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Friedrich Merz
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
Politics can be so realistic.
For days, the CDU was about how the next family reunion should be held in view of Corona.
Should everyone arrive?
Or maybe by zoom?
Or so and so?
Questions that we are all asking ourselves right now: Going to see grandma, or is Skype enough?
Except that one of us doesn't tend to use something like that for intrigue.
Unlike the establishment of the CDU, which postpones the party congress so that Friedrich Merz, who currently seems to have good chances, has fewer chances.
In any case, Friedrich Merz suspects emphatically offended.
Thomas Fricke, arrow to the right
Born in 1965, has been running the WirtschaftsWunder internet portal since 2007.
From 2002 to 2012 he was chief economist of the "Financial Times Deutschland".
He is co-founder of the "Forum New Economy", in which experts have come together to create a new economic leitmotif.
If that's true, that would of course be bad.
Where the case seems so clear.
And 45 percent of the CDU members for Merz are - significantly more than for the competition.
And the man seems to fit so well because he wants to represent more conservative values again.
Which just may not mean that it is right for future electoral success to make Merz chairman.
Here comes a little double check.
At least it's about a possible next Chancellor of the Federal Republic.
And they tend to stay longer.
What Merz stands for, the "Tagesspiegel" summed up this week: "A clearer edge to the left, more economic party again, conservative value policy (whatever that is)".
In addition, the tendency to suspect a bit of conspiracy in the establishment.
Looks familiar?
Right.
This is roughly what Christian Lindner has been trying for a few years: Somehow more market and economy;
against Merkel;
and just complain about left-green, Greta and other enemies of conservative values such as driving a car and the like.
With the impressive result that the party is bobbing at five to seven percent, while the Greens, which have been declared impossible, are booming around 20 percent.
As if there was no serious contrary opinion
It could of course be that Christian Lindner just doesn't sell all of this well - and Merz could do better.
Funny thesis.
In betting sales, Merz would probably make more sales against Lindner.
And both can talk as if there were no serious opposing opinions.
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Another explanation for the apparently limited success of the idea of the now-we-are-again-properly-economically liberal-conservative could be that the time is not good for it.
At least as far as the classic economic part is concerned, which, according to traditional understanding, was always somehow about more personal responsibility, performance, globalization, renunciation and generally the withdrawal of the state.
In polls today, 90 percent of people say that the privatizations of the past decades have gone too far.
And about half that the social balance no longer works.
And even among the supporters of the CDU, very few say that the economic system as it currently works is okay.
Is it surprising that the FDP, as the general representative of liberal-economic ideas, finds it difficult to win voters and sympathizers?
Calling for moderation in a very conservative way sounds bizarre at a time when, despite long years of economic growth, more than a fifth of employees work for low wages.
Just as it seems strange today to pay homage to globalization per se.
Or free competition.
And to be against industrial policy when China launches a state-directed attack.
Or when the downside of an overly naive globalization becomes apparent in the pandemic, because it suddenly becomes apparent that existentially important products are no longer manufactured in one's own country.
Or when people who keep the system going are paid by the market like superfluous laborers.
Or when the free play of the capital markets, via the growing concentration of wealth, leads to the gap between rich and poor growing ever greater;
the call for performance orientation sounds original.
Too naive idea of globalization
We live in a time in which it is becoming increasingly clear that, just for one example, it was a big mistake to simply rely on open technology competition when moving towards cleaner cars.
Or in the fight against the climate crisis on free markets and price formation - when markets with such a long-term structure are demonstrably usually overwhelmed and in reality, state investments in fuel networks and a lot of public infrastructure are required.
All of that doesn't mean that the market economy doesn't do great things.
It just needs an appropriate framework and solid state crisis management, as is the case now in the pandemic.
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The Lindners and Merzens still complain that some dubious trend or dumb mainstream is against them.
Conspiracy?
As if there weren't any good reasons for the doubt.
Maybe the people understand more.
Even among the members of the CDU, according to the polls cited, less than half are for Merz.
Then instead of stoically old sayings, a kind of mea culpa and a refined, liberal understanding of the economy would be needed.
Of which there can be quite conservative and liberal variants beyond naive market liberalism.
Whatever conservative values Friedrich Merz could bring back to the CDU: A party that relies on economic liberalism in such a correction may not be ideally positioned at a time when precisely this economic liberalism is globally in a crisis of credibility because it is one Has created a lot of problems or is apparently unable to solve them.
What people notice.
They're not that stupid.
There is a lot to suggest that the FDP will not get out of the crisis because this long-standing brand core is in crisis.
If that's true, it's not just a bad conspiracy by the establishment, but possibly not so bad at all if the CDU doesn't steer on just such a course.
That would solve neither the problems in the country nor those of the party.
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