German Election

Merkel who? The last German Chancellor I can recall is Willi Brandt.Democracy is funny that way. I don't get to vote in Germany (although my grandfather was born in a part of Germany which is now Poland - does that count?). My main concern would be telling my government what to do about whatever the German government does.

Yes. I actually heard of Barack Obama some time before he was elected, though I didn't know he was a presidential candidate until shortly before the election. I don't know who your Prime Minister is. I presume Pompidou is gone?Of course, I could look these things up if I needed to know. Today I'm going to look for bad reviews of Yojimbo instead.

I'm not "forbidden" to be interested nor am I compelled to be interested. I am interested in some things and not interested in others.I can always develop a new interest if the need or desire arises.

In most democracies, most elections don't have "far reaching ramifications". They may seem so to those who are too close to see the forest for the trees but most democracies are constituted for a certain amount of continuity - to prevent far reaching ramifications in a single election.A re-election is likely to be even less jarring.

In that way, the German election is more like a state election in the US. An election in a state like New York (or a city like New York, for that matter) can have significant ramifications for its little neighbours like Vermont. However, it has little impact on the world as a whole.

A lot of things have a "significant impact". What matters is whether or not it has a predictable impact. Historically, governments have had a poor track record of responding proactively to other governments' actions. My position is that we don't need to react until there is an action to react to.

I think people would take notice if the words "Germany" and "invasion" appeared in the same headline. That's because the words "U.S." and "invasion" usually do appear in the same headlines.

It must be nice to be young and full of wonder... wonder why people post, wonder if Botswana will invade Peru....