Laschet, crisis manager in his own cause

Roman Deininger,Jens Schneider,Jana Stegemann 24 min. ago | The others make mistakes, he does nothing. That was the CDU leader's chancellor strategy. But the flood disaster mercilessly shows what Armin Laschet can do - and what he can't. The laughing stock: CDU leader Armin Laschet in Erftstadt. Not in the picture is German President Steinmeier, who has just promised help for the residents.© Provided by Der Bund The laughing stock: CDU leader Armin Laschet in Erftstadt. Not in the picture is German President Steinmeier, who is just promising help for the residents. Armin Laschet has just heard the stories of the people who lost everything in the floods, who were unable to save anything except their bare lives. They are now sitting with noodles and coffee in the refectory of the Ville-Gymnasium in Erftstadt, the place just outside Cologne that in future will be associated above all with the terrifying crater that has opened up here. The school is an emergency shelter, the prime minister is visiting, but slowly he has to leave. "All the best," Laschet calls, raising his right hand, thumb crossed. An older gentleman replies very seriously, "All the best to you, too!" That, it is certain, is what Armin Laschet can use. In the days after catastrophes of all kinds, the discussion begins at some point as to whether it is already permissible to talk about political consequences. The question is always answered in the affirmative sooner rather than later: One should not only be allowed, one must! After the floods in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, whose victims have not even all been recovered, this process has now been accelerated somewhat for reasons of circumstance; after all, a new Bundestag will be elected in two months. And of course no one - except a few ladies and gentlemen from the AfD - would deny that the devastation these days is related to climate change, which the parties are arguing about combating in a fitting manner. Candidate Laschet's strategy was not to budge more than necessary for one summer. But then the water came over North Rhine-Westphalia. All eyes are now on Armin Laschet, the CDU's candidate for chancellor, who can really only trip over his own feet on the way to power. Today, it takes much less imagination to imagine that this improbable case could actually happen than it did a few days ago. Then it was said: In order for the Greens to catch up with the CDU/CSU, which is losing ground in the polls, Laschet would have to start making serious mistakes - beginner's mistakes, such as those recently made by the beginner Annalena Baerbock. Compared to his Green opponent, however, Laschet, the head of government, is an experienced professional and, what is more, a man who has designed his entire election campaign to avoid mistakes. Science knows that grotto olms live in dark caves and do not move for up to seven years; for this very reason, not much else is known about them. Candidate Laschet's grotto-olm strategy was not to move more than necessary for one summer. He had every reason to believe that this would be enough to succeed Angela Merkel in the end. But then the water came over North Rhine-Westphalia. Still in the evening Laschet apologises for laughing Overnight, the forces of nature assigned Laschet a role that he was not made for, at least not in the classic sense: crisis manager. It is a role that - even if it sounds cynical - has often been a political gift for executives. In Laschet's case, there are now indications that it could become a burden. Since Saturday afternoon, there has been a huge amount of evidence in particular, a picture that is probably no longer a question of whether it will appear in all the annual reviews, but rather whether it will one day adorn book covers - as a turning point in the 2021 election campaign. However, it is still a long way off; at present, it primarily adorns the tweets of those who are outraged by party politics or otherwise. The photo, and of course there is a video to prove it, shows Laschet in the fire brigade control centre of the Erftstadt district of Liblar, which he is visiting together with the Federal President. The situation is catastrophic, the loss great - and Armin Laschet is laughing. While Frank-Walter Steinmeier stands in front of the microphones and speaks, Laschet can be seen a few metres behind him - laughing. It is not a grin, but a rather hearty laugh, a bit as if someone had made a good joke.