Word: kohl
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Still, the applause on the campaign trail is directed less at the sometimes bumbling Kohl himself than at what he represents: a newly proud and prosperous West Germany that looks to the future with more confidence than at any other time since World War II. Indeed, the waning of Germany's postwar angst fits perfectly with Kohl's folksy, optimistic style. "I'm convinced that we can solve any problems with reason, courage and patience," he told 5,000 beer- drinking backers at a stop in Passau. "All we need is the inner strength to decide that's what...
...Kohl's campaign has received a huge boost from the powerful West German economy. Inflation has been so thoroughly conquered that German prices are now falling at an annual rate of 1.2%. Unemployment, still high by European standards, has dropped from 10.4% in January 1986 to a current rate of 8.9%. Kohl's Christian Democrats boast that some 600,000 jobs have been created in the past three years, half of them in 1986. All in all, West Germans appear to be as comfortable and self-satisfied as they have ever been. Says Joachim Fest, co-publisher of the conservative...
...Kohl has openly appealed to this sense of well-being: his warmly nationalistic speeches urge the voters to congratulate themselves for the surging economy. The back-patting theme is particularly effective with younger listeners. "The Germans have worked hard here for 40 years, and I think we deserve some recognition for that," says Student Hans Baumgartner, 21. "Our history is a deep wound, but wounds have to heal...
...Kohl has thrived, the campaign of the opposition Social Democrats has fallen as flat as the party's slogan, "Let justice reign and not social coldness." Social Democratic Leader Johannes Rau has hammered away at the obvious issues: the continued unemployment of 2.2 million workers, a government tax-reform proposal that would chiefly benefit the wealthy, and , cuts in social spending. Declares Rau: "I read the business section of the paper, and I see that we're doing great. But then I read my mail...
...current strength, Kohl very nearly missed the chance to lead West Germany's new era of good feeling. Under his leadership the Christian Democrats lost ground in seven of ten state elections between October 1982 and June 1986. The Chancellor's political future seemed uncertain after he met President Reagan in 1985 at the German military cemetery in Bitburg, where 49 members of the Nazi SS are buried. Kohl was threatened with prosecution last year for allegedly perjuring himself during testimony concerning the suspected bribery of public officials by the Flick industrial group. Things began turning around for Kohl last...