Merkel Campaign "Worst in German History"

[Kellanved]

One would think that a political party would stop internal bickering in the week before an election. One would be wrong. Angela Merkel's CDU still can't decide who it wants as its finance expert. And they are parading their indecisiveness across the nation's headlines.

How did it come to this? A few months ago, Angela Merkel was a shoo-in for the Chancellorship. Gerhard Schröder appeared to be on his way to retirement and nobody was shedding any tears.

It would be a gross understatement to say that the Merkel has since lost momentum. After months of complacent campaigning, interspersed with a series of embarrassing blunders on the trail -- including the naming of Paul "flat tax" Kirchhof as her finance expert -- her Christian Democrats have managed to make a race of it. Merkel is still in the electoral driver's seat, but her car is steadily rolling backwards. And the final week of the campaign finds her desperately flailing around for the parking brake.

...
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,374793,00.html

With some luck we still can avert her. Her government most certainly would be the "Worst in German History". Post war, naturally.

[AX10]

1. What are Schroeder's chances now?

Will the left coalition win outright?

[Kellanved]

2. We'll know Sunday

Or maybe in two weeks.

The polls are saying that the SPD is close, but with that "new" pseudo-left party around, it will almost certainly not be enough.

It is not impossible that Schröder will come out ahead, but not very likely. The search for viable coalitions might be interesting.



http://www.election.de/img/poll/btw_wp_050910.html
http://www.election.de/thermohist2.html

[necso]

3. It's such bad form when the

right-wing openly squabbles about divvying up the loot, especially before they even get their hands on it.

These things are to be done in private -- politely, tastefully, gracefully -- and accompanied by caviar and champagne served in the jeweled skulls of the working classes.