MSU prof viewed election from Germany

Germans very interested in U.S. contest

By Mark Fischenich

Joe Kunkel has been following politics for decades, and the Minnesota State University political science professor believes the 2008 election was the most important of his lifetime.

But don’t ask Kunkel what he was thinking when Barack Obama was projected as the winner. Don’t ask what was going through his mind when the first black president-elect gave his victory speech to a throng of cheering, sometimes sobbing, supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Kunkel was sound asleep.

“I like to get my five hours of good sleep,” Kunkel said, laughing.

The problem was the time difference. In America, the election was decided early and the speech came well before most folks’ bedtime.

In Nuremberg, Germany, on the other hand, the polls were still open in America when 1 a.m. rolled around and Kunkel decided he’d better get some sleep. He had spent the previous evening participating in panel discussions at the local university — conducted in the midst of an American-themed election party — and had a string of lectures ahead.

“That took the ultimate amount of self-restraint,” Kunkel said of his decision to not turn on the TV when he got back to his hotel room after 1 a.m. local time. “I was afraid I would have got roped in and started watching.”

As hard as it was for him to close his eyes as the historic campaign reached its conclusion, Kunkel said the opportunity to spend the election in Germany was an extraordinary one.

It came about on short notice when professor Andreas Falke was visiting MSU in late September. Falke, who teaches politics at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, spoke to one of Kunkel’s MSU classes. There was a reception that night.

“About 9 o’clock in the evening, he said, ‘What are you doing on election night?’ I said, ‘I’m usually on KTOE talking about county commissioner races.’ ”

Falke offered an alternative — spending election week at Friedrich Alexander, talking to students and community members about the American presidential and congressional campaigns.

“It sounded too good to be true,” Kunkel said.

It wasn’t. Most of the expenses were covered by the German university. Kunkel arrived Nov. 1 and quickly found his audience wouldn’t be bored by the topic of his lectures.

“They’re very, very excited about the American election over there.”

On the night of Nov. 4, there was a “grosse party” at the Nuremberg campus with a live band, American flags and bunting everywhere, and a replica of the Statue of Liberty. The Germans were mostly dressed in red, white and blue, and the fare was hamburgers, nachos, chili and other American food.

In a conference room adjoining the party hall, Kunkel sat in on several panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions. Others on the panel included a retired State Department official, a representative of the U.S. consulate in Munich and some German political experts.

The questions were fairly typical ones about the campaign, the role Obama’s race played, the Electoral College ... The notable difference was that many of the attendees were carrying beers and other drinks.

“It was kind of amusing,” Kunkel said.

The next morning, he was up by 6 a.m. German time and immediately switched on his hotel TV, found the BBC and was able to get caught up on what had happened in America after the polls closed. But he was quickly off to another breakfast meeting at a local corporation, attended by leaders of the Nuremberg business community, where he gave his lecture on the election again.

That night, about 150 people were at the Erlangen campus to listen to Kunkel. On the Thursday after the election, it was 75 people in Stuttgart. The weekend was spent visiting the western Bavarian village that was the hometown of Kunkel’s great grandfather.

When he connected with relatives there, the topic of conversation didn’t necessarily change.

“Yeah,” Kunkel said. “They were giving thumbs up for Obama.”

In fact, Kunkel said the support for the Democratic nominee was more than overwhelming.

“At the party, we’d asked, ‘Who’s for Obama?’” he said, describing the cheers and raised hands that followed.

When the same question was asked about McCain?

“One guy sheepishly raised his hand,” Kunkel said. “ ... That was the one person in all of Germany that I found who was for McCain.”

Kunkel described the popular opinion as a sort of “group think” that typically wasn’t rooted in any understanding of the positions of the two candidates on the issues. Still, Germans and other Europeans yearn for an end of the Bush presidency — and what they see as its legacy of war, torture, unilateralist foreign policy and opposition to tackling global warming.

“Overall, Germans really love America and they’re happy to be in love with America again,” Kunkel said.

There’s also admiration that Americans are capable of looking past skin color in choosing a head of government, with several European commentators expressing doubt it could happen in their countries, Kunkel said.

“Once again, America is seen as a very idealistic place where anything is possible. That’s what they think, that anything is possible in America,” Kunkel said. “I felt very proud of my country.”

Despite the trip and hectic schedule, Kunkel didn’t forfeit the most meaningful part of Nov. 4.

“I wouldn’t miss my chance to vote for nothin’,” Kunkel said. “I voted absentee.”