So, what is your take on the situation.
I think, something must give, but what?
I'm actually more savvy about the U.S. political climate than about German politics, since I rarely watch t.v. and have cancelled all of my German newspaper subscriptions, preferring instead to nourish myself more selectively - namely via the Internet (like Free Republic), where European issues are usually discussed only from an American perspective.
On the other hand, my personal contacts here in Germany (coworkers) greatly outnumber my American contacts (solely family members, who are without exception foaming-at-the-mouth leftists). So, having said that:
The Germans are less shrill in promoting/maintaining leftist positions - maybe because they encounter less opposition here (no one has to totally sever relations with family members over political differences), since they're already much farther along the road towards total socialism, so it's considered "the norm."
On the other hand, I think that the mood could turn much more suddenly than in the U.S. When namely the Germans suddenly realize that their "bacon" is at risk (i.e., their govt. entitlements, company pensions, property rights), they might drop the façade of Gutmenschentum like a hot potato.
Geographic and demographic factors would also play a rôle: Unlike in the U.S., there aren't entire macro-regions here where the natives have already been displaced. Sure, there are conurbations like Berlin or other big cities where the foreign-born dominate - but not entire states like N. Mexico or southern CA. So the threat of balkanization is not as great as in America.
Regards,