Es ist beschlossen: Frank-Walter Steinmeier wird nach SPIEGEL-Informationen Kanzlerkandidat der SPD. Der Außenminister informiert nun die Parteispitze über die Entscheidung - er hatte in der vergangenen Woche intensiv mit Parteichef Beck über die Frage beraten.
I don't like him, but most Germans do. (The same situation as in 1998 with Schröder.) Below the IMO best photo from the SPIEGEL ONLINE photo album, for capturing his demeanor, despite (or just because?) of the lot of black.
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Beck resigned. Franz "Locusts" Müntefering, freshly back from retirement, will again be party boss - the Old Guard is back in charge. All this came instead/before the announcement of Steinmeier's chancellorship candidate status: Beck was so miffed at something that he did not even turn up at the meeting at which it was supposed to be announced.
Beck said he resigns because there was an ongoing negative campaign against him in the party. I am guessing that (1) Münte's return was well prepared in advance by the Schröderite Old Boys' Network, (2) the last straw for Beck was the leak of Steinmeier's choice, (3) that choice may not have been as final as the leakers presented it (i.e. a fait accompli). *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Aufgrund gezielter Falschinformationen haben die Medien einen völlig anderen Ablauf meiner Entscheidung dargestellt. Das war und ist darauf angelegt, dem Vorsitzenden keinen Handlungs- und Entscheidungsspielraum zu belassen.
...and later he formulated:
Damit sei "ein zentrales Recht des Parteivorsitzenden", nämlich das Vorschlagsrecht, eingeschränkt worden, sagte Beck in der Pressekonferenz. Das habe er nicht hinnehmen können - "im Sinne des Selbstrespekts, den sich jeder Mensch schuldet".
Ypsilanti is willing to do a lot for her power. E.g. breaking a promise made during the election fight, which was very important for some of the voters. It is simply a fact, that Ypsilanti would have lost the election, when announcing before, she would be willing to work together with the left. If now there would be a new election, she would lose by far. She is clearly acting against the will of the majority of the people in the state of Hesse. Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den MenschenVolker Pispers
I do not deny that the majority of Hessen voters, and even of her own voters, doesn't want Ypsilanti's upcoming minority government, even if I don't fault her and the broken promise alone for this. However, we have elections in four-five years so that people can decide not based on momentous whim but a government's record - and I hope Ypsilanti's eventual government would be made to feel pressed to deliver by the present polls. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
All foreign ministers in the history of the federal republic of Germany were popular.
Steinmeier is always calm, he seems never to be outraged. That gives the impression of a politician of reason and harmony. He is a centrist, which means people from both center-left and center-right like him. In any case the announcement of Steinmeier and Munte have led to a positive bump in polls for the SPD. Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den MenschenVolker Pispers
