Reagan inspira Merkel

No debate com o chanceler Schröder, a candidata da CDU, Angela Merkel, inspirou-se em Reagan para a sua declaração final.
No final de um debate com Carter em 1980, Reagan questionou os americanos, levando-os a avaliar a situação do país e, com base na mesma, a escolher entre ele o candidato democrata:

Next Tuesday all of you will go to the polls, will stand there in the polling place and make a decision. I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we're as strong as we were four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions yes, why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree, if you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have.

Será Reagan um modelo a seguir também em termos políticos? Se assim fosse, o modelo alemão da economia social de mercado ("soziale Marktwirtschaft"), iniciada por Ludwig Erhard num governo CDU, iria sofrer muitas (e necessárias) alterações.