The backwrder: Why Friedrich Merz often does not keep his position

A journalist should not write off with himself. But at my age, if you have already thought about some politicians more and more thoughts from the already limited personal reservoir, you sometimes use a bond with yourself. And one thing I can say to my apology: Nobody fits the motive better than Friedrich Merz. He always makes the same mistake and just doesn’t learn about it.

In November 2024, I listed how often the candidate at the chancellor at the time first gave a research and relativized a few days later, wanted to mean it differently. It was about an admission stop for Syrians and Afghans, first tough, yes, then not, because of the constitution. It was about interaction by the CDU with the alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, first tough no, then in the countries. It was about the date of the new elections, which Merz only quickly asked for January 19, then, oh no, it doesn’t work, okay, February 23.

I actually thought at the time: After I had kept his impetuously in mind, Merz would be more careful. Typical hybris of a Berlin journalist. It got worse.

First, Merz played at the State Panel speaker and announced that he didn’t want to do anything with the AfD. Then he accepted that the rights procured the majority for an application. We don’t want to start again here from the debt brake swing or the taurus confusion.

Merz has a slope to the clear edge. This also has positive sides, at least as long as you think to know what he wants. Could you always say that from your predecessors?

But now, as the writer Wolf Haas always puts it in his Brenner novels, something has happened again. At first it was thought that Merz wanted to shorten the welfare state and could not be stopped by the allegation of the clearing, as he formulated it sounds. But then after two beer with Bärbel Bas, it was not about shortening. Even your own people are confused.

Another example? On August 18 in Washington, Merz seemed ready for “resolutions to mandate”. This means sending the Bundeswehr to Ukraine in the event of a case. Recently, it sounds that the Chancellor only wanted to participate with arms deliveries and financially, i.e. with the checkbook, as it was still called in 1990, when Helmut Kohl bought out from the USA to liberate Kuwaits in a similar way. That’s right, Merz has not really committed. But with a chancellor, the impression that he gives is already important. And that’s the way it is and then again.

With this back and forth, which the Americans call flip -ploping so beautifully, Merz brings himself into a predicament.

Those who rely on one announcement are irritated. And those who want the other doubt: Oh come, the Merz, in the end he does it differently. It wasn’t that bad with the opposition leader. But as a chancellor?

Merz is sometimes too fast. However, if you don’t know what applies more and more often, at some point people don’t care.