Source
Posted on 05/22/2009 8:30:44 AM PDT by wolf78
BERLIN -- Germany chooses its president Saturday, a contest for a mainly ceremonial post that could help Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of September's general election.
The ballot pits incumbent President Horst Köhler, a conservative ally of Ms. Merkel, against Social Democrat challenger Gesine Schwan, a left-leaning intellectual, and will be settled by 1,224 delegates from Germany's national parliament and its 16 states. Although ordinary German voters can't take part, presidential elections are often a sign of which way the political wind is blowing in the European Union's most populous nation.
Mr. Köhler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund, is expected to win a second five-year term, as the recession and global financial turmoil have strengthened moderate conservatives in Germany and elsewhere in Europe while the political left struggles to profit from the current crisis of capitalism. A Köhler victory would allow Ms. Merkel to associate herself with a popular winner and could also expose potentially embarrassing divisions among her left-leaning rivals.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I’m pulling for the restoration of this once great nation. Rejecting the last 4 decades of hippies running the country would be a good start.
Even Europe is finally coming to the realization that socialism doesn’t work. Our people don’t see it yet because we have never had full blown socialism until now. Obama’s people and those that voted for him are fast seeing what socialism means. Hopefully it isn’t to late.
referring to Germany’s “tilt to the right” is just unfair. so what, they’re like “a little bit Hitler” now?
Totally impossible, we all know Europe elects only Obama loving liberals. Why, this could lead to our “image” in Europe suffering. Next Dick Cheney will become more popular.
Just occurred to me that because of Obama, Europe’s image here will have to suffer if they dare to become more conservative.
Hmm, then which side has to change?
Germany’s GDP has fallen 14.4%, technically a depression. When this crisis started K. Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’ became more popular reading.
I hope it was just the ‘reading’ part.
“A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti communists is someone who understands Marx.”
If Germany wants a real head of state that people would be interested in how about bringing back a Hohenzollern or Hapsburg as Emperor.
Germany needs to head right—no sane person would want to continue with the losing policies of the last few decades. Who shall lead is the big question. German needs to come out of her shell and step on to the world stage.
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