Baerbock faces the audience: out of the climate protection corner?

Finally talking about content, Annalena Baerbock will have thought. She knows how to use critical questions in the ARD election arena for her cause. Only one topic was missing after all.

After all, it is the question of a tax auditor from Warendorf in Westphalia that really gets the green candidate for chancellor going. One hour of the electoral arena has already passed, and the final spurt is already approaching. Before that, Annalena Baerbock had always listened intently to nurses, a naturopath and social worker, often asked questions and answered with an effortlessly gripping tone – without any noticeable mistakes.

But now she seems to be right in her element: The auditor had asked how she wanted to finance her projects (“every time it’s billions”) and how entrepreneurs should have money left over for their wealth tax plans, including in their retirement provision invest. The question of how their political ideas are financed from the election programs are always the most delicate for all parties. Because there are maximum demands gathered, which cannot be offset down to the smallest detail.

Obviously, Baerbock is not unsettled by the question. This can be achieved through various elements, the wealth tax is only one of them, but of course business assets are exempt. In addition, they want to get more money into the coffers by combating tax fraud in the billions. The man is not yet convinced. “You shake your head a little,” says Baerbock to him – and does not let himself be deterred: “For me the point is: What is the alternative? We want to invest!” Climate protection, social justice and a better education and care system cost money.

The 40-year-old will be the first of the three candidates for the Chancellery at this year’s ARD election arena. There, questions of the audience are in the foreground, not the questions of the moderators as with the trials. The moderator team Andreas Czichowicz and Ellen Ehni have their hands full to do justice to the steadily growing need for questions from the Green politician. In front of the visitors, she can now play a side that her competitors Olaf Scholz and Armin Laschet do not have: She can keep saying “We have not governed for 16 years” – and so to virtually every question, every concern of her audience agree that this will become a priority policy task for the next federal government. Be it the reform of the statutory pension insurance, be it energy security.

In that sense, it is easier for her in this format. And yet there are also the more difficult questions: The red-green government in front of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship has left some things behind, such as the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Germany, says a viewer from Munich and asks how it feels about it. Baerbock simply ignores this in her answer – she does not seem to feel responsible for red-green under SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

She uses it for a foreign policy digression

She uses it more for a foreign policy digression that Germany will have to play a more active role there in the future – and of course talk to the Americans about withdrawing nuclear weapons from Europe. It clearly uses questions on non-traditionally green issues such as foreign policy or the economy to signal that the Greens 2.0 clearly want to get out of the pure climate protection corner and have a concept for every political problem in their pockets.

In doing so, she remains recognizable with herself and her audience, leaving it with a few attacks on the SPD or Union. She only mentions her opponents Scholz and Laschet by name once or twice. Once a little condescending when it comes to the Corona policy and a young woman from the Lübeck area asks about the 2-G rules: “It’s not enough to say, like Mr. Laschet, that there is no new lockdown – there the virus won’t listen “. Everything must now be done so that schools, daycare centers, art, culture and restaurants can stay open.

Hardly any attack mode, she stays with herself

It distinguishes itself most clearly from the ruling parties when it comes to the coal phase-out – in contrast to them, the Greens want to bring this forward by eight years to 2030. “The point is: if we don’t do anything more now, we won’t achieve the climate protection goals and we won’t renew the country with a view to industry.” One thinks she is relieved to see that these 73 minutes of broadcasting are only about political content.

There is no question about her résumé or missing sources in her book – which made the first phase of her candidacy very difficult. The spontaneous appearance is one of their strengths, it is said in their environment. In this respect, after the bad start phase and falling polls, the Greens in particular have high hopes for the discussion rounds with Baerbock, be it here or also in the upcoming trialles.

According to Annalena Baerbock, SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz will enter the electoral arena on Tuesday, September 7th – and Union candidate Armin Laschet on September 15th, also at 8.15 p.m. in the first.