Germany Should Finally Become More American

It is annoying to live in a country with two political parties that cannot even manage to fight with each other — two parties, one of which believes that Bolshevism has broken out although implementation of universal health insurance has just begun, while the other says it’s not an issue if the state budget stays in the red; two parties, and one sees illegal immigrants as a threatening mob, while the other fails to understand that it is easy for members of the white middle class to be generous. And above all, the poor see only one thing in such immigrants — competition.

Two parties — one that seriously thinks you can arrange deals with the corrupt old men in Tehran, while the other offers intricate foreign policy ideas that frequently contradict each other. Two parties that – at least on the federal level – have forgotten how Great Britain wonderfully described democracy: “Democracy is that system where the members of different political clubs rudely insult each other in parliament, only to go drinking in a pub together afterward.” *

It is also frequently aggravating to be an American — at least if you belong to that group of Americans who aim for the political middle. They would be either extremely right Democrats, or extremely left Republicans, but would prefer to vote for a party that does not exist in America – a party with a cool, rational head and a warm, compassionate heart.

Endless Dispute Cripples Washington

Those people aiming for the political middle want a party of compromise, reason and humanity; a party that does not favor dismissing children who seek protection in the United States against the carnage in their home countries. But at the same time, those favoring the political middle know there is no imaginable way that they can admit every immigrant. They want a party that has learned that global political enemies don’t turn into friends through diplomatic flattery and that it is inhumane, in truth, to encourage the hope of welfare state benefits that cannot be fulfilled in the long run. They want a party that simultaneously understands that every dollar we invest in education, especially early childhood education, pays off a hundredfold afterward, for example.

Meanwhile, political fragmentation in America is more than a problem. It is a plague. It paralyzes operations in Washington in that, realistically, elected decision-makers are no longer able to come up with decisions because each draft bill can be shot down in court.

It has poisoned the political atmosphere in this country. Such fragmentation has shown up demographically: Most Democrats only live in areas where the other Democrats live, and Republicans live in their own communities. It is unlikely these days that one will socialize at a barbecue or street party and exchange opinions, or just notice that people are human.

Mutual Forced Holiday for Democrats and Republicans

No one knows how to solve this problem. Author Stephen King once suggested that Democrats should be lawfully obliged to watch Fox News, a right-leaning television station, for a week, and Republicans should suffer in return by watching seven days of MSNBC, a left-leaning station.

The educational impact would be tremendous. First, one might discover that only the commercials are identical. Second, one would ask the horrifying question, “What the hell is that?” And third, a thrilling domestic debate might begin. Such a law would not earn the majority support of either side – on this Democrats and Republicans might agree – so an alternative might provide that an American billionaire — such as someone on the left, like Bill Gates, or on the right, like Sheldon Adelson — donate money for vacation camps where Democratic and Republican families would vacation together for free. Perhaps, it would be the last chance to mend this torn country, at least provisionally. Yes, it is irritating to be an American.

Sometimes, it must also be irritating to live in Germany because Germany has exactly the same problem, but the other way around: There is too much political consensus here. The most visible manifestation of this is Angela Merkel, who knows because she knows her people inside out that Germans can only handle the truth in small doses, and therefore, she has already earned the prize for the most boring speaker of the 21st century — such a global historical accomplishment; Germany is guided by a politician whose speeches are so exciting you fall asleep after five minutes!

The German political consensus is a nagging, “Yes, but” – a self-cheating and bumbling, persistent and willful shifting of decisions. That should not be considered criticism, on the contrary: What a civilized country Germany is, postponing political decisions to engage in permanent battle until tomorrow! Nevertheless, Germany’s unwavering consensus also has a price. The price is a growing insanity at the political margins.

The people on the marginal right are from the Alternative for Germany and the silent PEGIDA demonstrators in Dresden; the people on the other side are from the reactionary Left Party and the participants of the Peace Monday Marches. And no one should be surprised if both of these camps have a lot in common – a heartfelt love for Vladimir Putin, perhaps. It is only surprising that it has taken so long for a right-leaning populist movement to take the stage in Germany. France and Great Britain are already much further along.

What is worse in the long run, too much, or too little consensus in a country? The short answer is both, of course. In the long run, the answer must be that it is better if differences of opinion are openly argued, even if it rips, flashes and bangs.

It would be better for Germany to become more American. It is better that the Christian Democratic Union party is not backing off from alliances with right-leaning populists, and the Social Democratic Party and Greens are bound with the Left Party. It is better that finally two blocs of opinion oppose each other, both of which are unsympathetic. And it is better that more Germans finally become acquainted with the despair that Americans in the political middle often feel.

*Editor’s Note: Accurately translated, this quotation could not be verified.