According to the latest monthly poll by Infratest dimap for ARD television, support for Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats rose to 35% from 34% since last month. What’s more interesting, is that the German Chancellor has been able to increase her popularity, despite facing media criticism of her handling of a recent summit of European Union leaders.
What has helped the 58-year old physicist to become a superstar at home, are her tactical suggestions that Germany be part of a joint euro bond offering to sign on to the pooling of the community’s debt. This, along with the fact that EU’s biggest economy is weathering the storm pretty well compared to its counterparts, also adds to her reputation. She does deserve some respect, especially when we notice elected leaders across Europe falling one after another.
Chancellor Angela Merkel remained firm on the tough bailout terms that Germany has demanded the European Union’s feeble southern states, despite repeated pleas for assistance, most recently at the G-20 in Mexico. This strong stance of hers has been the main reason for her increased popularity.
Merkel has received severe media criticism throughout Europe for refusing to put money in the pot for bailouts. She has even been compared to Hitler for her rigidity, despite contributions totaling half a trillion dollars to various European bailout schemes by Merkel’s government.
What’s important is that she had been successful in striking a chord with the community, that matters the most,the general public, “I didn’t vote for her last time, but I am astounded at how well she is handling the economic crisis,” said Corinne Perin, who runs a family pension in a Heidi-like village in the Elz River Valley. “We naturally do not want any of our money to be given away. She has been doing a great job of protecting our future.”
“What Merkel is doing for the other Europeans is already enough,” said Heiner Schayer, who makes windows in the nearby city of Freiburg. “She is very smooth in how she deals with the other European presidents and prime ministers. But we know it is a fine line, because if other Europeans have no money, they cannot purchase our products.”
The following statement by a small guesthouse owner in Germany aptly sums up the real feelings of the majority of Germans. “There must be no more compromises,” she said. “It is just throwing our money away.”
