INTERVIEW - Why American Conservatives Love Merkel

"Sure the budget will be fixed...

... and the socialists have demanded to raise VAT for an 'economy enhancing program ?

She stands for state funded economy and she needs no socialist to have these ideas !"

That is the problem with coalition governments in Germany: The CDU/CSU is probably one third cultural and religious conservatives (e.g. Edmund Stoiber, prime minister of Bavaria; Ursula von der Leyen, federal minister for families, senior citizens and women), one third what one calls "Christian social romantics" in Germany (e.g. Peter Mueller, prime minister of the Saarland; but also former chancellor Helmut Kohl) and one third neo-conservatives (Angela Merkel; Friedrich Merz, former minority leader in the Bundestag) - and that's why in terms of economic policies a coaltion government between CDU/CSU and SPD brings out the worst in the CDU.

That's why I would always vote for the Free Democratic or Liberal Party (classical liberalism that is), which consists of approx. two thirds libertarians / capitalists and one third civil-rights liberals. The dynamic within a CDU/CSU-FDP coalition, where the neo-conservatives tend to team up with the libertarians, thus differs significantly from a CDU/CSU-SPD coalition, where socialists and social romantics seem to get along best.

Interesting thoughts. Thanks for posting.

I am sick and tired of foreign leaders running on anti-American, anti-western fearmongering like Schroder. Canada France, and the left in a whole bunch of countries are guilty.

I feel that Merkel gives Germany their dignity back.

We can disagree with Merkel, but for crying out loud, we don't have to be contentious and hostile.

Merkel belongs more to the social romantics than to the neo conservatives. In fact these are her major opponents inside the party.

When the alternative was an anti-American jerk Schroeder,constantly bashing us, it is easy to like Angela! :-)

And glad to see a better Government is now running Germany.
I hope next time though the Christian Democrat victory is more complete.

"Merkel belongs more to the social romantics than to the neo conservatives. In fact these are her major opponents inside the party."

I used the term for lack of a better expression on my side. Without wanting to open an wholesale debate on the term "neo-conservatism", my understanding ist that it stands for a kind of conservatism that also incorporates free-market / libertarian ideas and takes a somewhat more hawkish stance with regard to foreign policy. Mind you, Germany is not the US, therefore German "neo-conservatism" takes a slightly different form than in the US.

But if you watch the debate on the issues here in Germany, you will find that Merkel mostly ended up on the right of her party's mainstream when it comes to issues like taxes, health insurance, pensions etc.

Let me just give you an overview over the current issues in German politics and where Merkel stands - but the problem in a way is similar to the US: It's the house, in our case the Bundestag, that writes the tax, health insurance etc. laws. So, especially within a so-called "Grand Coalition" the chancellor pretty much has the same problems like a Republican president who has to deal with a Senate or Congress that is controlled by the Democrats.

Ok, an overview over the issues:

Taxes:

PDS: Raise taxes so that everybody who earns even slightly more than average pays the maximum 50% rate of taxation.
SPD: Maximum rate of taxation: 45% with a linear progression.
Greens: Whatever the SPD says.
CDU/CSU: Shift from direct taxes to more indirect taxation, keep current progression.
FDP: Abolish all loopholes, lower taxes, a simplified system with only three levels: 15, 25, 35%.

Yeah, in the end we really got screwed on this one: Now we'll get higher direct taxes (SPD) plus higher indirect taxes (CDU).
Merkel however always thought more along the lines of the FDP, her favorite candidate as minister of finance, Paul Kirchhof initially was more of an FDP guy, albeit never a member of the FDP.

Health care:

PDS: A socialist system where the state provides health care and health care premiums are pegged to one's respective income.
SPD: The same
Greens: The same
CDU: Everybody pays the same premiums, choice between a national health care plan and private insurance.
FDP: Privatize everything

Initially the CDU wanted to keep the old system (Choice between private plans and a national system, where one pays a certain percentage of one's income), but it was Merkel who insisted that health care premiums need to be seperated from the labor costs. That's gonna be interesting to see what kind of compromise the CDU and the SPD will work out - or if the issue of health care reform is just going to be postponed until after 2009.

.... to be continued