The CDU leader has expanded his power: Carsten Linnemann is the speaker of the party. He can talk, is angry and loud. is that alright
This Friday, the portraits of the new CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann were written: where the 45-year-old comes from (SME association, Paderborn, direct mandate), in which camp he is (that of Merz), what he wants (economic policy), what he can (program) what he is not (East German, social politician). The newcomer to Merz’s side also has a secret weapon that hardly anyone has talked about so far. And that’s what we’re talking about now.
Linnemann is a communication talent. And that is not only very rare in the CDU, it is in short supply across the party spectrum. This talent shows in good lines, clear language and an oratorical charisma. It’s talents who have a difficult time in Germany.
But ask yourself, inclined and possibly skeptical readers: when have you asked someone for their opinion on a politician and the first thing you got was a substantive statement? Or is it more of a value judgement, an expression of sympathy or dislike?
Linnemann’s body language is fireworks
So Linnemann steps in front of the cameras on Wednesday and introduces himself. Merz says that the CDU is the strongest force, the deposed Mario Czaja emphasizes the good teamwork and says that the tandem with Merz “strongly influenced” him – that sounds a little like a tire footprint, but it’s definitely meant very nicely.
When the camera pans to the new one, the comfort is over. Like Valery Legasov when he arrives at the open reactor core of Chernobyl, Linnemann appears as if he sees a gigantic accident that requires immediate action. Linnemann says four times when he will do what, namely “immediately”, “immediately”, “immediately” and “immediately”. Mario Czaja? Apparently missed the glowing fuel rods and the debris of graphite.
Linnemann’s body language is one big firework display. It’s a kaleidoscope of anger signals. He often looks to the side or diagonally at the ceiling, like a husband who has been cuckolded by his best friend and who, trembling with rage, confronts him: on the brink of violence, glowing with aggression that can only be contained by avoiding eye contact altogether , sometimes for long seconds, until he jerked his eyes back to the assembled capital city journalists.
There is movement and dynamism
His jaws paint, his gaze stings, eyes widen with excitement – it’s no coincidence that humans have white sclera, we’re designed to send such signals and our brains are designed to receive them. He pushes his jaw forward when his mouth is open. Do that too! How does that feel? angry, right?
Sometimes Linnemann shakes his shoulders like a boxer practicing liver hooks, for example when he talks about a “functioning rule of law,” which, for old-school conservatives, means law enforcement and a strong state. He weighs, swings and heaves at the desk so that the water in the glass jumps as if it were being kicked by a tyrannosaur.
Linnemann begins some sentences with a tight breath, as if expecting a blow to the stomach muscles. I recommend headphones: you can hear Linnemann’s Pressbreather. He presses his lips together, it’s the classic signal behavior of a bully in the village disco, which you learn to pay attention to in every self-defense course.
“They don’t tick right”
With this physical spectacle, Linnemann stands out from the phalanx of boring speakers, which is a big plus. While his CDU colleagues and above all Friedrich Merz usually lean on their desks like walking frames, the 45-year-old seems as if he would rip out the gray furniture at any time and throw it into the audience.
But Linnemann’s talent for communication is not limited to performance. He has what another great communicator in politics, Robert Habeck, recently lacked: empathy. His book titles also show this: Two of them, “They don’t tick properly after all” and “They do what they want anyway” are, interestingly enough, quotes that dissatisfied citizens suspect.
Linnemann thus thinks from the recipient’s perspective. I spend large parts of my consulting work teaching clients exactly this: communication begins with the receiver, not with the sender.
Is that populism? Not necessarily. Book number three, “Political Islam does not belong to Germany,” is admittedly a lousy trick. Not even the most left-wing Greens would claim the opposite – but the fear of foreign infiltration can of course be fired up nicely.
Linnemann could fail
But the finding remains: Linnemann can write good lines: he describes tax-free work for pensioners as “silver skilled workers”. He conjures up the search of the Germans for orientation. Linnemann has a feel for it.
And yet Linnemann could fail. Two scenarios are conceivable. When he performs, Linnemann comes across as a bit like the actor in an early evening series: strenuous, theatrical, you can tell that he wants to make an impression. His speeches are dominated by a moody tone. Even the professionally morose AfD sometimes tries to be funny and combative.
The new CDU general, on the other hand, sounds and seems constantly attacked, grim and completely humorless, there was never a smile to be seen, the lightness of being seems unbearable to him because of the sheer threat and recession pain, in short: Linnemann shows a mind like John Rambo with gunshot wound. In a duo with the angry and reactionary Friedrich Merz, the Alfred Tetzlaff of the CDU, this results in a mixture that the Germans may not want to place their trust in after all. Determination is good, tightness can quickly become unstable.
Ambitions on the CDU presidency?
Secondly, Linnemann could be too good. What distinguishes Linnemann from his boss: he looks modern. While Merz always sounds a bit stubborn and exudes the aroma of the fifties, Linnemann presents itself with a higher-faster-further gesture. Could he preside? This question will arise if the elections in Hesse, Bavaria and Europe turn out badly.
The AfD is at 22 percent. In this respect, I keep my fingers crossed for John Rambo – and hope that he learns to smile.