You are right, with regard to most every day policies, that "Die Linke" is more main stream in the east. But that was never my biggest problem with them. I disagree with them, but what they suggest e.g. on taxes, social aid and so on, is often just SPD positions a bit more radical a decade or so ago, and would hardly justify to declare it an undemocratic party, which is done, when some say they have talks with all democratic parties, but don't mean Die Linke with this. My main problem with them is, that too often various PDS politicians have proven a very strange understanding of history.

"I argued the claim that Germany had no political violence of the level seen in Budapest recently, not its effectivity."
Then you argue a point I have not made. But one could make this point as well. My history teacher in school (who was relatively pro-68er although I don't think he used ever violence) said in France the protests had a different quality than in Germany.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers