person of the week
Oh, Scholz has a sense of humor
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the summer party of the SPD party newspaper “Vorwarts”
© Soeren Stache / DPA
On the one hand, Scholz’ injury hits him at a particularly unfavorable moment. On the other hand, injuries and blindfolds offer him the opportunity to present largely lost character traits in his public appearance.
There are spontaneous situations in politics in which the position-related unapproachability of top personnel suddenly breaks out. With The Germans experienced this in Angela Merkel’s first year in office, when she burst into enthusiastic goal celebrations in the stands after beating Poland 1-0 at the 2006 World Cup. In the relationship between the citizens and their relatively new chancellor, which was still marked by a skeptical distance on both sides, it was a first moment of emotional common ground.
© serienlicht / Imago Images
Very close
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This is how Scholz is doing now – albeit later and much more painfully – with his wound and the pirate armband. One of the chancellor’s abilities made a decisive contribution to this, which had repeatedly been criticized as extremely underdeveloped in the first year and a half of his term in office: communication. Instead of waiting for the inevitable snapshots of public appearances and thus giving up “message control”, Scholz and his advisors decided to take matters into their own hands.
In the foyer of the Chancellery, they had the Chancellor photographed in a casual pose with a blindfold and a slight grin. Then they published the picture, accompanied by an appeal in which the chancellor, half resigned, half encouraging, submitted to the inevitability of all-encompassing commentary.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with an eye patch, which he is wearing due to a sports injury
© Steffen Kugler/Federal Government/DPA
Ironically, Scholz’s often mask-like, often impenetrable face was given human-friendly features in this case, albeit with bloody scratches. Ironically, the chancellor, with his often automatic language, overcame the distance between the office and the citizens with just one picture and a few words. “Respect, Chancellor,” was the headline in the “Bild” newspaper.
Will Olaf Scholz use the new look at his person?
On the one hand, Scholz’ injury hits him at a particularly unfavorable moment. The polls for him and his coalition are in the basement, dissatisfaction in the country is great. The chancellor has to live with walking around with his face battered like his own political caricature. On the other hand, injury and blindfolds offer him the opportunity to present two character traits that have largely been lost in his public appearance: humor and self-mockery. On Monday evening at the festival of the SPD newspaper “Vorwarts”, he allowed himself to be examined on stage with a patient smile. On Tuesday, he opened his speech at the International Motor Show in Munich (IAA) with the words: “The weekend showed me once again personally: As nice as jogging is, for some routes it’s better to take the car.”
Will the new view of himself also benefit him as chancellor? On Wednesday, Scholz kept trying to get close to citizens, at least rhetorically, to promote his idea of a Germany Pact. It is no longer possible to explain to them why things are taking too long in Germany and why politicians are not taking action quickly and thoroughly enough. The state and its offers would have to work, and Scholz now wants to cooperate more closely with the federal states and municipalities.
It is an attempt in an awkward position. With his proposal, Scholz responds to the bad mood in the country, but also to the dwindling confidence in his chancellorship. The sympathy from the past few days could help him to slow down this decline. Then, contrary to current trends, it could even be the case that he gets off with a black eye in the federal elections – but then purely politically.