Election campaign start: “Stupid sayings”: Greens dish it out against competitors

The Greens are starting the election campaign with attacks against political competition: “Friedrich Merz is extremely good at describing problems,” said party leader Felix Banaszak about the Union’s candidate for chancellor at the start of the party’s election campaign in Lübeck. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is someone “who calmly marvels at the problems.” The Green Party’s top candidate Robert Habeck, on the other hand, solves it.

Habeck: Previous governments shared responsibility for the situation

Habeck himself, Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister in the outgoing government, criticized “the stupid sayings” that one hears from Bavaria on the day of the start of the traditional winter retreat of the CSU Bundestag members in the Upper Bavarian monastery of Seeon and criticized the record of previous CSU transport ministers. The current economic problems were also caused by previous governments. Like other speakers, he promoted the Greens as a party of responsibility and seriousness.

The Union’s plans for tax cuts are not counter-financed; there is a gap of 100 billion euros annually – “a single fib that they have put out there,” said Habeck. The Greens wanted to provide tax incentives for investments and stimulate growth; normal life had to become affordable again. The Greens wanted to respond to everyday concerns such as rising rents by saying that the rent cap was no longer extended was a “serious mistake”.

Despite all their differences, the parties in the political center must be aware that more unites them than separates them from the enemies of democracy. He cited Austria, where coalition talks between the conservative ÖVP, the social democratic SPÖ and the liberal Neos failed, as a warning example. With the right-wing FPÖ, the government mandate has now gone to “a party that is loyal to Russia”. “That shouldn’t have happened and it shouldn’t happen again in Germany.”

Baerbock criticizes Scholz’s reaction to Musk

The Green Party’s Federal Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, criticized Scholz’s reaction to verbal attacks from US billionaire Elon Musk. Scholz’s remark that one has to remain cool in such cases reminds her of the misjudgment that “Nord Stream 2 is also just an economic project.” Everyone makes mistakes occasionally, said Baerbock, “Making mistakes twice is negligent.”

Scholz had said: “We as Social Democrats have been used to rich media entrepreneurs having different opinions than the Social Democratic Party since the 19th century. That’s nothing new.” He told the magazine “Stern”: “You have to stay cool.” What is new, however, is the global reach of such entrepreneurs.

The German education system is unfair, said Baerbock, referring to studies that show that social background is an important factor in this country when it comes to school success. “Federalism cannot be an excuse,” she shouted into the hall.

Unusual for a party in which the “you” is the standard: the speakers in Lübeck were addressing their audience, so they clearly didn’t want to only address party members. The majority of the more than 1,500 people present, according to the party, apparently saw themselves as being on the side of the Greens and repeatedly interrupted the speeches with thunderous applause; only a small group repeatedly spoke up with critical interjections. According to their own statements, the Greens initially planned to have only 500 to 600 participants.

The Greens want to approve the draft of their election program entitled “Growing together” at a special party conference in Berlin at the end of the month. The federal election is on February 23rd.