Germany’s election of Angela Merkel as chancellor isn’t merely remarkable because she’s a lady, but because she’s expected to make Guido Westerwelle (pictured, right) the nation’s new foreign minister in a power sharing agreement between the conservative Christian Democrats party and the pro-business Free Democrats. Westerwelle, of course, is a big homo, but doesn’t make such a big deal about it. Nevermind that he and partner Michael Mronz are Germany’s new gay power couple! Expect them to be throwing back Oettingers and Krombachers at all the hottest parteien in Berlin!
Jason
His name is Guido and he is a kraut?
Ach du Freakin’ Lieber Himmel!
Michael
The single fact that he’s gay and out is no more ipso facto a reason to raise a glass of German beer than if Larry Craig came out.
The poisonous fly in this PR ointment of “gays can be political power brokers, too” is that “Democrat” alone in Germany does NOT mean the same as it does in the US. FAR from it. Neither is his party, the FDP, nor he, “liberal” in the American sense but in the rarely-heard-here “classical liberal” sense which has become almost the direct opposite of “liberal” here.
In short, while I don’t disagree with all of his positions [his belief that nonMuslim women such as Merkel should not have to don Muslim drag when visiting Muslim theocracies is delightfully ballsy], in the US he would be, at best, a “SOCIALLY ‘liberal’ Republican”…supporting civil liberties but less in the humanitarian sense than the libertarian “no-rules-for-anybody” sense and as rabidly “let corporations do whatever they want/slash taxes for slashing taxes sake/anti help-those-who-can’t-help-themselves/anti union” as George Bush fils. He DOES “make a big deal” about wanting to enforce those policies. And, not to forget, he apparently thinks Afghanistan is a “good war,” too.
He’s been called a Thatcherite and that is NOT good news for progressives in Germany or anywhere no matter whom he sleeps with.
Kamikapse
@Michael:
As if being liberal in the American sense was anything to aspire to…
Just take a good look at Democrats and what will be a total joke of a health care reform.
Andreas
Michael’s absolutely right with his comment. Guido Westerwelle and his “liberal” party FDP haven’t done much for German homosexuals in the past and their pro-big -business-politics are despicable. It’s nice to see a gay man in such an important political position but I really regret that it must be Westerwelle.
Kurt
Amen to Michael and Andreas. It would have been best for an SPD victory.
Westerwelle is Log Cabin with a cute German flower box in the window.
Jonny
Can we all just remember that not all of us fags are bleeding heart leftists. I for one, voted FDP and strongly approved of Westerwelle’s policies. Now bring on the calls of me being a bad homo. Yawn.