[ad_1]
As Politico reminds us, the floods have contributed to the rise of Germany’s biggest political stars.
For example, Helmut Schmidt, who died in 2015 at the age of 96, was also well known to Germans as chancellor. He became involved in politics in Hamburg in 1962 and played a major role in saving the city from destruction during a massive flood that killed more than 300 people.
Gerhard Schröder was already close to not being re-elected chancellor in 2002, but there was a rush to the finish line, which was helped by the floods in the east of the country. Mr. Schröder, accompanied by the operator, put on his rubber boots and embarked on a journey through the region.
Well, there is A. Laschet. At the moment, the floods in the Rhine basin, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of people over the course of their careers, are unlikely to give them a second respite; On the contrary, they can ruin your grades, which is not too high.
VIDEO: Germany devastated by floods: trees uprooted, cars and dead in basements
The public was outraged
A video appeared in Germany last weekend showing Laschet grinning from ear to ear and having fun joking around with his colleagues. A second plan of this type: in the first, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discusses the scale of the tragedy with journalists seriously.
Such a scene caused public outrage. One commenter on the internet probably described exactly what everyone felt: “This image is nauseating, you won’t say otherwise.”
Laschet soon apologized, saying that his laughter was “inappropriate” behavior. But the damage has already been done, even if you only see it more clearly in the rankings.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Laughing Armin Laschet (center)
The German political system is often praised abroad for focusing more on work than personalities. However, the country is already running an electoral campaign, and they are similar in all democracies: ratings depend on reputation and image.
Laschet will no doubt be asked why his government has not previously responded to warnings from scientists and engineers about the impending catastrophe and asked the population to evacuate.
Currently, the remaining wet place of A. Laschet as an authority. Of course, he did not laugh at the victims or their loved ones, but it is necessary to be able to show so much callousness at such a difficult time; many analysts say it will be difficult for the CDU chancellor candidate, and the so-called Teflon, to recover.
The man, whom Laschet hopes to replace, also poured salt on the wound. Merkel visited a city devastated by floods, passing Malu Dreyer, a Social Democratic leader in Rhineland-Palatinate. The most important thing is that the Chancellor did not smile.
Scanpix / AP Photo / Angela Merkel in a city devastated by floods
The most ironic thing is that empathy should theoretically be Laschet’s strength: he broke other candidates to become leader of the CDU, repeating to party members that he is not only “with the people”, but also a normal person.
Will the presented greens be saved?
It is true that not only the very botched and filmed moment is important right now, but also the fact that A. Laschet is the leader of the largest land in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. And this country was also severely affected by the rains and floods.
Scanpix / AP photo / Germany’s Rhine basin has been devastated by deadly floods
There is no doubt that Laschet will certainly receive questions about why his government has not previously responded to warnings from scientists and engineers about the impending catastrophe and has asked the population to evacuate.
And until you respond, Germans’ doubts about their ability to manage crises will not go away, especially as scientists sadly emphasize that there will be more such elements related to climate change in the future.
Of course, all is not lost. Laschet is indeed known for his perseverance and has become leaders of the CDU, although he does not really highlight anyone.
But what may help him, and the CDU as a whole, is the fact that the main competitors, the Greens, have recently come forward. In the spring, the party simply blew up the rankings, but now, for the first time since March, it promises to vote less than 20 percent in its favor. voters: 18 percent.
Such a fall is recorded shortly after one of the green leaders, Annalena Baerbock, received painful accusations of plagiarism, and data emerged that she embellished her resume.
Image / Scanpix nuotr./Annalena Baerbock
This, of course, is strange. After all, the deadly floods that science associates with human-induced global warming could become a stepping stone to success for the Greens. But it seems that this party will first have to convince the Germans that A. Baerbock is fit for the post of chancellor.
At least before the flood, the popularity of the CDU was close to 30 percent. – then A. Laschet is still the favorite to replace A. Merkel.
However, the victory of the Christian Democrats will be in vain. Even before the floods, polls showed that many CDU voters had won the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder – Laschet’s nomination behind the scenes with the agreement of CDU veterans.
“So even if Laschet becomes the new chancellor, he will start working without a strong mandate and with a goal on his back. Well, at least he can scoff at it,” writes Politico.
[ad_2]
