The black-green "pizza connection" of the nineties was initiated by people like Laschet, Röttgen, Altmeier, van Klaeden and the likes. People that where young at the time and at the left or center of the CDU -and some outspoken "Realo" Greens of course, like Matthias Berninger, Cem Özdemir, Volker Beck etc.
Friedrich Merz wasn't part of it and was staunchly anti-Green at the time.
Indeed – "at the time." 2023 Merz has little to do with 1999 Merz, so I am a bit puzzled by this take:
Wouldn't it be very difficult for either the SPD or the Greens to form a government with the CDU when the CDU is let by a rightwing fanatic like Merz who is on the "wrong" side of virtually every single social or cultural issue and I believe is a bit of a climate change denier? Could there be a hypothetical situation where the only way the CDU could form a government with either the SPD or the Greens would be if they ditched Merz and proposed another chancellor who was more palatable?
Merz is many things, but certainly neither a "rightwing fanatic" nor a "climate change denier". In fact, he has largely followed Merkel's moderate approach so far, even introducing a gender quota for CDU leadership positions and – at least prior to the 2021 election – praising the Greens at any opportunity ("They are a very disciplined and intelligently led party from which the CDU can learn a lot.")
I really don't think that there would be any serious problems with him serving as Chancellor in a CDU-SPD or CDU-Greens government. Obviously, some left-wingers and the youth organizations of either party would complain – but they complain all the time and nobody really cares. Cf. Berlin.
