Robert Habeck as “Chancellor Babe” – cringe or clever? (Opinion)

The election campaign for the federal election is in full swing – the campaigns are in full swing offline and online. Now the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia are advertising in a video on Instagram with the “Chancellor Babe” Robert Habeck. The regional association had a young employee, who was just quickly touching her lips, explain on Instagram why Robert Habeck was of course the best candidate.

He is not only a “Chancellor Babe,” but also someone “who thinks beyond the wallpaper to the wall,” she says into the camera. If he’s not on the road for democracy, then he’s “Fangirl Number One” for his handball team in Flensburg.

What is this video about – is it completely terrible? Or tactically clever? In other words: cringe or clever?

Robert Habeck is sitting at the kitchen table, is in his “Chancellor Era” (based on Taylor Swift) and is now a “Chancellor Babe”. At least in the video with which the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia advertise their green candidate for chancellor on Instagram. There’s only one thing to say: Please stop it! That’s not helpful. And cringe. The strategy behind the regional association’s video is quickly understandable: the aim is to signal to young people that Habeck is modern, approachable and humorous.

Sure, it seems to fit, because Robert Habeck’s entire election campaign is based on the following narrative: The world is bad, it’s getting worse – and he’s the only one who says that, who addresses the problems. The problem: The pop culture lightening up makes his warnings a laughing stock. Even if Habeck is not in front of the camera in this video and the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia are responsible for it: not only do you not listen to a Kassandra in her chancellor era – it is also embarrassing.

It’s supposed to show that Habeck is the nice buddy next door (which in itself is cringeworthy: the man is 55 years old). The “Fangirl Number One” who wants to lead Germany out of the worst economic crisis of the post-war period. “One person, one word, one alliance” – does he mean NATO because he wants to spend 3.5 percent of economic output on defense?

Let’s be honest: who do the Greens actually want to screw over? Robert Habeck is not the approachable buddy next door. That’s a good thing – because the guy next door isn’t necessarily known for being able to solve the problems of the world’s third largest economy. If the Greens don’t take their own claims seriously, why should voters?

Robert Habeck as “Chancellor Babe” – why not? The democratic center parties are repeatedly accused of not reaching out to “young people” or even making an effort to reach them. Then they eagerly shoot Tiktok videos or Instagram Reels, and it’s not right either? Sure, there’s still room for improvement, as the annoying musical background alone shows.

But it goes without saying, election campaigns (and politics) are never just about content, it’s also about attention. The Greens haven’t done badly so far: Discussions have already included a wool sweater that Habeck showed up with on his “Kitchen Table” tour, a bracelet based on Taylor Swift (keyword: “Chancellor Era”), and an oversized Habeck -Projection on the Munich Siegestor (original sound Habeck: “It has a bit of a pirate feel to it”). One could sardonically remark: It’s better, because the Greens haven’t had particularly good experiences with substantive initiatives recently.

Even if you ignore the debacle surrounding a demand for insurance contributions on stock income, the Greens know that their content is currently not scoring too well. The campaign therefore relies on the “man” Robert Habeck. In other times, this would have been surprising for a party that abhors the cult of personality. But that could be a promising path.

Because perhaps that is a green advantage in this election campaign: that you have a candidate who can at least just be sold as a “babe”. I wouldn’t have said that a few weeks ago. But then two friends visited the Berlin Philharmonic, and a few rows away Habeck listened to the concert with bodyguards. “He’s so sexy, hahaha,” I read in our group chat afterwards. Would you have said that about Friedrich Merz or Olaf Scholz? I do not think so. But I’ll ask her again.