We attended a plenary session of the German Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, on a day of special debate on education, so the chamber was relatively empty. The TV cameraman in the gallery had the world cup soccer match on his viewfinder. The real drama came in a series of meetings with representatives of all five major parties.
The "links" or left party represents what remains of the former East German communists, convinced that the glorious productivity of the German worker will lift the eurozone out of its crisis without any cuts in social welfare benefits. I was so caught up in the Green's "New Deal" for the economy and the environment that I forgot to take a picture of their representative. He asked about climate change issues in the US seemed quite shocked when I explained that many Californians don't like recent environmental legislation that could put more than a million people out of work.
I wish the US had a viable party like the "liberal democrats," who aren't liberals or democrats at all. They favor low taxes and small government, but libertarian when it comes to individual choices on social issues. They are the kingmaker party at the center. They believe in tax cuts to stimulate business growth, but since they can't deliver they are losing support and fighting with the majority CDU party.
The majority Christian Democrats, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, are taking a lot of heat for their Germany austerity program and bailout of Greece. It didn't help matters when the German president, largely a ceremonial job, quit unexpectedly because his feelings were hurt after the press criticized his comment that German troops should protect the country's economic interests. This sets up a vote on a new president that is seen as a test of Merkel's popularity.
Finally, the SDU, or Social Democrats, lost a third of their support in 2009 after 11 years of running the government. They are hoping to capitalize on the CDU's problems but aren't offering much in the way of specific alternatives.
Outside the parliament, we also met with a union representative who talked frankly about unification issues with former communist workers from East Germany. All the factions agree that more regulation of the banking industry is needed, and stimulus spending is out of the question. But no one likes to see their favorite programs cut. Clearly, there is more room for compromise in a coalition system and the politics are not as polarized as in the US.
We also had an enlightening "off the record" lunch discussion with one of the leading MPs in the Merkel coalition government. He worked the room as if campaigning for our votes and never missed a beat while downing a substantial chicken entree for lunch. Impressive! He talked frankly about German disenchantment with President Obama and the difficulties the CDU is facing because of the eurozone economic crisis. He seemed confident that other countries in the EU who have not yet adopted the euro, such as Poland, will eagerly do so as soon as they are qualified. I'm not so sure.
One of the most popular attractions in Berlin is the clear dome over the Parliament building. It was known as the Reichstag when it burned down in 1933 under mysterious circumstances that allowed the Nazis to come to power by blaming Communists for the fire. At the end of World War II it was liberated by Russian troops and the brilliant restoration of the building allows visitors to see the graffiti the solders wrote on the walls.
The government complex in Berlin has grown considerably since I was first here in 2001. We met with representatives of the five major parties in a building that looked like a futuristic Star Trek movie set.
