German foreign minister refutes US Republicans' attacks on Europe

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, on Friday criticized the harsh tone of Republican rhetoric and attacks on Europe. 'I also believe that there are many people in the United States who do not support this harsh attitude against Europe,' he said.

The candidates espouse individual responsibility and reject labour unionism. They oppose Obama's health insurance reform, his 2009 job stimulus package, his bailout of the car industry, and his push to raise taxes on the very rich.

During the debates, they have characterized Obama's policies as socialist and point to Europe's financial crisis as evidence that government-sponsored social safety nets lead to fiscal ruin.

In a speech at the private Brookings Institute, Westerwelle warned against the return to nationalistic isolation in Europe. 'That is a prospect that we must decisively work against,' he said. 'Re-nationalization in a time of globalization is a dangerous concept.' Most recently, the right-wing conservative of Hungary has provoked concern in the EU over its nationalistic direction, he noted.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1686618.php/German-foreign-minister-refutes-US-Republicans

Europeans must really shake their heads at the idiocy they hear coming out of the republican debates. They must wonder how such a conservative party can have its rhetoric and policy discussions pulled further and further to the right.