SPD's federal chairman, Sigmar "Arch-Angel" Gabriel, seemed to have a glowing halo around his head when he announced the party's designation of Peer Steinbrueck (65) as Germany's next chancellor, eh, challenger and SPD's frontrunner to become Germany's next chancellor in a 'desired' red-green cabinet.
Gabriel was quite relaxed in his announcement to designate Steinbrueck, a former federal finance minister (and prior to that NRW's governor) in Merkel's first grand-coalition cabinet, as the social-democratic challenger to Germany's top governmental post at the Berlin Chancellery.
Knowing that he would have been only third choice in the troika "Steinbrueck-Steinmeier-Gabriel", Gabriel could finalize his statement with "in the end... " - it's like a golden social-democratic tenet - SPD's ex-chancellor "Helmut Schmidt is always right".
Schmidt was the first to say publicly in a talk show with Steinbrueck present at his side that "he (Steinbrück) is the right man" to substitute Angela Merkel.
Well, Helmut Schmidt is right, indeed, in his 'personal' evaluation as Steinbrueck being a mover and shaker who is really able to tackle German and EU's financial and economic issues with his intransigent thrust to get problems solved.
With Gabriel perceived being a physical heavy-weight but politically and SPD internally mostly viewed a 'hollow' softie and with his 'blabber-bag', federal party's general secretary, Andrea Nahles, always at his site, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier a "gutmensch" (good guy, nice guy, dear comrade), the foregone decision of designating Steinbrueck, well ahead of the Lower Saxony State election at the beginning of 2013, has showed some kind of social-democratic 'realpolitik' in the political development prior to today's announcement.
Shall the Swiss government or even the Greek (or PIFS) cheer about this 'only' chance of getting a social-democratic led German cabinet in fall 2013?
Nope.
First - the Swiss have been encountering German and U.S. pressure about this perceived Alpine "tax heaven". With Steinbrueck, it will be getting worse for them, for sure - this guy is a financial expert and tax revenue hardliner.
Secondly, the Greek should not uncork the champagne bottles either. Getting their fiscal house in order will also be the top priority of Steinbrueck's. Sorry fellas - don't expect some kind of relief, it can only get worse for you.
"I am looking forward" to seeing a German chancellor Steinbrueck with 'Hitler moustache and swastikas' in Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French newspapers and media. Will happen - a prediction with high degree of certainty!
Don't bother the bull... Gabriel uttered about Merkel's "market-oriented" democracy and the SPD's approach of "democracy-oriented markets" - this social-democratic rhetoric will get the litmus test when the unlikely event of a red-green cabinet should finally realize.
Tell you about this wishful thinking:
Only with the Pirates, the Lefties and the Free-Dems below the 5 percent parliamentary hurdle for getting mandates allocated, a two-party coalition of Social-Dems and Eco-Greens is currently possible.
But this color-combination is not the German people's "cup of tea" either - because current problems need to be solved on a broader base, meaning a re-run of a grand-coalition, according to latest polls.
Steinbrueck considers himself a "steinbeisser" (stone biter), wow - you really need diamond teeth to realize this.
The German national election campain for fall 2013 will be lasting one year - this is quite a long shot, huh?
In the meantime, I expect Greece falling into insolvency, getting bankrupt and leaving the euro-zone.
This could be quite a relief for SPD's Steinbrueck - he and the Greek would then blame Merkel for this.
'Germany's new-orientation' is getting interesting now, right? Even Merkel will somewhat feel the pinch of SPD's resurrection?!
