Friedrich Merz: Is the Chancellor at the end? What nonsense!

The mood was bad. The Union had just fallen into a low of survey, below 30 percent. The Germans were deeply dissatisfied with the government. The new Chancellor seemed to fail with her leadership style before she had really started.

That was in November 2006. Angela Merkel had been head of a grand coalition for a year. At that time, not many had bet that this woman would survive more than a legislature. If any.

Does that sound familiar? It is the same sound that is now voted again. Friedrich Merz has been Chancellor of a black and red coalition for almost 100 days, and the surveys are bad for the Union. Above all, his leadership style is not well received.

Yes, there is reason for Merz. The fact that, contrary to his election promise, he impressed a billion -dollar debt package has disturbed many in his party. His lonely decision to initially no longer deliver weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza is an even greater imposition, because it stems at a core of Christian democratic identity, the commitment to the state of the state.

In addition, in our emotionalized media democracy, each of these decisions is dissected and evaluated directly in public space under large roar.

The impression can quickly arise that “the new one” simply cannot. And don’t the surveys show that he is losing people more and more?

In fact, Merz makes mistakes. He should have better denied and prepared such a massive intervention in the Union’s DNA as his Israel decision. Robert Habeck was similar in terms of heating law at the time.

It is only part of the nature of things that a new head of government also makes mistakes. That he has to find his role first. That he has to learn.

Anyone who believed that under Friedrich Merz in the CDU there was only peace, joy, pancakes, you also believe in Santa Claus. Or because of the fact that a marriage is over when there are disagreements or even arguments.

Even if the CDU has shrunk, it is still a popular party that combines various currents from liberal wings to arch conservatives. Conversely, this means that not all decisions of the Chancellor are equally well received by everyone, but will always cause contradiction and resistance to one or the other group.

It would only be critical for Merz if a majority of his party would turn against him and would no longer be willing to support him. This point is far from being reached in the CDU. And anyone who was allowed to study the psychological constitution of the Chancellor’s election association for longer can also have doubts that this point will ever be achieved.

Unless the voters would be lost. The Union only got started from the unsuccessful Armin Laschet after a failed Bundestag election. But by this test, Merz is expected to have almost four years.

Songs on Friedrich Merz may be interesting and entertaining. They may also feel correct. In this case, feelings are far from prophecies.

So it is worth looking at things soberly. Can Merz fail? Naturally! Has he already failed? Not! Rather, he does what he started: he leads. So exactly what so many of those who are now criticizing Merz have missed Olaf Scholz with its predecessor.

And thus back to Angela Merkel’s survey low in November 2006. Not even a year later, in July 2007, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” was striking: “Merkel’s fun summer”. Suddenly the Union was 40 percent in surveys, the Chancellor itself in popularity. Merkel “prevailed”, the commentators attested.

The gloomy forecasts for your chancellorship, the sagging of a failed? Snow from yesterday. At least until the next survey low.