But, rather than focusing on the government’s weaknesses – energy, Europe, education, and family policy – they bet their political fortunes on social justice. Merkel’s Panglossian campaign was much more in tune with the sentiment of the German electorate than the opposing parties’ tristesse about working-class distress, which was rightly seen as a ploy for raising taxes.
反对党也为自己没有抓住现实而付出了代价。经济在繁荣，失业率很低，大部分德国人境况比以前更好。但是，反对党并没有专注于政府的弱点——能源、欧洲、教育和家庭政策，而是把政治赌注押在了社会公平上。默克尔的选战主题——乐观更符合德国选民的情绪，而反对党却选择了对工作阶级饱受压抑表示悲愤，这被正确地视作是为了增税造势。