Just to emphasize NRW leaders' importance: the SPD PM who lost that election was Peer Steinbrück, who became Germany's finance minister in the 2005-9 Grand Coalition federal government (the one angering both Sarkozy and Paul Krugman); and Steinbrück's predecessor as NRW PM was none other than the insufferable Wolfgang Clement, economy super-minister under Schröder and later coal lobbyist and SPD backstabber.

The conservative FAZ even has SPD and CDU head to head at 37%, Greens at 10%, FDP 6% and the Left at 5% (MoE undisclosed).

Check all polls here.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}