The CSU polls are below 30 percent, a historic low. And maybe the beginning of the CSU becoming normal. Because with such a result it would be nothing more than a perfectly normal party in Berlin.
If Armin Laschet were to save an old woman from a burning house now, the nagging would be there right away: Why did the candidate for chancellor let the cat in? Now, Markus Söder is the type who would not only bring his wife and cat to safety, but also tuck the television under his arm – but that is of no use to him; nor his personal popularity values, which are constantly referred to in the CSU leadership. And also not that Bavaria is certainly not governed terribly badly under his leadership, to use a bon mot from Friedrich Merz.
The CSU is fully captured by the negative trend of the Union, it too has the reputation of simply not doing anything right or at most managing a standstill. This is shown by a new poll on the federal election in Bavaria, in which the CSU falls to 29 percent. 29, a two in front of it! Historically unique. The choice has not yet been made, but the trends are solidifying.
Of course, Söder and his family will point their fingers at Laschet by election evening at the latest. It should be mentioned, however, that Munich’s part in the CDU boss’s image debacle cannot be denied. After Laschet’s freestyle, Söder emphasized that he would have been the candidate for the future-oriented. Say: Do not let it go. This image has stuck in many minds. It is clear that a union result as according to surveys and the measly Bavarian contribution to it would have consequences for the country, the change of government.
Such a performance would be even more resounding for the CSU itself – for its self-image, its role, its future. That is worlds away from the almost 50 percent second votes in the 2013 federal election. With less than 30 percent, the CSU would be a perfectly normal party. Its nimbus of being the last people’s party to remain in full glory would be gone; her sense of entitlement in Berlin when it comes to Bavarian issues seemed almost ridiculous.
This normalization of the CSU could only be the beginning. According to the survey, loyal CSU supporters want to vote differently for the first time. Once, that means: maybe more often, also for the state election? The inhibition threshold would disappear, as with the first cigarette in life: It takes courage first, it remains a strange taste. Soon it will be comfortable and will become a habit.