Word: bavaria
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...state party convention in Bavaria last week, Schmidt warned that unless the internal bickering stops, the strongly pro-NATO Free Democrats might bolt the governing coalition and join the opposition Christian Democrats, thus toppling Schmidt's government. Though the convention voted overwhelmingly to endorse Schmidt's stand on the missiles, the issue will continue to divide the party and threaten the Chancellor's ruling coalition for months to come. By James Kelly. Reported by Roland Flamini and Gregory H. Wierzynski/Washington
Strauss, 65, a highly intelligent career politician who served with distinction as Defense and Finance Minister, had trouble building a constituency outside his native Bavaria, the heartland of German conservatism. He campaigned enthusiastically, wading into crowds and sparring with hecklers. But his colorful rhetoric tended to reinforce his image as an emotional and erratic right-winger. "There is a lack of stability in his makeup," said Lawyer Wolfgang Wilde, 40, an independent voter in West Berlin. "Moderate Germans feel that he could lead us back to cold war confrontation...
...state, the burgeoning federal bureaucracy and the growth of the national debt-all themes of Strauss's campaign. The bishops also criticized Schmidt's government for making divorce and abortion too easy. While denying undue influence, the church, which is especially strong in Strauss's native Bavaria, thus appeared to be intervening in an effort to shore up Strauss's fortunes. Schmidt was predictably furious. Said he: "Politics from the pulpit is an abomination...
...contrast, Strauss's image is his biggest liability and provokes intense reactions. Beloved in Bavaria, the heartland of German conservatism, he is not just disliked but often detested nearly everywhere else. A highly intelligent man who was an exceedingly capable Defense and Finance Minister, he is nonetheless regarded as a hard-lining cold warrior. His bulldog appearance is caricatured almost daily. His rallies are beset by hecklers who hurl rotten eggs and tomatoes. Strauss's efforts to improve his image have backfired, leaving an impression of uncertainty and artificiality rather than statesmanship...
Strauss's partisans are also capable of hard-ball politicking. In Bavaria, a few self-appointed goon squads, some sporting billy clubs, roam the streets, occasionally roughing up people caught defacing their champion's posters with Hitler mustaches and other graffiti. After Film Director Werner Schroeter reportedly suggested that someone should feed Strauss a bomb disguised as a sausage, the city of Augsburg withdrew his commission to stage an opera there. In Regensburg and Munich, some factory workers have been fired for wearing anti-Strauss buttons. An 18-year-old schoolgirl in Regensburg was expelled for refusing...