Angela Merkel, no-nonsense chancellor of Germany for 16 years, is about to step down. Here in America’s pragmatic Midwest, we will miss her steady and thus simpatico presence. Europe will miss her too. There’s nothing wrong with chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz, 63, who is expected to replace Merkel when the German federal parliament formally approves the transition next week. Like Merkel, the soft-spoken Scholz is a Social Democrat who’s considered well-prepared and financially savvy. But this is not a case of same old, same old. In Germany, voters pick a party, not a leader. After Merkel de…

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