« Niobe | Home | CCXXVII »

Gerhard vs. Angie

Another pivotal moment for the Europeans today. Concerns over Germany’s nearly 12% unemployment rate have pushed challenger Angela Merkel’s poll numbers through the roof. Merkel and the conservative Christian Democratic Union are banking on stagnant German economic growth in recent years to carry them through today’s elections. Merkel is a pro-Iraq War candidate whose political success has been somewhat of a surprise. As the picture suggests, many liberal and moderate Germans are fearful “Angie” may be another pushover European head of state for the Americans, ala Tony Blair.

But Chancellor Schröder and the Social Democrats aren’t dead yet. The last couple of days have seen his numbers creep back up. As of this moment, it’s virtually a dead heat.

C’mon SPD. It should be a fun Sunday morning - when I wake up in a few hours, I’ll be glued to fantasy football scores and election results.