question whether German troops should be send to Iraq or not could play a role though. It would be wise for Merkel to rule this possibility out from day one of her campaign. No German politician does himself a favor by promising to send troops anywhere, no matter whether its Iraq, Afghanistan, Spain, or Luxembourg.
Instead I expect the SPD´s campaign to be based on something like "the CDU will completely destroy the welfare state, so vote for the lesser evil: us".

So again: Immigration (especially "turkish immigrants"), will only play a secondary role, if at all. Relations to the United States or foreign policy will only play a secondary role, if at all. "It´s the economy, stupid."

well, if it's to be 'the economy stupid,' then it should guarantee another in a string CDU/CSU/FDP  victories.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Going by the old Reagan line "Are you better off today than you were four years ago,"   where is Germany today?  I know that unemployment is at or near postwar record highs, but what about inflation, rate of GDP growth, interest rates and the like, as compared to just prior to the last election?

[Notre Dame rules!]

Maybe some of our German friends on the site can help me out with this...why doesn't the Federal Republic make it as difficult for the Communists to run as they do for the extreme right-wing parties?  Wasn't it the communists of the DDR that had nearly one in ten East Germans spying on their neighbors and reporting back to the Stazi?  Wasn't it also the communists of the DDR that shot their fellow citizens who tried to seek freedom by escaping to the west?  Why the double standard?

[Notre Dame rules!]

Huh? The far right can and does run.

I've read the the government is trying to make it more difficult for such parties on the far right to run, or even assemble.  I'm not necessarily opposed to the government's actions, just curious as to why they don't do the same thing to the far left.

[Notre Dame rules!]

I've read the the government is trying to make it more difficult for such parties on the far right to run, ...

This would be totally new for me.

Actually, the CDU unsuccessfully tried to change the "three direct seats/constituencies clause" (http://www.wahlrecht.de/english/bundestag.htm) just recently, which would have made it harder for the PDS to get into the Bundestag.

This was kind of ironic, because the "three constituencies clause" was originally established by the CDU in the early 50ies with the purpose of getting their conservative allies from the "German Party" (Deutsche Partei/DP) into the Bundestag.

But I´m not aware of an effort of making it for the NPD harder to run. I don´t how something like this should be realized in practice anyway.

... or even assemble.

That´s right, there was something in relation to the new Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, I believe. Demonstrations were restricted there.

perhaps I'm combining the two issues.  Sorry!

[Notre Dame rules!]

I don't see where his comments are out of line, at least anymore than Kerry's remarks that he could win the election without carfying a single Southern state.  Turns out that Kerry was wrong, though Stoiber may be more correct in his assessment.  Clearly the folks in the East are pining for their commie masters, as their rising poll numbers in the East indicate.  Stoiber is merely saying that he doesn't think the malcontents will determine the next Chancellor.  The 'prols' in the East would be well advised to vote for either the CDU or even the SPD if they ever want to get their half of the country back on track.  To continue to follow the road that lead them to ruin in the first place, really isn't that bright.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Lies have short legs...

The CDU needs to use that picture in all of their commercials