Exit polls show defeat for Schroeder party in German state elections

APNewsAlert | February 2002

[Michael81Dus]

It´s ok. Thanks for your post. :-)

I have always considered the US as our CLOSEST ally, since it were the US defended our country against communism, installing a stable democracy with our local politicians, helping us with reunification and still protecting us with nukes in case we´re attacked by ABC-weapons.

This time, the German voters did not decide against the war. This time, they voted against the Chancellor of lies and broken promises.

[RobbyS]

Closing some US bases in Germany would also alert them to the fact that we may encircle them, not only by basing in eastern states but by increasing our aid to these countries. Ten years ago, Germany was poised to dominate investments in the the East. One reason they moved the capital to Berlin was that the foresaw another Drang nach Osten. The unexpected costs of absorbing the Ossies and the statist policies of the SPD have now stalled this policy.

[RightWhale]

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's party loses two German state elections, exit polls say.

Radio news this morning said not only lose, but lose badly. If this keeps up, France will be alone with their delusions.

[Michael81Dus]

ehm, excuse me- I´m not sure if Schröder will learn and change his policy regarding Iraq. Hopefully he will, otherwise we´ll stand alone out in the cold dark - isolated from our allies, a state we never wanted to have after WWII! :-(

[Michael81Dus]

Correct. I don´t fear serious problems with our neighbours. We´ve always supported the Eastern countries like Poland, Czech Rep., Hungary or the Baltic states.

The domestic economy is really bad, and I don´t think that the SPD can give us solutions -accepted by: the Greens, the labor unions (strong in the SPD) AND the CDU.
That´s why the coalition may break within one year from now.

Unemployment is at 4.55 million - the highest number since 6 years and nearly a record after WWII.

[RightWhale]

I´m not sure if Schröder will learn and change his policy regarding Iraq.

Richtig. Schroeder won't change. But if this keeps up, he will be gone.

[RobbyS]

How much unemployment in the former West Germany? How much in the former DDR? I spent much time in the Kaiserslautern area which, unlke Hesse, has always benefitted economically from the American presence. I know that historically there is nothing that worries the individual German more than the threat of high unemployment.

[Michael81Dus]

That´s what I can promise you. He´ll be out of office the latest (!) in 3 1/2 years. Then, you can count on us.

[Michael81Dus]

In the eastern states, it´s around 20% (in CDU governed states a bit lower, in socialist states a bit higher), in the west, it´s around 8% (in CDU/CSU-governed states a bit lower, in socialist states a bit higher - who wonders?).

[Bonaparte]

"A UN vote is not needed if we have evidences that Saddam breaks 1441 - and it looks like if he´s doing so."

If? But we do have evidence, evidence that even Blix concurs with. Saddam has been in violation of 1441 for a long time and he still is. Only the blind will dispute this.

I'm glad to hear that Mr. Squishy (Stroiber) is falling out of favor with CDU. Remember last year, when he was asked point blank if he would provide details on his economic proposals? His answer was, "no." Sheesh! CDU can do better than this.

[Michael81Dus]

Yes, we have these evidences. But not all know that yet... I´m sure that Powells Wednesday press conference will persuade more people to support a war. They need something they can seize.

Good Night! (11pm here..)

[Bonaparte]

Gute nacht, Michael. There will be lots more evidence presented and soon. Then all the nervous Nellies will be silenced.

[Gumdrop]

What is the status of the government in Rheinland-Pfalz & in Baden-Wuerttemberg? Are they CDU or SPD? I read an article which said that basically Germany is divided politically in half: the north is SPD and the south is CDU. Is that correct? I am sooooo happy my ancestors were from the Rheinland, Hesse and Bavaria. That must be why I am conservative! Ha!

[Antoninus]

God bless you, sir! Thanks so much for the running commentary on the elections. I much prefer to get it from a man-on-the-scene than filtered through the NY Times or other far-left fish-wrapper.

[nicmarlo]

Gee, what a shame. NOT!

[Michael81Dus]

Rheinland-Pfalz (Palatinate) is governed by the SPD in coalition with the FDP (liberal, more turned to CDU).
In Baden-Würrttemberg, the CDU governs together with the FDP. It´s no longer true, Lower Saxony is in the north (North Sea) - so CDU/CSU governed states are from now on:
Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg (both south), Hesse, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thüringen (all in the "middle"), Hamburg and Lower Saxony (both north). We´re coalition partner with the SPD in Brandenburg (east) and Bremen (north). :-)
We can be happy, truly.

[knighthawk]

Finaly good news from Germany!

[knighthawk]

Now the rest of Germany.

[ishmac]

So glad to have you here, Michael. We need to have informed people giving us news about Europe. BTW, I was stationed in Nurnberg in the 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment from 1990 to 1992. I loved it. The city was beautifully reconstructed after the war. Bavarians are so wonderfully different! When we would go out on manuvers, the people in the countryside would wave little German/American flags as we passed. Kids would come up to our encampments and say, "Haben Sie Lightstiks?" (Little glow-in-the-dark markers to hang on your vehicles so as not to bump into them at night). We'd always give them a few. The locals would come out and chat. Sometimes they would even bring us food. I got a great impression of the Germans while living there.

I lived in Dresden from 1996 to 1999. Kind of a sad place, and the easterners are a bit more "pink" than the Germans in the old Bundeslaender. The Wiederverienigung hasn't worked out as people hoped.

BTW, what do you think of Kurt Biedenkopf? He's a bit old, but he struck me as being much more conservative/traditional than Helmut Kohl(even though Kohl was a good friend of the US). Do you think Biedenkopf could ever become Bundeskanzler?

[RepublicanHippy]

Hello again Michael. I wish I had been able to contact you when I was writing my MA thesis. I had to refer often to German law (because my paper was about migration into Germany after 1990 from the former Soviet Union). I had a hard time translating some German words because Germans often take several words and string them together to make a word with a whole new meaning such as : "Wohnortezuweissungsgesetz" und "Kriegsfolgenbereinigungsgesetz." Drove me nuts.