Helmut Markwort's diary: The television duel with Höcke was a complete embarrassment for a party
A few days ago, Mario Voigt, from the CDU, and Björn Höcke, a man from the AfD, fought a highly publicized television duel. Regardless of the content of the argument, there are two winners and one loser.
the one who has one
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Monday
There is debate on the Internet about the rating of the television duel between Mario Voigt (CDU) and Björn Höcke (AfD). Supporters on both sides see their candidate as the most successful speaker. Regardless of the content of the argument, there are two winners and one disgraced loser. Mario Voigt won because now everyone knows him.
With his initiative for the television show he has made a name for himself in Thuringia. Voigt has entered the previous duel between the “communist” Bodo Ramelow and the “Nazi” Höcke as a conservative rival. This move was successful.
The second winner is “Welt TV”. The small private station broadcast the 73-minute election campaign and achieved more than a million viewers for the first time in its history. This million is the result of conventional measurement methods.
This does not include those who watched the event via the Internet because they could not find “Welt TV” on their television. Part of the success of the Springer channel lies in the fact that many large stations took over excerpts. The big loser of the event is the SPD. The Social Democrats failed miserably in their attempt to keep their followers and the entire Thuringian public away from the television duel.
They put up a big sign with the recommendation to stream a Hollywood movie right now. They also didn't have much success with a television tip. They announced “Germany's next top model” by Heidi Klum. Meanwhile, the SPD had to learn that Thuringians are more interested in the pros and cons of parties. Also for the positions of the AfD.
You can find Helmut Markwort's column every Friday in FOCUS magazine.
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The Twelve and five An analysis of the Middle East conflict
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Salman Rushdie The first novel since his assassination attempt. An expert
Tuesday
Wolfgang Schäuble can no longer enjoy this triumph: the biography published after his death climbs the bestseller lists. Schäuble wrote it on his last day at work. It has become an exciting and honest book.
I feel like your daughter Christine. When I read the stories I listen to her tone. As befits a book of this type, it also has an index. In the book it can be said that Helmut Kohl is, by far, the most mentioned. He has a good 540 mentions and is ahead of Angela Merkel, who appears about 160 times.
I noticed a statement on page 359 about the delicate relationship between Schäuble and his eternal boss Kohl, which the loyal Schäuble suppressed during his lifetime. Some will remember that his younger brother Thomas, then CDU Interior Minister in Baden-Württemberg, gave a surprising interview in 2000. Thomas Schäuble then said about the former chancellor: “I detest Mr. Kohl and I can speak for the entire family “.
His brother suffers because not everything was meritorious in the 16 years of Helmut Kohl's government. Thomas Schäuble describes how he was “tricked” when he wanted to inform the Chancellor about the assassination attempt on behalf of his sister-in-law.
Wolfgang Schäuble did not comment on the interview at the time. Now, in the book, he praises it. Thomas's “brotherly bond” and his undisguised support especially touched him.
FOCUS' founding editor-in-chief Helmut Markwort was an FDP member of the Bavarian state parliament from 2018 to 2023.