Socialists Without an Issue

Beaten in every national election since the founding of the federal republic, West Germany's Social Democrats find themselves boxed in again as the 1965 contest approaches. Their trouble is that, given unprecedented domestic prosperity at home and basic national agreement on foreign affairs, they simply have no issue. Essentially, the Socialists are reduced to arguing that they could run West Germany's booming capitalistic economy better than the Christian Democrats who built it, and that anyway the C.D.U. has been in power too long.

Last week these arguments were again put to the test as the southwest state of Baden-Wurttemberg held elections for the local legislature, the most important trial test before next year's big race.

Grabbing snacks in his Mercedes as he raced from smoky Stuttgart to the picturesque towns of the Swabian countryside, Socialist Leader Willy Brandt minimized partisan criticism, stressed ''common tasks of the future." Typical punch line: "For each rocket that is fired into space, there should be one against heart attacks."

That sort of thing simply did not work well for West Berlin's Mayor Brandt, a political lightweight whose popularity is concentrated in his own city. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard kept himself and his C.D.U. loftily above party battles. "Ach ja," he deadpanned at the end of one speech, "I almost forgot, you're having an election here soon." Erhard accurately counted on his immense popularity as architect of Germany's economic miracle. "Shall I tell you what I have achieved?" he asked complacently. "I wouldn't think of it. There is no one who doesn't know me. Deeds speak louder than words." Voters seemed to agree. The Christian Democrats surprised even themselves, increased their share of the votes from 39.5% to 46.2% of the total. The Socialists barely held their own, did noticeably badly in cities, where their main strength supposedly lies, and with new voters. Practically wiped out in the same election: the right-wing All-German Party, which had based its strength on discontented refugees from the East; now integrated into the West German economy, they are discontented no longer, and they massively joined the ranks of the C.D.U. Said a troubled Willy Brandt: "We shall now have to double our efforts for 1965."

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