No, that title is not (at least for the moment) referencing Sarah Palin – but rather someone a little more distant.
I’ve talked a lot about how U.S. Republicans should use foreign conservative success stories as templates for our own renewal – like David Cameron’s rebranding of the UK’s Conservatives, or how Prime Minister Steven Harper resurrected Canada’s decimated conservative movement. Now, the global economic crisis may be pushing another conservative leader into direct confrontation with Barack Obama and his leftist buddies – German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
With the G20 Summit looming, Merkel has made international headlines by refusing to cooperate in massive “stimulus” spending, bringing her into conflict with my least favorite world figure – Britain’s unelected pretender Gordon Brown. Here’s an excerpt from a story in yesterday’s edition of The Times:
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, last night led the assault on the prime minister’s “global new deal” for a $2 trillion-plus fiscal stimulus to end the recession.
“I will not let anyone tell me that we must spend more money,” she said.
Meanwhile, on our side of the the pond, the New York Times was also highlighting Chancellor Merkel as someone who could present a roadblock for President Obama’s global agenda.
BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, an avowed friend of the United States and the leader of the European Union’s biggest economy, is diplomatic about the coming visit by President Obama. But she is clear that she is not about to give ground on new stimulus spending, stressing the need to maintain fiscal discipline even as she professes to want to work closely with the new American president.
Now, make no mistake, the Germans gave out plenty of bailouts last year, and EuroConservatives like Merkel would not be considered terribly “conservative” in the American sense of the term. However, it’s very heartening to see her taking a hard line against generational theft. As someone who grew up in East Germany, she knows how bad things can get when the Government starts tinkering with the economy, and she is definitely someone we can look to for encouragement at this moment.
So, I now find myself in a position that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago – I will be cheering on the German Chancellor at the G20 Summit, and hoping that she can hold the line against the American-British onslaught.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Read this a couple days ago, love it. France and Italy are saying no, too.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Yes, good for Mrs. Merkel.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
heroin > heroine
March 30th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
It’s strange (and sad) to see Europeans being more fiscally prudent than the US. But we’ve reached the point where communists have to tell our government to quit spending so much.
March 30th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Merkel takes on our Urkel.
March 30th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Obama Learns If European Popularity Can Pay Dividends
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20090330/pl_bloomberg/abdhsndtdcfe/print
Ron Paul Finds a Pal in Putin…
Russia backs return to Gold Standard to solve financial crisis
Russia has become the first major country to call for a partial restoration of the Gold Standard to uphold discipline in the world financial system.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/5072484/Russia-backs-return-to-Gold-Standard-to-solve-financial-crisis.html
March 30th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
When the French, Italians and Germans are telling you to stop spending so much, you know you are on the wrong track…
…and the Italians know something about debt, unionization, unemployment and low productivity.
http://wallstreetblips.dailyradar.com/story/italy_s_debt_reached_105_8_of_gdp_last_year_central/
March 30th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I absolutely love Chancellor Merkel and have ever since she was elected over that anti-American socialist Gerhard Schroeder. I also am really pleased to see Sarkozy and Berlusconi and (more close to home) Harper. I think Cameron’s conservatives will be in a good place in the next British election too. So it really is sad to see America having a leftward tilt when these other countries (reeling from Socialism for decades) are starting to turn right. Hopefully this will be rectified in 2010 and then 2012.
Subtext- by electing President Romney.
=-D
March 30th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Palin just might be our Merkel and Thatcher for that matter.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I agree with Chancellor Merkel.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I find this commentary to be rich with comedy. Obama is traveling to Europe to talk economics and security with world leaders. Merkel and the Germany she leads is likely to be among the biggest enablers of Russia’s re-establishing its influence in what they see as their near abroad, because the Germans are dependent on Russian energy supply. Further, the Germans are actually looking to obtain something of a free ride at the US’s expense. They have an export dominated economy and they have taken a lot of hits due to their investment in eastern european countries. Now that that stuff has all blown up, their pushing for the IMF to come save the day and who puts the most money in that kitty? IMF bailouts would mean they would get paid back, plus US stimulus benefits their economy that runs on exports. Oh and did I mention they want us to bail out Ford’s disaster of a subsidiary Opel? Merkel isn’t so much conservative as she is calculating. Why spend the money in stimulus when she can get a free ride to economic recovery?
But because there is a conservative/liberal point to be made, folks are ready to overlook all the ways in which US and German national interests clearly diverge for the cheap high of cracking on the president. No discernment.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I find this commentary to be rich with comedy. Obama is traveling to Europe to talk economics and security with world leaders. Merkel and the Germany she leads is likely to be among the biggest enablers of Russia’s re-establishing its influence in what they see as their near abroad, because the Germans are dependent on Russian energy supply. Further, the Germans are actually looking to obtain something of a free ride at the US’s expense. They have an export dominated economy and they have taken a lot of hits due to their investment in eastern european countries. Now that that stuff has all blown up, their pushing for the IMF to come save the day and who puts the most money in that kitty? IMF bailouts would mean they would get paid back, plus US stimulus benefits their economy that runs on exports. Oh and did I mention they want us to bail out Ford’s disaster of a subsidiary Opel? Merkel isn’t so much conservative as she is calculating. Why spend the money in stimulus when she can get a free ride to economic recovery?
But because there is a conservative/liberal point to be made, folks are ready to overlook all the ways in which US and German national interests clearly diverge for the cheap high of cracking on the president. No discernment.
April 1st, 2009 at 2:20 am
[...] Race’s Brick-man had an excellent post on Angela Merkel’s opposition to the Brown-Obama plan, but the anger and opposition is more wide-spread than what the media is filtering to the US [...]