Trump Effect In Germany
 

"BERLIN — The unconventional administration of President Trump may be causing consternation among American liberals. But here in Germany, the anchor of the European Union, Trump’s rise is helping fuel an unexpected surge of the left.
What is happening in Germany is the kind of Trump bump perhaps never foreseen by his supporters — a boost not for the German nationalists viewed as Trump’s natural allies but for his fiercest critics in the center left. The Social Democrats (SPD) have bounced back under the charismatic Martin Schulz, the former head of the European Parliament who took over as party chairman last month and is now staging a surprisingly strong bid to unseat Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In a country that stands as a painful example of the disastrous effects of radical nationalism, Schulz is building a campaign in part around bold attacks on Trump. He has stopped well short of direct comparisons to Adolf Hitler, but Schulz recently mentioned Trump in the same speech in which he heralded his party’s resistance to the Nazis in the lead-up to World War II.
“We will never give up our values, our freedom and democracy, no matter what challenges we are facing,” Schulz said in a recent speech. He added, “That a U.S. president wants to put up walls, is thinking aloud about torture and attacks women, religious communities, minorities, people with handicaps, artists and intellectuals with brazen and dangerous comments is a breach of taboo that’s unbearable.”

His anti-Trump platform comes as Germans are questioning American power more than at any point since the end of the Cold War, illustrating an erosion of allied faith in the new era of “America first.” A recent poll found that only 22 percent of Germans see the United States led by Trump as a “reliable partner” — putting it only one percentage point above Russia." WP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.f8eda3596e93

Thanks Trump. At least you're good for something.

Germany has devolved into a society where free speech is imperiled, where there is excessive attempt to suppress the idea of national rights.

Overwhelmed with guilt she has destabilized herself. Trump has allowed many, many Germans to now question the folly of its leaders.

Another person which helped saved Germany from itself, is the much attacked and maligned Victor Orban. And he did not charge Germany a Euro--a great contrast to Erdogan. :D

Take note that Frau Merkel is down not that Schulz is up.

Bullshit. I lived there for 11 years, speak fluent German, still read German papers, and talk to my German friends on Skype frequently. Like other European countries, their laws about free speech are different than ours, but free speech is far from imperiled.

Three years for revisionist thought--such a denial of the holocaust.

Allowing/promoting Holocaust denial is essential to democracy? Who knew?

Oh Gawd here we go again. :rolleyes:

When it comes to self promotion you make Trump look like an amateur.

I just happen to know Germany far better than you know Mobile, AL, snowflake.

That is an extra reason the British is leaving the EU.

Wha? They chafe under holocaust denial denial in Britain?

Do you see the holocaust as questionable?

It is not an offence in Britain despite the push from the German dominated EU.

My point: If you are in defense of free speech then you should be able to say "I do not believe the holocaust occurred" without being subjected to imprisonment.

Thought policing whether by the Iranian mullahs or the German parliament is utterly objectionable.

Vlad signed on to this shit fairly recent. (2014). And opportunistically added "wittingly spreading false information about the activity of USSR during WW11." :D

I'm sure that's a comfort to all the dead in the Katyn forest.

In this age of fake news spread by bots I'm becoming a bit less sure of that.

Does Russia ban Nazi speak?

Here laws against Holocaust denials are on the books primarily in Euro countries and Russia. Notable exception Britain and Spain. Spain had a change of heart.

Russia: Denying Nazi crimes and or portraying Nazis as heroes and spreading false information on the activities of the USSR re WW11.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_a...locaust_denial

BTW note the stiff penalties that were actually imposed.

Those Krauts better STFU about Trump or we'll change the name of Wienerschnitzel to Trumpenschnitzel. :D

Wienerschnitzel is Austrian.:cool:

Close enough Captain von Trapp.

Looks like German, but I'm not fluent. ;)

Sauerkraut would become Sauertrump. :D

Weinerschnitzel= Vienna cutlet. Pan fried breaded veal.

Thanks for that. :D

What Trump's vodka has to do with his presidency

http://www.dw.com/en/what-trumps-vod...ncy/a-36424183

This is from Nov. 2016 after the election, just another perspective.

Thanks Don. Makes sense to me given the impact the German invasion had on Russia. I can also see why England and Spain don't have such restrictions in that the British population wasn't prey to Nazi terror and Spain didn't participate in the war.

Thank you, thank you very much. Try the Trumpenschnitzel.

Obama tried the Trump roast once, and look how that worked out.

Those French guys were right. It's an absurd world.

Approach the Trump age in the manner that Camus wrote about people surviving the Plague. Do good in everyday deeds in an otherwise calamitous world.

First of all - Happy Birthday, Bob!

The actual topic of this thread should rather be the - indeed - charismatic Martin Schulz, but a lot of Volldeppen already hijacked this thread by posting hair-raising bullshit about Germany.

Well, apart from being charismatic and the remarkable Anti-Trump character of Schulz it is the total weakness of Merkel that makes him so strong. She is weak, she is tired, she seems to suffer from a burnout, she tries to hide it, but she can't.

We are fed up to the back teeth with CDU chancellors Kohl and Merkel. Since 1982 (35 years!!!) we suffered 28 years from Kohl and Merkel chancellorship. It is enough. I am sure that Merkel would not have become candidate of the position of chancellor again if there would not have been the probable SPD candidate Gabriel (now secretary of state, a man with zero charisma) but actually Schulz, about three months ago...

Why are the Schulz polls so sensational? It also is because he brings back many many non-voters, like me. Schulz is magic, although he looks like a math teacher. He is a brilliant speaker, and one of his main topics during the election campain will be social justice.

Merkel and her CDU caused an immense, a huge vacuum. Now Schulz will finish our political apathy.

"Jetzt ist Schulz" - an SPD slogan, the great pun can't be translated into English, right, finnbow?

It's what we call a play on words. They're riffing off the German saying "Jetzt is Schluss" (for which we'd use the idiom "enough already"). In other words, the direct translation of "now is (the time for) Schulz" is played off of "enough already."

FWIW, Kohl was the Bundeskanzler during my last several years over there. He was mockingly referred to as Kohlkopf (cabbage head).

Thanks for the explanation of the pun, Pat. "Jetzt ist Schluss" refers to the Merkel chancellorship.

Post is remarkable for its dump on Frau Merkel.

I posted in English, not in German, Donnyboy. However you did not understand. :confused:

Who are the dipshits? A lot means a large number and eight members posted before yours.

FWIW, I found the German cuisine talk excellent.

Okay, a matter of exaggeration, and I enjoyed the kitchen talk.

Don understood what you wrote in English.

Does come across as dumping on Merkel considering the high praise you normally give.

Come on, man. I never PRAISED her, nor I participated in Merkel bashing.

The political situation in the last about 12 months changed here remarkably (AFD!!!), especially in the last weeks. Merkel IS weak, she does not respond to the new strength of the opponent party SPD and the reactionary AFD in an appropriate manner, more than that: she does not respond at all. I respect this person, but I can't accept her on the political top of Europe anymore.

However I miss so much the harmony between Obama and Merkel. This was - at least in the last years - a comforting and reassuring political relationship in times of worldwide political stormy weather.

Merkel was partly not a bad politician, especially in terms of foreign policy diplomacy, but her time has been running out. And she knows that.

Schulz vs. Merkel sounds a lot like Bernie vs. Hillary.

Hope you do the right thing and go with Schultz.

True. Bernie, for example, mobilized a huge number of young people/voters, and so does Schulz.

I did not vote since 1998. This time I will vote again - Schulz of course.

I exaggerated and support might have been a better choice of words.