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Sometimes the craziest things come together: Friedrich Merz, the potato theorem, a fuse. And suddenly the man is chancellor.
CDU chairman Friedrich Merz is usually quick to cause a stir. Whether with his use of the term “little pashas” or his complaints about migrants who are allegedly blocking doctor’s appointments across the country – Merz has already gotten himself into trouble in his fair share. He is also known to be easily irritable, and people like to talk about the Sauerland native as having a short fuse.
Nevertheless, the so-called potato theorem can be applied quite plausibly to Merz and his importance in the CDU. It is not entirely clear who actually invented the potato theorem. It is usually attributed to the author Rolf Breitenstein, who published a book with that title in 1974. If that work were actually the source, the potato theorem would be 50 years old this year. How fitting.
Eat what is on the table
What is it about? Friedrich Merz should know the potato theorem, after all he thinks he knows something about economics. Wikipedia explains that it is a “kind of modern farmer’s rule of economics”, according to which a need is sometimes satisfied that did not actually exist but was only created subsequently. In popular parlance it goes something like: Now the potatoes are here, so we’ll eat them. Hence the name of the theorem. Or, shorter and more concise: We eat what is on the table. And applied to the office: Now we have imposed the rule, so we apply it.
The same is true of Friedrich Merz’s candidacy for chancellor. There are other Union politicians who are doing much better in the personal polls than Merz, namely Markus Söder and Hendrik Wüst. Nevertheless, Merz will probably win the race as CDU chairman. Even Merz sceptics are now saying: now that he’s here, we’ll take him.
This is where the short fuse connects with the potato theorem. Because Merz becoming a candidate for chancellor logically means for others that they won’t. At least not for now. These aspirants must now secretly hope that Merz will soon make another faux pas, something that will upset everyone. A Laschet laugh, only as Merz nonsense. Then maybe they’ll get their chance after all.
Suddenly Merz is the epitome of calm
However, anyone who has seen Friedrich Merz’s two summer interviews on ARD and ZDF can only draw one conclusion for Hendrik Wüst and Markus Söder: forget it! In 2023, Merz got tangled up in a summer interview about working with the AfD. He almost left then. Nothing comparable this year.
On the contrary: In both interviews, Merz exuded incredible boredom from the start. Whether it’s care, rockets or the debt brake – the issue on which the CDU leader really commits himself does not seem to have been found yet. Merz’s formulations go something like this: We’ll see. We’ll find answers. And when it comes to the question of who is going to pay for all this nothing, he says: There are a variety of possibilities.
Friedrich Merz, suddenly the picture of calm. You have to remember this again: he was pushed out by Angela Merkel. He had already given up politics. It took him three attempts to become party chairman. But now the man for whom there was actually no longer any demand is working to ensure that voters in 2025 say: now he’s here, then…
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
