Germany: New leader of Merkel's party finds role for rival

[TU Curmudgeon]

From ABC News

Germany: New leader of Merkel's party finds role for rival
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The new leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party has given an advisory role to her narrowly defeated rival.

The Christian Democratic Union is keen to heal internal divisions and prevent future rifts after Merkel ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer defeated Friedrich Merz, a one-time rival of the chancellor, to become party leader Dec. 7. Merz declined to seek another senior party position but his backers pressed for him to be brought aboard.

COMMENT:-

Stories like this are absolutely nothing unusual in about 95% of the G20 countries, but I thought that I'd toss it out to see how likely people would feel that EITHER the Republicans OR the Democrats would do something that very closely approximated it AND WHY (with reasonably current examples).

PS - Responses like "Well, the Republicans would never do that because Trump wouldn't but the Democrats would." or "Well, the Democrats would never do that because Clinton wouldn't but the Republicans would." - WITHOUT reasons or examples - will be given all the respect and attention that any other internet posting from a resident of "The Home" would receive.
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[Perotista]

From ABC News

Germany: New leader of Merkel's party finds role for rival
​

The new leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party has given an advisory role to her narrowly defeated rival.

The Christian Democratic Union is keen to heal internal divisions and prevent future rifts after Merkel ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer defeated Friedrich Merz, a one-time rival of the chancellor, to become party leader Dec. 7. Merz declined to seek another senior party position but his backers pressed for him to be brought aboard.

COMMENT:-

Stories like this are absolutely nothing unusual in about 95% of the G20 countries, but I thought that I'd toss it out to see how likely people would feel that EITHER the Republicans OR the Democrats would do something that very closely approximated it AND WHY (with reasonably current examples).

PS - Responses like "Well, the Republicans would never do that because Trump wouldn't but the Democrats would." or "Well, the Democrats would never do that because Clinton wouldn't but the Republicans would." - WITHOUT reasons or examples - will be given all the respect and attention that any other internet posting from a resident of "The Home" would receive.
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It wasn't unusual for a president, from Eisenhower through Nixon to have a member of the opposing party in his cabinet or on his staff. This goes from Durkin, a Democrat and secretary of labor under IKE to Patrick Monahan in Nixon's. I'm not sure about Ford on, but Bill Clinton did bring Republican David Gergen aboard.

I don't remember either Bush II or Obama having a member of the opposing party in either his cabinet or on staff. Although I didn't do an extensive search.

I don't think in today's ultra high partisan atmosphere of Washington, that having a member of the opposing party on staff or in a cabinet position would fly. This just shows you how much times have changed and how much partisanship has increased.

 

[TU Curmudgeon]

It wasn't unusual for a president, from Eisenhower through Nixon to have a member of the opposing party in his cabinet or on his staff. This goes from Durkin, a Democrat and secretary of labor under IKE to Patrick Monahan in Nixon's. I'm not sure about Ford on, but Bill Clinton did bring Republican David Gergen aboard.

I don't remember either Bush II or Obama having a member of the opposing party in either his cabinet or on staff. Although I didn't do an extensive search.

I don't think in today's ultra high partisan atmosphere of Washington, that having a member of the opposing party on staff or in a cabinet position would fly. This just shows you how much times have changed and how much partisanship has increased.

The difference between what you describe and what happened in Germany is that Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer is bringing the person that she defeated for the leadership of her OWN party into her cabinet. A parallel situation would have been like Mr. Trump naming John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush to his cabinet (the Clinton equivalent is deliberately omitted simply because it isn't needed).

Could you see something like that happening in American politics (for EITHER party)?

 

[Perotista]

The difference between what you describe and what happened in Germany is that Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer is bringing the person that she defeated for the leadership of her OWN party into her cabinet. A parallel situation would have been like Mr. Trump naming John Kasich, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush to his cabinet (the Clinton equivalent is deliberately omitted simply because it isn't needed).

Could you see something like that happening in American politics (for EITHER party)?

You actually did, twice that I remember. JFK defeated LBJ in the 1960 Democratic primaries, JFK then made LBJ his vice president candidate. Reagan defeated G.H.W. Bush in the 1980 Republican primaries, Reagan made Bush his VP candidate. If you want to go back further, Lincoln made Democrat Andrew Johnson of Tennessee his VP candidate in 1864 running under the National Union banner.

 

[TU Curmudgeon]

You actually did, twice that I remember. JFK defeated LBJ in the 1960 Democratic primaries, JFK then made LBJ his vice president candidate. Reagan defeated G.H.W. Bush in the 1980 Republican primaries, Reagan made Bush his VP candidate. If you want to go back further, Lincoln made Democrat Andrew Johnson of Tennessee his VP candidate in 1864 running under the National Union banner.

Sorry, I wasn't thinking of "Vice-President" I was thinking of positions of actual power and authority.

The "Vice-President" slot is one of neither actual power or authority but is one designed to boost the chances of the person who is running for President by giving the voters the impression that "the ticket is balanced".

So please let me re-formulate the question:

Can you see a President of the United States of America appointing someone who had mounted a serious challenge to the nomination of that President to a seniour political post wherein the person had actual power, prestige, and authority in that President's administration under today's conditions?
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