Nothing comes from nothing, as the saying goes, even if the saying could have come from Markus Söder, but the two are quite familiar with each other. Söder’s ability to market himself has been described many times, for example the reinterpretation of the extremely insignificant post of Europe Minister to Bavarian Foreign Minister or all the iconic photos. Söder and the glacier, Söder and the tree, Söder and the pope.
And it worked, after all the man is prime minister. He probably wants to stay that way after nothing happened with the chancellor. But the survey values were already better, so apparently only the old nothing tactic helps, as a look at Söder’s appointment calendar shows: Opening of the Würzburg Spring Festival, start of the asparagus season, groundbreaking for a Norma logistics center in Gerolzhofen – otherwise there will only be a state secretary and only one , if it is his constituency.
But Söder doesn’t miss any potential voters, if you don’t come to the spring festival, you’ll get the mail. The prime minister sends 1,700 congratulations a day, that’s 635,000 letters a year for birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Meant nicely or motivated by electoral tactics? In any case, it is striking that Söder sends more than three times as many congratulations as all 15 other country heads combined, as the German Press Agency has researched.
Because Söder does not only congratulate from the 90th birthday, as is customary nationwide, but already on the 18th Wiegenfest. But that certainly has nothing to do with voting age. But then nothing comes until the 70th birthday and then congratulations follow every five years.
Söder caught the many potential voters from their twenties to retirement age on social media. Even those who are not interested in politics. Because Söder also sends subtle messages via cup (“Everything will be fine”) or communicates, not at all subtle, his food via #söderisst. So the world learns that the prime minister likes pistachio ice cream best, that he can’t decide between salad and platter and that there was “Giegerla” in the cabinet on Tuesday. And the reactions are at least as numerous as to a political statement. Nothing comes from nothing.