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The only televised debate between the two candidates for chancellor – Angela Merkel and Frank-Walter Steinmeier – was evidently a rather tame affair, with more attention paid to the antics of the moderators than to the positions of the candidates. I say evidently, since there was a blackout of radio or Web broadcast, and there was no way I could listen to the debate here in the US. It seems to me, that both the CDU and SPD would want the widest possible reach for the debate, and should have forced the ZDF and ARD to make it available via the Internet. I know the three presidential debates in the US were streamed live over several Web sites.
In any event, the lightning poll (Blitzumfrage) conducted by ZDF just after the broadcast indicates a clear victory for Steinmeier, with 64% of those polled indicating that Steinmeier "did better than expected" compared with only 18% for Merkel.
If anyone saw the debate, please leave your comments for those of us who were "blacked out".
