display

There has been a pandemic for a year and has been alarmed for just as long and explains SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach.

He is constantly on talk shows, expressing unpleasant realities and classifying research findings.

In the meantime, he was widely regarded as a fire alarm on two legs, which beeped constantly, even though there did not seem to be any fire.

But Lauterbach was right with his warnings, for example of a second wave, which he predicted in April.

And so the epidemiologist developed a trust, which now leads to this demand on Twitter under the hashtag #WirWollenKarl: Lauterbach should replace Jens Spahn (CDU) as health minister, according to the exaggerated wish.

For the Social Democrats, this is the height of a rollercoaster ride in terms of popularity during the pandemic.

And that although he never changed his strategy - explain, differentiate, communicate clearly.

The ups and downs of Lauterbach's standings show one thing above all: the massive loss of confidence in the government.

display

The more dissatisfied the citizens were with Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU);

with rapid test and vaccination strategy;

with a government that was too often one step behind the virus - the greater the frustration, the more the admiration for Lauterbach grew.

At least that much caveat must be among those who advocated his generally cautious approach to the crisis.

Lauterbach serves a longing in the population: for politicians with a clear course who trust the citizens to be able to deal with unpleasant realities.

They don't rumble, but explain how they come to assessments and decisions.

Those who seem to have such integrity that the thought that anything other than the well-being of Germany might be about to them seems absurd.

There are parallels to the image that Angela Merkel (CDU) cultivated for a long time in parts of the population.

But the Chancellor was far removed from the population in this crisis, explained too little, did not seem to trust her own citizens.

Perhaps most importantly, she missed expectations as a crisis manager.

There were never these expectations of Lauterbach.

He does not hold any government office.

Failures for which the SPD is responsible are not attributed to him.

That doesn't speak against him.

On the contrary: Perhaps Lauterbach should be given the opportunity to take into account its image.