"Today's journal" leader attacks Merkel on TV - "severe damage done"

After AKK's resignation today-journalist Schmiese commented on the situation in the CDU on ZDF. He attacks Chancellor Angela Merkel sharply.

• After the scandal at the Prime Minister election in Thuringia , CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her retreat.
• In the ZDF-heute journal , editor-in-chief Wulf Schmiese is now assessing the situation of the CDU - and fears bad things.
• With Angela Merkel he does a tough job.

Update from February 13, 12.17 p.m .: After Wulf Schmieses criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the CDU in the ZDF-heute journal on the Internet largely met with approval, some Twitter users now expressed demands. "Very accurate analysis," writes one user. "Hopefully the right people in the party saw it and are finally taking it to heart ..."

Update from February 12, 2020, 1:04 p.m .: Even on the Internet , the clear words of today's journal head Wulf Schmiese met with a tremendous response . A Twitter user stuck to the commentator's metaphor and wrote: "The CDU is admitting to the left that it has long since thrown the rail overboard and the right side wall is high in the air."

“Today's journal” leader criticizes Merkel sharply - many Twitter users agree with him

A large majority of the commentators also seem to agree with Schmiese's views . Because they congratulated him on his contribution. "Excellent comment!" Wrote one user. Another comment praised Schmiese's comment in the highest tones: “What a balanced and appropriate comment! I haven't heard anything like this on ZDF for a long time. Thank you!"

But there were also occasional critical voices: "It is not about popular parties and enduring horseshoe theories. What unspeakable chatter, ”wrote a Twitter user. With this opinion, he was largely alone.

It's not about popular parties and enduring horseshoe theories. What unspeakable chatter. It is about demarcation and a clear edge against racists, fascists and right-wing extremists. The Democrats are concerned with cooperation on factual issues beyond fixed coalitions.

“Today's journal” head beats Merkel hard and names mistakes by the popular parties

First report from February 11, 2020:

Berlin - Today, journalist Wulf Schmiese commented on the sudden resignation of CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer * on Monday on ZDF in unusually drastic words. The CDU now continues what started with the SPD - the decline of the popular parties because they neglect their margins, ”predicts Schmiese. The ZDF man made this clear in a vivid metaphor. "Once the people's parties were stable tankers, today nobody can stand long on their slippery command bridges," said the journalist. AKK did not find a stop.

“Today Journal” editorial director blames Merkel for the decline of the CDU

Gerhard Schröder had already committed the popular parties' failure to neglect their political margins . "As party leader and chancellor, he wanted to force his party left behind his agenda policy with a Basta command and when he didn't succeed, he let them go without compromise," Schmiese recalled. The conclusion: The SPD is halved today. And the situation at the CDU is currently not much better. This is also shown by a current survey *, which clarifies the consequences of the Thuringia debacle for the CDU (press reviews).

According to Schmiese, one of the reasons for the long-lasting crisis of the CDU is the Federal Chancellor. " Angela Merkel did not try to pay attention to the right edge of the CDU," criticizes the ZDF man. "As a refugee chancellor, she may have acted correctly, but as CDU chairwoman , she did serious damage. In doing so, it has caused the decline of its People's Party . ”Because a party had grown up to the right of the CDU that would topple the entire political system today.

While Wulf Schmiese goes hard on the court with Merkel in his commentary, an ARD commentator devoted himself to Ursula from the Leyens advisory affair * on Thursday. And his verdict on the former Federal Minister of Defense is bitter.

Referring to the events of 2015, CSU politician Horst Seehofer apparently also expressed serious concern recently. In an interview with a member of parliament, he warned of another refugee crisis.

Video: CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer withdraws

In an interview by SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans on Deutschlandfunk, one could also read that the political system in Germany is fluctuating *. He made statements that didn't do anything good for the GroKo.

Meanwhile, left-wing politician Bodo Ramelow took a verbal blow to the AfD in a TV talk with Sandra Maischberger. But Ramelow himself also had to ask critical questions - with her statements, Maischberger hit a sensitive nerve with Ramelow *.

"Today Journal" (ZDF): Schmiese warns of a pact between CDU and AfD

Schmiese emphatically warns of a pact or even a coalition between the CDU and AfD : "The CDU would give up if it coalized with these right-wing extremists or even made a pact," he said. And it happened in Thuringia at least for a short time last week. Experts are now also questioning that the events in the election in Thuringia were just a coincidence. The next developments will probably show whether the Thuringian electoral scandal is actually a card game *. Schmiese also emphasizes that simply banning a pact with the AfD would not be enough.

Angela Merkel described the union of values ​​as a cancer of the CDU. Find out what is behind this association here. *

“The popular parties themselves have to integrate marginal positions that are not anti-democratic. Otherwise the tanker will become a folding boat and the entire state could capsize, ”warns Schmiese. Then he ventures into a possible future scenario. "If Armin Laschet became party leader, which is not unlikely, he would need conservative support . Only if the CDU, as a party in the middle, can endure margins on the left and right, will it be able to remain the People's Party, ”the Today-Journal director is certain. And also emphasizes: "If not, it strengthens those who want to steer the country from the center to the edge."

At the #CDU, the decline of the popular parties continues, commented today-journal-editor-in-chief @wulfschmiese. Only if the CDU, as a party in the middle, can endure margins on the left and right, will it be able to remain a #public party. pic.twitter.com/ptn30gcnYA

By the way: AKK's resignation on Monday was also an issue for “Hart but fair”. * And the selection of the talk guests caused outrage there.

You can also read how leading politicians reacted to AKK's surprising resignation * at Merkur.de *. The race for AKK's successor has already started. Friedrich Merz and Armin Laschet * are among the favorites.

An ARD Tagtehmen comment refers to the surprising decision on Pope Francis' celibacy. The journalist Tilmann Kleinjung makes serious accusations to Francis.

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen Digital editors network.