But the laws of media evolution favored the O. Corral over the salon, even in Germany. It didn`t help that Helmut Kohl, the most elephantine of all former chancellors, boycotted elephant rounds in the 1990s — probably because in his regal self-understanding he just couldn`t be bothered — thus leading to their decline. His successor, Gerhard Schröder, who fancied himself God`s gift to TV screens, then embraced the American debate format in 2002. Along with it came — albeit in an attenuated form, for now — the American evils of spin doctors, stock phrases and sound bites. Merkel first mounted a stage against Mr. Schröder in 2005. Then, as in 2009 and 2013 (pictured), she did anything but shine. But she always survived, and then prevailed. Perhaps German voters, as though out of an old instinct that democracy should not be a shoot-out, actually prefer the rhetorically understated candidate when they step into the booth. Perhaps she knows that, and adjusts her body language to that insight. Then again, she knows nothing that Mr. Schulz doesn`t know. So come back to Handelsblatt Global on Sunday night to see how the spectacle turned out. But remember that there is a better way.
Andreas Kluth is the editor-in-chief at Handelsblatt Global, follow Andreas on Twitter @andreaskluth.
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