CDU: Friedrich Merz: Encouragement in the Cellar

Chancellor had not experienced such a pleasant appearance in a long time as he did in this Berlin cellar. Recently, they had almost hidden him, fearing public discontent. But on this Tuesday evening, everything was different. When Merz entered the cellar, he was met with long applause. "Thank you for the kind and warm welcome," Merz said. He doesn't often experience a hall full of young people giving him such a heartfelt reception. At the end, he stated the evening had motivated him and given him "a bit of strength" during "a damn not easy time."

It was a special event. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation hosted it at the "Deep Eventlocation" on former brewery grounds. The venue, described as an "underground pillar cathedral offering a spectacular ambiance for various events," promises that "everything can be realized in a symbiosis of modern table culture and unconventional atmosphere."

The Adenauer Foundation seemed determined to prove that "everything" is indeed possible there. Who else would have thought to organize an event with the 70-year-old Chancellor, marking the 150th birthday of Konrad Adenauer, in this trendy cellar?

According to the foundation, they invited "around 170 young people engaged in various fields and taking responsibility." This group included representatives from youth organizations, foundation scholarship holders, Bundeswehr youth officers, and apprentices from the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event's motto was "Your Future, Your Questions." While it referred to the guests' futures, everyone watched Merz, who is currently fighting for his own political future.

Here in the cellar, Merz doesn't need to be cautious

The audience made it easy for the Chancellor. Recent analysis after the state elections showed only five percent of young voters supported the CDU. In this Berlin cellar, the situation was the opposite. Judging by the applause, at most five percent were not CDU voters. An art installation hung on the cellar wall: a wooden crocodile in a glass case with an open mouth, captioned "watch out for the crocodiles." Outside this cellar, the Chancellor must indeed be cautious with every step. Not down here.

There were a couple of critical questions, and the Chancellor's answers were noteworthy. He highlighted the young CDU parliamentarians who rebelled last year over a pension package. He noted he had never seen such "impact" from the younger members of the parliamentary group before. While such actions shouldn't happen constantly to maintain governability, he pointed out that well-organized candidates for parliament can wield significant influence. His encouragement: "Just do it."

The vaulted cellar responded with applause. Some were surprised, remembering Merz's anger at the "pension rebels" during the Junge Union's Deutschlandtag. His response to whether he intends to push through the government's planned reforms despite significant resistance also drew attention.

Modestly: "I only have one vote out of 630"

"Yes, I want to implement these reforms," the Chancellor stated, immediately receiving applause. Asked if this was a promise, Merz replied, "Yes, it's a promise to make a serious attempt to achieve it." He added that he could do no more, as he "only has one vote out of 630 in the Bundestag."

It was a moment where one might wonder if Merz was truly downplaying his position. He was. "Yes, I am the Chancellor, but as soon as it leaves the cabinet, we are on the high seas of the German Bundestag," Merz continued, emphasizing the need for a majority of parliamentary members. "It will be a strenuous effort, but I want to achieve it."

The effort is compounded by the fact that public approval of his work has reached a record low. When a questioner in the cellar pointed this out, Merz admitted that a large part of the population had lost trust in politics and the federal government, turning to "simple solutions" from the far-right and far-left.

Resistance in the country and discontent within the CDU

The Chancellor also criticized the national mood. He contrasted public reactions to Germany winning the World Cup, where "people dance in the streets," with the despondency when the team doesn't advance past the group stage. "I'm from Sauerland, not the Rhineland," he admitted. However, he stressed that politics must "even more than in the past, name successes and convey to young people the confidence that we have all the chances. That is my message." This message was well-received that evening, though it was a rather simple, perhaps too simple, one.

Merz wrote in a guest commentary for the Rheinische Post on Konrad Adenauer's 150th birthday: "To learn from Adenauer means to follow the path you recognize as right, even if it is not always popular." But can Merz still follow his path, given the resistance in the country and discontent within the CDU?

While Merz was speaking in the cellar, news broke that the Chancellor had canceled his planned trip to the UN General Assembly in New York next week. The stated reason was his necessary presence in Berlin. This translates to the crisis within the CDU having escalated to a point where Merz must remain. The warm applause he received at the end of the evening in the Berlin cellar does not change this situation.