Survival angst

The one thing that the government has shown any consistency about since being elected to power in January 2015 has been its targets. It always has someone or something to target - new targets and older ones - that alternate in a repertory of conspiracy theories and perceived ogres: international creditors, the European Commission, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former finance minister in Berlin Wolfgang Schaeuble, capitalists, the opposition, and the list goes on and on.

Some targets are abandoned and others are transformed from foe to friend, but there is always something in the leftist-led government's crosshairs. A part of the media and certain journalists are steady fixtures. Then it also has a general category labeled "vested interests" that can include anyone or anything that appears opposed to the government line.

The more the popularity gap - currently at...