The Union could begin to tremble in the election campaign.
The FDP in particular should serve as a target - an idea that causes frowns.
And provokes harsh answers.
Berlin / Munich - Whether it is actually the "most embarrassing election campaign of recent times" before the federal election, which is approaching rapidly, as the Bundestag leftist Fabio de Masi tweeted on Saturday?
In any case, there has recently been a lot of criticism of the more personal than substantive chancellor fight between Armin Laschet (CDU) and Annalena Baerbock (Greens).
Despite warnings from experts, there is no end in sight to the hooking.
On the contrary: a new secondary theater of war seems to be opening up.
The protagonists are, of all things, the Union and the FDP - the black and yellow mixture that Laschet heads in North Rhine-Westphalia.
And which he and Liberal boss Christian Lindner had announced as a desired constellation early in the election year.
At the weekend the tone of voice worsened considerably.
Conservative camp in a new dispute?
After Söder, the CDU now also wants to target the FDP
The cause is not a completely new one: CSU boss Markus Söder has been warning conservative voters against second votes for the FDP for some time - because Söder would of course prefer to take them with him. According to a report by
Spiegel
, the CDU is now also turning in a similar direction. The party wants to "take a harder pace" soon, it says there. “Whoever votes for the FDP gets Baerbock” is a motto that is already circulating internally.
The background to the polls is the threat of difficult coalition arithmetic.
A traffic light from the Greens, FDP and SPD could become possible and open up an option of power beyond the Union.
Lindner had already ruled out this variant - even if not everyone in the party d'accord is on this point.
In any case, the Liberals went on the offensive on Saturday.
CDU suddenly in dispute with Lindner's FDP: "Advertisement for Finance Minister Habeck"
“There are already overlaps between the Union and the FDP,” tweeted the parliamentary manager of the Bundestag FDP, Marco Buschmann.
"But also a lot of differences," he added.
“One is methodical: We have the more concrete ideas and concepts!” - probably a swipe at the criticism of Laschet's election campaign, which was criticized as being rather poor in content.
In another tweet, Buschmann became even clearer.
“The Söder camp in the Union is already issuing latrine slogans against the FDP internally.
From his point of view, this is consistent.
Because, as is well known, he wants black and green, ”etched the FDP politician.
But it applies: "Every kick of the Union against the FDP is advertising for the finance minister Robert Habeck." The attack was approved, so to speak, from the highest level: Party leader Lindner shared both postings on his account.
"Merz sounds like Söder before he lost": FDP shoots against Union - CDU strategy raises questions
FDP general secretary Volker Wissing opened another barrel: he targeted the CDU old hopeful Friedrich Merz - and for his part seemed to be moving in the direction of the more progressive, green-closer camp.
"Merz talks like Markus Söder did until the CSU lost the state elections in Bavaria ...", Wissing teased, referring to a gender and migration scolding by the conservative for the Greens.
By the way, Wissing was a minister in Rhineland-Palatinate until May - in a traffic light coalition under Malu Dreyer (SPD).
Friedrich #Merz talks like Markus # Söder talked until the #CSU lost the state elections in Bavaria ... 🤷♂️ https://t.co/b7cgqaNTPF
- Volker Wissing (@Wissing) August 7, 2021
Incidentally, in his tweet, De Masi referred to the much scolded flood management Armin Laschet in North Rhine-Westphalia. "When the most embarrassing election campaign of recent times meets a flood and the needs of the people!" Was his full post. The left also regularly relies on the ongoing Hamburg committee of inquiry into the cum-ex scandal that happened there under the aegis of SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz (SPD). However, it does not seem to help: The left stumbled under their new leadership duo towards the five percent hurdle themselves.
The fact that a feud between the FDP and CDU would cause more than further disillusionment among voters is equally widely doubted. Der
Spiegel gave a
laconic verdict on this question: "Whether it makes sense to mess with the party with which Laschet likes to govern in Düsseldorf is another question." (
Fn
)