Very interesting! This would explain a lot of things that have been puzzling me since last evening.
Visions of Clinton/Gore.
He may get away with this, but in the end the German people will hate him.
Herr Schroeder didn't get 50% of the vote.
In fact, Gore won the popular vote in 2000, and the American public detests him for his lack of grace.
If Merkel won't be able to form a majority without SPD what makes anyone think Schroeder will be able to form a majority without the CDU. The Far Left party has already told Schroeder they will not form a coalition with him (SPD), and without them or CDU he is out in the cold.
Once again the liberal party loses but claims that the winner doesn't have a "mandate." Of course the press plays along. You can bet that had the election put Schroder ahead by the slimmest of margins, the press would have declared him "the clear winner." Talk about Bush/Gore all over again! Liberals are the same across the world . . .
Consensus opinion in the office this morning was that Gerd was drunk off his kiester last night.
This is a terrible result for Germany. All it promises is years more sclerosis. The German electorate has shown that it has no appetite to make the painful choices desperately needed.
Looks like Merkel has already started to reach out to the SPD, this article was just posted on cnn's site:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/19/germany.election/index.html
Am I not reading the news correctly or am I having trouble with arithmetic? I thought that now party got more than thirty-four percent. Hardly a "majority" as I remember.
OTOH, To form a government he must have her cooperation...
If she tells him to go fish, there is a stand off. The small parties will have to be courted.
Putin has been been using the "cheap oil" and pipelines slant to get countries in east and west europe to kiss his butt and support his policies. Same way Saddam pedaled influence.
Its a golden carrot he keeps hanging in front of Schroeder to get him keep promoting anti-americanism and promote "socialistic" policies.
Notice that Putin cancelled the planned development of an oil pipeline through the Ukraine to western Europe once Yuschenko took office.
I think it will come down to whether Schroeder can keep his party's bosses happy with his stewardship. If the SPD leadership stands with him then Merkel will have a difficult time forming any kind of coalition. But, the reality is Schroeder lost and Merkel won (although an unconvincing victory), and in the end I think the SPD will toss Schroeder in order to form a grand coalition with CDU. The real losers are the German people, regardless of who they voted for. Germany will continue down a path of small, incremental, almost meaningless steps towards reform.
Schroeder = another Liberal S.O.B.! I can hear the hiss. What they can't do with their big mouths they can't do at all.
Go, Angela!
when we set up there government aftr WWII, why did we use a parliament form of govt? anybody know?
And .. Schroder was all over the TV saying "she doesn't have a mandate" .. Geeeeeeee ..?? Where have we heard that before. If she got more votes .. SHE HAS A MANDATE!