Discontented—that’s an apt way to describe the German people today. Millions of Germans are weighed down with pessimism and unhappy with their government. The paradox is, the nation is basking in newfound global popularity, there are clear signs that it is emerging from economic stagnation, and it is politically and economically positioned securely as the pillar of Europe.

The future doesn’t look bright for the coalition government in Berlin. However, for politicians who oppose this administration, the dissatisfaction rippling across Germany provides a perfect opportunity. The more discontented and pessimistic the German people grow, the more they will seek leadership they believe is attuned to their will.

Conditions are ripening for a canny politician with a strategically formulated plan to tap into the current dissatisfaction, and, with the people’s backing, move to the forefront of German politics. Long-time Trumpet readers know we have identified Edmund Stoiber as a man to watch in this regard.

Trained at the feet of Franz Josef Strauss (the man who, within two decades of World War ii, was envisioning a reunited and dominant Germany), Stoiber is the premier of the wealthy state of Bavaria and is a crafty and subtle politician with a calculated and clearly articulated Strauss-like vision for Germany. In a nation where despair has muddled the minds of millions, vision has become one of the greatest needs.

But Stoiber is equipped with much more than merely his record of economic success in Bavaria and a hope-filled vision for Germany. On a more practical level, Stoiber’s views on many issues are merging with the views of the large number of discontented and unhappy Germans.

Although his popularity has faltered somewhat in recent times, it could be that the very unwillingness to compromise and the frankness of speech that have tarnished his reputation among some Germans will become two of the political attributes that will make him a popular politician once again. A conservative revival is underway in Germany, and this revival could easily play into his hands.

Stoiber is beginning to strike a chord with the German people on a number of key issues. His decision to distance himself from the increasingly despised coalition government of Angela Merkel and the Social Democratic Party (spd) has proven a wise move, and has allowed him to join the German public at taking potshots at Angela Merkel and her spd counterparts. As a staunch Catholic and friend of Pope Benedict xvi, Stoiber is also positioned to extract political benefits from the current revival of Catholicism occurring in Germany.

The most important issue upon which Edmund Stoiber and the German people agree is that of immigration and dissatisfaction with foreigners.

Millions of German people are becoming angry with foreigners (primarily the Muslims) for taking jobs, exploiting the German social system, showing an unwillingness to assimilate into society, the dominating nature of their culture and the mounting threat of terrorist attacks from radical Islamic terrorists. A very real culture war is festering in Germany.

One recent survey, conducted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation in Germany, revealed the extent of animosity among Germans toward foreigners. Bloomberg reported November 8 (emphasis ours throughout),

Twenty-seven percent of 5,036 people hold to generally anti-foreigner positions, the Berlin-based foundation said, citing a study comprising an 18-point questionnaire carried out by the usuma opinion research institute. Some 39 percent of respondents said Germany is “dangerously overpopulated” with foreigners, while 35 percent said foreigners should be sent back to their home countries in the event of scarcity of jobs in Germany.

These alarming statistics reveal that this anti-foreigner sentiment isn’t confined to far-right skinheads, but that “extremist attitudes are manifest across all layers of German society” (ibid.).

Similar sentiment was evident in the results of a poll recently conducted by Germany’s zdf tv. Asked if they believe the Muslim nation of Turkey should be allowed to become a member of the European Union, 61 percent of Germans said it should not.

Consider the number of incidents that have erupted between Muslims and native Germans this year alone (most notably, the Danish cartoon crisis, Pope Benedict’s Regensburg address and the Muslim headscarves debate), and the upsurge in anti-Islamic and anti-foreigner sentiment among native Germans is not surprising.

This is where Edmund Stoiber enters the picture.

As tension intensifies, native Germans will increasingly seek a conservative leader who is willing to stand up for their rights and confront the Islamists in their midst. Stoiber is such a politician. Of all Germany’s mainstream politicians, Stoiber possesses some of the most extreme views on immigration and defending the culture and rights of native Germans.

In his home state of Bavaria, Stoiber has loaded the state government with staunch Catholic politicians who show zero tolerance for radical Islamic activities. Last December, Bavarian authorities banned a Bavarian-based Islamic group, the Multi-Kultur-Haus, “after seizing material allegedly inciting Muslims to kill Jews and Christians and carry out suicide attacks in Iraq” (Deutsche Welle, Dec. 29, 2005).

Günther Beckstein, the state’s interior minister, said Bavaria was sending a message to supporters of foreign extremist organizations: “Organizations that aggressively try to oppose our constitutional order and openly call for violence will not be tolerated” (ibid.). The point Stoiber and his state authorities made was clear: Any activity even remotely perceived to be sympathizing with radical Islamists will be shut down.

Stoiber has long been against Turkey joining the EU. Some of his most recent comments on the issue have been his strongest. At a Christian Social Union convention in October, Stoiber stated, “Europe is a community of values, and I say yes to close cooperation, to friendship with Turkey, but if we want to make the European Union an intellectual center, then I say Turkey has no place here.“

Stoiber also responded to comments U.S. President George W. Bush has made encouraging the EU to welcome Turkey into the fold. “I disagree very clearly with President Bush when he says that Turkey must join Europe for security policy reasons.” He continued, “I say, bring Nicaragua into the U.S. and then we can talk about it.“

Consider Stoiber’s remarks in the context of the recent poll showing 61 percent of Germans believe Turkey should never be allowed to become an EU member.

Stoiber has also spoken out against German Muslims wearing headscarves in public, another highly contentious issue. His words have been backed up by such moves as a ban on Muslim teachers wearing headscarves at publicly-funded schools in Bavaria.

Edmund Stoiber is not the only politician in Germany opposed to Turkey entering the EU, nor is he the only politician concerned by the rising influence of foreigners. What sets him apart from other mainstream politicians, though, is his unwillingness to compromise or play politics with these issues and the extent to which he is prepared to go to solve them. He doesn’t dance around these problems—he aims to solve them. Edmund Stoiber is one politician not afraid of confrontation.

Anti-foreigner sentiment among the German people is likelier to intensify than to go away. Should a Muslim terrorist attack occur, such as what happened in Madrid and London, mere anti-foreigner sentiment would transform into deep-seated rage overnight.

This scenario is not farfetched. Radical Islamic terrorists have recently declared that they are planning to attack European nations. Authorities from Germany’s intelligence agency have foiled terrorist plots and are warning that an attack is imminent.

Remember: It was a terrorist attack on the Reichstag, and the subsequent decision by the German government and people to give Adolf Hitler free reign to solve the crisis, that led to Hitler gaining control of Germany in 1933.

When crises erupt, people look to a strong, uncompromising leader they know will deal with the problem.

As Islam’s imprint in Germany grows deeper, and as animosity toward Muslims intensifies, pessimism and discontent will continue to plague the collective German mindset. If the present administration continues to lack the ability to assuage the concerns of the German people, we can expect Germans to rally around a man who they believe will address their concerns, and deal with the problem decisively.

Edmund Stoiber very likely is that man.