🇩🇪 German elections (federal & EU level)

[walleye26]

I have a question here. I have been talking to a few foreign exchange students I met who are German about their thoughts. (They mostly are supporting Schultz/SPD or the Greens). They all mostly said the FDP is the “business party, and they really don’t care much to get involved with social issues.”

My question is, would the FDP be similar to the Libertarian party in America? Or, would it be more like “country club/business Republicans?” One of them mentioned the FDP is the “party for the rich.” I figured you guys would know more.

[walleye26]

I have a question here. I have been talking to a few foreign exchange students I met who are German about their thoughts. (They mostly are supporting Schultz/SPD or the Greens). They all mostly said the FDP is the “business party, and they really don’t care much to get involved with social issues.”

My question is, would the FDP be similar to the Libertarian party in America? Or, would it be more like “country club/business Republicans?” One of them mentioned the FDP is the “party for the rich.” I figured you guys would know more.

In German, the word "social" (sozial) can mean "serving the common good". I think that's what they might have meant when they were talking about "social issues". You know, there are stereotypes about party supporters: "FDP supporters are cold-hearted capitalists." "Greens are smug do-gooders who tell everyone else how to run their lives." "Linke supporters are DDR nostalgics." Et cetera.

A few years ago, I myself wouldn't have voted for the FDP, but I think the federal party is moving in a good direction. There is a new generation of younger FDP politicians who stress that equal opportunity is an important part of liberalism. For example, I really like Johannes Vogel, the FDP's spokesman for labor market and pension policy. He was elected one of the FDP's three vice-chairpeople this year, and I hope he will play a big role in the party's future.

You also have to remember that American politics is very different from German politics (or European politics in general). The libertarian movement in Germany is so tiny that it's politically irrelevant. FDP chairman Lindner said in an interview that if he were an American politician, he'd support universal health care. All major parties in Germany agree that universal health care is a good thing.

Here's how Germany would have voted in the last United States presidential elections:

Date: October 2020
Polling organization: Forschungsgruppe Wahlen
Would vote for Biden: 89%
Would vote for Trump: 4%
Source: https://www.forschungsgruppe.de/Umfragen/Politbarometer/Archiv/Politbarometer_2020/Oktober_II_2020/

Date: October 2016
Polling organization: Forschungsgruppe Wahlen
Would vote for Clinton: 90%
Would vote for Trump: 4%
Source: https://www.forschungsgruppe.de/Umfragen/Politbarometer/Archiv/Politbarometer_2016/Oktober_I_2016/

Date: August 2012
Polling organization: Forsa
Would vote for Obama: 86%
Would vote for Romney: 5%
Source: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/umfrage-die-meisten-deutschen-wuerden-obama-waehlen-a-851380.html

Those numbers surprise me actually. AfD got 12% last time, I would’ve imagined Trump would’ve at least gotten most of their supporters and a few religious groups. I would’ve thought he would at least get double digits.

[walleye26]

Hey German posters, is DW respected in Germany? Or is it seem like PBS in America? (Good, but nobody watches it)

[walleye26]

Lmao, Armin Laschet wrongly folds his ballot. Hopefully the sympblic picture of the day:

https://twitter.com/Regendelfin/status/1442067990556594178

I know some German from high school so I was able to roughly translate this and I got a good laugh out of this. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I’m translating this correctly she’s saying “Laschet keeps producing a**bombs every day, right up until the last second.”

[walleye26]

Why won’t Die Linke and SPD work together? Is there a history of mistrust there?