CDU young star Philipp Amthor: “Merz really inspires”

interview

Mister Amthorwhere do we catch you right now?
In the car. On the way to the big conclusion of our regional conferences on the CDU basic program. But this time it’s a short journey: from the Reichstag to a Berlin hotel – and not to Chemnitz, Mainz or Hanover, where we were also traveling.

With how many of these CDU-Regional conferences have you been?
The conclusion in Berlin will be my fourth conference appearance. There was a good atmosphere everywhere.

You are a secret star at these meetings. They are mobbed by groupies and receive regular ovations. How do you explain that?
This is initially a very kind attribution from you, but of course our conferences had several ‘stars’ who thrilled full halls. In any case, I am pleased about the many positive reactions, photo requests and the wide spread of our optimism on social media.

The CDU has not had any uncomplicated years. Now, after the basic program process, is everything just back to normal?
We also used the process to address previous weaknesses. Friedrich Merz did not become party leader on a bed of roses, but rather took over the CDU in difficult waters – after probably the most unnecessary and self-inflicted election defeat in the CDU’s history. What you quickly forget: We didn’t lose in 2021 because Scholz and Baerbock were so great, but because we were no longer good enough. The CDU had neglected itself too much as a party due to everyday government. That’s why it was so important that we made our program intellectually satisfying again.

Please name the three most important points of the new program for members.
I could talk for hours about individual content, but above all I want to highlight our more self-confident political style as an important innovation. On many issues we were faced with a crossroads between conflict-avoiding soft-green self-adaptation or bourgeois self-assertion. And we have decided on self-assertion from the middle class – with clear German main sentences with subject, predicate, object. We were not guided by a supposed ability to connect with other parties, but rather by what we as the CDU think is right. There was a great longing for that.

Well, in 2005 the Union ran into a wall with an edgy approach – the Leipzig program ¬¬–.
We still won the elections back then and our country urgently needed such a reform agenda. Even today, the German party system urgently needs recognizable viewpoints and leadership qualities. We are dealing with serious social changes. The left-green coalition is ruling completely beyond the expectations of the majority population in Germany and the pressure from unspeakable populists is increasing. A strong CDU is needed to combat these undesirable developments.

Seriously: Can Friedrich Merz really be chancellor?
As a long-time supporter of Friedrich Merz, I am certainly biased when it comes to this question, but I don’t make a murder den out of my heart either: Merz can be chancellor – and he would certainly be a better chancellor than Olaf Scholz. His leadership skills could restore the federal government’s reputation at home and abroad. He was also able to convince many members of this at the regional conferences with intellectually brilliant speeches. He can inspire and he is the right person.

Every now and then he misses the mark with his approach to the clear edge.
The greatest strengths are often also the greatest weaknesses – this applies to all of us. If you are an inspiring speaker, you occasionally risk exaggerating things too much. On the other hand, if you always avoid controversy and stir up consensus sauce, you miss contours and attitude. Given these alternatives, I am grateful that Friedrich Merz relies on a more passionate policy.

What was the nice regional conference for you?
They were all good, but they all had their own points of view. Luckily we didn’t appear like a rehearsed troupe of actors with the same performance over and over again. Quite the opposite: We didn’t give sermons from the Prophet’s Mountain, but let the members set the pace and the topics.

Should this become a fixed format in the CDU?
In any case, the CDU is always well advised to listen to its members. That was just as true with the then overdue election of Friedrich Merz as chairman, as it is now with the new basic program. We didn’t set out to produce great comments in left-wing newspapers, but we listened to the party base. We have finally reached the heart of the CDU again in terms of program and personnel.

How romantic. What was the most beautiful moment for you?
Whenever there was cheering – that made me happy too.

We remember a specific moment. Carsten Linnemann, the Secretary General, said to you: Philipp, in 15 years you will be Chancellor.
That was of course overly gallant of him, but it also offered an opportunity for a quick-witted reply: In 15 years, a Federal Chancellor would no longer be faced with a backlog of reforms, because Friedrich Merz would certainly have solved all the problems by then. A little wink is always a good quality for politicians.

The tour is now over. Are you afraid of an emptiness, like a rock star after a series of performances?
God forbid! I see the successful ‘tour’ more as a ‘preliminary program’ for a successful election campaign for the hopefully imminent change of government. In this respect, there is still a lot to do for our metaphorical band.