At the conclusion of the 2005 German election....as evening led into live coverage and political chatter....there was what was referred to as the Elefantenrunde or the 'Elephant-round'. This was a moderator-run situation with the top party chiefs and discussing the outcome.
The CDU-CSU combo won (roughly 40-percent) against the SPD's 38.4-percent.
The general big topic for the Elefantenrunde crowd was the coalition. The FDP failed to get 5-percent and the idea of a Green or Linke coalition situation simply didn't exist.
So the discussion came to this partnership that would have to occur.....the CDU with the SPD. I sat there at the time....watching this live situation go, and over a fifteen minute period, you got the impression that the SPD's chief....Gerhard Schroder, was in some hyped-up mood and acting a bit dazed.
In today's news....the ZDF chief.....Nikolaus Bender....says he's been asked time and time again.....if Schroder was drunk.
There's roughly twenty minutes talk going on which Schroder seems to suggest that the only way a coalition will occur is that he is the Chancellor and the CDU occupies a secondary position behind the SPD....even though the SPD came in second.
It's a remarkable piece of live action, which ZDF said later that roughly 15-million Germans tuned in and watched the discussion group....roughly a quarter of the adult population.
My perception of Schroder from that evening? I always thought he was lit-up on something....maybe some good marijuana....maybe some other drug....but his behavior and attitude wasn't the typical type that you expected.
Days later, the SPD kinda told Schroder to 'retire' and move on....which he quickly did by taking a consultant job with a Russian oil company. Even today, there's not that many positive thoughts over Schroder and his Russian job deal, or his handling of that discussion on ZDF.
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