Habeck, the nice incompetent: In the ARD talk show he can't find an answer to a simple question

FOCUS online Habeck, the nice incompetent: In the ARD talk show he can't find an answer to a simple question Josef Seitz • 56 million • 3 minutes reading time The Green candidate for chancellor Robert Habeck is a guest on Sandra Maischberger's ARD talk show. One of the news items of the day is: 54 percent of Germans find Robert Habeck "likable". Only 33 percent think he is "competent". In the evening, the nice incompetent from the opinion poll will appear on the "Maischberger" talk show. Does the public TV appearance make the Green candidate for chancellor a nicer incompetent or a more incompetent nicer? The ARD discussion finds a pretty clear answer. The candidate for chancellor dreams of a German Google Robert Habeck is in a stately manner: dark suit, green tie around his neck. This contrasts very nicely with the red and black that presenter Sandra Maischberger is wearing. Habeck brought some nice sentences with him, along with his tie, when the moderator asked him about the new US president and his inauguration. "We must act in a united and determined manner," is one of them. Or: "One lesson is that Europe must do more for peace." All of this is to be expected and well-behaved. Things get wilder when the 55-year-old talks about the influence of technology billionaires in the USA. He then demands: "The next Google must come from Germany or Europe." As a demand, this is entertaining. However, it is the current Minister of Economics of the Federal Republic of Germany who publicly dreams such dreams shortly before midnight. The question of whether he has done enough to achieve this during his term in office could lead to a rude awakening. Habeck avoids the concrete details In the dead of night, the viewer can rub his eyes: he is witnessing an Economics Minister who avoids figures. Moderator Sandra Maischberger asks him about his idea of ​​levying social security contributions on share or interest profits. It is remarkable how Robert Habeck tries to avoid concrete and tangible things. Then he begins to complain about the distribution of wealth in Germany. He speaks of the "super rich". It makes sense for them to get more involved. "Then we will find the way," says Habeck, "we will discuss the direction of the race." You can imagine that in concrete terms. There is someone standing in the starting blocks to become Chancellor of this country. And four and a half weeks before the planned starting shot, he first wants to find the way. And then calmly discuss whether he wants to run left or right, forward or backward. If we stick with the running image from sport: That doesn't sound like a gold medal. Nor silver or bronze. Habeck wants to clarify the details later. The moderator reacts with appropriate surprise. The dialogue is very entertaining and not very informative. "I would like to know if you have simply thought it through?" asks Maischberger. "There should be a solidarity compensation system," Habeck replies. Maischberger: "We'll clarify the details later?" Habeck: "That's right." The lack of facts does not affect the incumbent Minister of Economic Affairs and Green candidate for Chancellor in his attack on his political competitors. "The fact that the other colleagues are avoiding this question is just hot air." One can only hope that the bags are made of recycled material and are easily biodegradable. Apropos compost: Habeck also places the CDU candidate there politically - and with some malice in his poisoned praise: "Mr. Merz is good in the opposition role." And Trump? From very bad to rude The day after the American president's inauguration, world politics will be a topic alongside German politics. The ARD talk shows a sentence from 2020 about a speech by Donald Trump: "Only self-praise, ignorance, disrespect for everyone - it was the worst speech I've ever heard in my life," Habeck said at the time. And now, in 2025, during the inauguration speech? "He went one step further, it was a rude speech." The Green candidate for chancellor sees "a double danger" for Germany. The fact that this style interferes with our system is one. The other? "There is a seductive power, because they are successful." The 55-year-old writes "confidence" in capital letters on green posters. Habeck has four and a half weeks left until election Sunday on February 23. "I never claimed that I had a huge chance. The momentum is there - who knows, we'll see!"