The 2009 elections in Germany could have been an ideal time for a lively electoral and media confrontation. The repeated ballots—several municipal and many Lander elections—could have been viewed as an evaluation of the Grand Coalition guided by Angela Merkel (CDU), and also as a preview for the upcoming federal election. In this situation, a “permanent campaign” climate could have occurred, along with sharp contrapositions and adversary tones aimed at underlying the differences among political parties (Blumenthal 1980). However, the 2009 elections have been universally described as one of the less exciting in the history of the Federal Republic. Was this because the campaign went on too long? Or was it because of the institutional peculiarity of the Grand Coalition, or to an innovative “presidentialization” of the campaign by Chancellor Merkel?