I read the German situation as somewhat analogous to that in the US. There as well, the macroeconomic metrics are looking pretty good, at least superficially. But the Repugs are unable to capitalize on this because none of the gains are trickling down (if you will excuse that term) to the broader society.

To my mind it's about fairness.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman