Gerd Langguth Quotes (13 Quotes)

Angela Merkel believes fiercely that Germany needs a freer, more individualistic society, and more market-oriented economy, precisely because she grew up in the very opposite -- in the communist east.

The existence of this Left Party is going to make it so much harder for either the centre-left on the one side or the centre-right on the other to form a coalition for a long time.

She was not a resistance fighter, yet she was skeptical of socialism but then she went ahead and joined the Communist youth party. She's not open about her life's choices.

The episode symbolized that she is capable of making unexpected decisions in difficult situations.

Both sides are faced with enormous pressure to make this coalition work. That involves concessions on both sides. What matters, though, is the joint will to actually start tackling the trouble spots.

I think people outside of Germany are realizing more and more that she is a powerful woman. On the other hand, the political honeymoon will be over very soon, and she will be caught up by the daily routine.

It could be her first large setback but let's wait and see.

People see Merkel as an alternative out of their desperation. She may not be, but that's how they see her now.

Never before has a new government hit the public with so many burdens.

She has a cool personality. She does not easily express her emotions. That may explain why people have difficulty identifying with her.

No one in the history of postwar German politics has risen from nowhere so fast and so far.

Merkel received her introduction to Western politics when Helmut Kohl, Germany's larger-than-life Chancellor, tapped her as Minister for Women and Youth for his Cabinet in 1991. She established herself as both ambitious and willing to learn, outmaneuvering a succession of male colleagues to take the party leadership in 2000. She's criticized for being timid, ... but she's a political panther.

She appeals to the German brain, if not the German heart. She doesn't inspire strong emotions. But she does inspire strong thinking about what is truly best for the nation.