This may be a harbinger of things to come or, just as likely, a purely German reaction to the failed programs of the social democrats. But Chancellor Angela Merkel's return to power has come with a price. Her center right Christian Democrats saw their majority shrink but in a big surprise, the pro-business Free Democratic Party increased their share of deputies in the Bundestag and Merkel will be forced to make concessions to the FDP if she wants them in her governing coalition.As America veers hard left, Germany and the rest of Europe appears ready to lurch rightward; and how ironic is that?It should be noted that Germany - and Europe's "right" is hardly conservatism as we know it in the US. But perhaps most significant in these German election results was the "slaughter" of the social democrats and their leftist allies. Claus Christian Malzahn writing in Spiegel Online: Nevertheless, the big loser of Sunday's election is still undoubtedly the center-left Social...(Read Full Post)