The mighty habeck makes the greens quiver
As never before, Robert Habeck has expressed his views on a possible candidacy for the Greens' chancellor. He doesn't rule out the possibility, but first, he wants to clarify the "pathways" with his party and finds himself in an unexpectedly strong position.
After Annalena Baerbock's sensational resignation, Robert Habeck has spoken for the first time about the possibility of being the Greens' chancellor candidate. "I would like to take on the responsibility, take on the responsibility for Germany," Habeck says in the podcast of the magazine "Politico". And further: "For my party, for the project, for democracy, for the firm conviction, yes, the knowledge that only the shaping of the future makes the country future-proof - from climate technology to how we talk and speak to each other." In Habeck's language, this means: "Yes, I want to." However, Habeck also sets clear conditions for his party in the further conversation.
All public statements about a possible candidacy are delicate for Habeck. The party is at 11 percent in the RTL/ntv Trendbarometer and barely better in other polls. At the same time, the Greens face vehement rejection from many voters. Talking about a Green chancellor seems unrealistic. Titles like chancellor candidate are currently "irrelevant" and "the least important question," Habeck says. "I want us to build trust with each other, make an offer to the country, and go back to where we were in 2020, 2021 before we talk about titles and strategy." Habeck wants to become more fundamental with his party before it gets specific.
An Unpleasant Surprise
When Annalena Baerbock announced her withdrawal from a renewed candidacy during the NATO summit in Washington, it was initially a slap in the face for the party leadership. Time and place were not coordinated, and neither was the manner. Instead of being "bound by a chancellor candidacy," the foreign minister wanted to fully dedicate her strength to her current task in light of international crises, she said in a CNN interview. Unlike Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Minister of Economics Habeck, Baerbock's role is supposedly too important for a parallel Bundestag campaign? Her attempt at self-determination in the struggle with Habeck for the number one role raised questions and came at the wrong time for the rest of the Green leadership, which didn't want to talk about a chancellor candidacy yet.
But Baerbock's solo move instead of a later joint announcement could turn out to be a lucky break for Habeck: He is now the only somewhat promising candidate for the Greens. Especially on the left wing of the party, the realist Habeck has not only supporters. Now, the entire party must rally around him. They must woo him, not the other way around. This suits the 54-year-old from Flensburg, who has also often rubbed against the Greens and some left-wing positions. Now, he asks the party: Can we agree on a common path?
All must clarify, even now, my party, what we actually want," Habeck formulates on "Politico". He mentions the party in the tunnel vision of its so difficult governing role. "We must want to get out of it, we must then once raise our heads, see the horizon again and say: 'That's where we want to go' and say: 'That's our offer' and then we go and see how many will come with us." The party "will still have to talk a bit more about this," says Habeck. "And when we know exactly how we will do it, we will announce it."
The "bit" refers to a tight time horizon. The Greens will only discuss and pass their federal election program in the spring. Preparations for the program entered the hot phase in the fall, it is said from the party. However, the regular federal delegates' conference in Wiesbaden is already taking place in mid-November. This federal party conference could be Habeck's coronation party. Its choreography requires fine planning. Habeck and his comrades are already sounding out now whether all Greens will support the course of this candidate.
Habeck is horrified by individual statements and decisions that confirm the narrative of the patronizing ban party - whether actually or only seemingly. In the future, he wants to avoid verbal slip-ups as well as getting bogged down in symbolic politics like the car ban in Berlin's Friedrichstraße or the abolition of the bread button in Bremen. In both cities, the Greens have been severely punished for this. The party must listen to the people again and show willingness to correct itself, says Habeck in the podcast.
Habeck, the Substitute Player
" You're being substituted and it's four to nil against you," he uses a football metaphor to describe his possible rescue mission as chancellor candidate. "If you say 'Now I'm turning the game around!', then everyone must know their runs and that's very important." It's interesting that Habeck wants to clarify the "runs" of the others in the party beforehand. He would not be responsible for the current deficit of the Greens, because he has only been on the bench so far. But the handball fan Habeck might have just slipped with the metaphor. It wouldn't be the first time with him.
Programmatically, Habeck sees his party firmly in the middle, open to alliances in all directions, never extreme or exclusive. "Populism hates measure and reason and the middle," says Habeck about the attacks from left and right. And precisely for that reason, the Greens must stick to this course. His ideas for the path of his party match his vision for the country: gathering different actors behind a goal to lead the republic into the future with new majorities. "That's my idea of Germany and of society," Habeck gives insight into his possible chancellor program.
Another insight: He wants to do politics with more "joy", where you can also "laugh a bit". The dispute over the heating law was a "very difficult matter," says Habeck. "It cost me a lot of trust and there's nothing good about it." The Federal Minister of Economics clearly longs for more lightness in a political environment that constantly deals with personal attacks and often fights with hardball tactics.
Robert Habeck is no stranger to boxing gloves. When he compares the Greens' situation to a soccer game, he says, "It's not like now, and that's the difference from 2021, where you'd say, 'Oh, there's a field set up, please let me take the penalty kick. I just have to put it in.' In the recent federal election, the Greens were at least in line for 'a very good second place,' he says. It's known that Habeck wanted to take the penalty kick at the time, but he had to let the more popular Baerbock go first. Habeck also seemed to want to remind us who ultimately missed the shot.
In the midst of discussions about his potential candidacy, Robert Habeck expresses, "I'm not going to force anything on my party. We must all clarify what we want as a party," emphasizing the importance of consensus within the Greens. Amidst the tight timeframe for passing their federal election program, Habeck emphasizes the need for fine-tuned planning, stating, "We still have to talk a bit more about this, and when we know exactly how we will do it, we will announce it."
