The CDU and CSU almost have to hope that the specter of the brisk left-wing course, which the Bundestag parliamentary group leader Ralf Brinkhaus painted on the wall at the JU Germany Day, will be brought to life in time by the future coalition partners in the federal government.
This would leave the two parties with an at least theoretical chance to save what can still be saved in the coming years: power in the countries. At least that is how it was after the formation of the really first (and so far only) left alliance in the federal government in 1998: the pendulum, which swung far to the left in the federal elections, moved faster in the subsequent state elections under the impression of all sorts of disagreements in Berlin back to the center, when many had either feared or hoped for after the end of the Kohl era.
But even if history were to repeat itself, even this faint hope could be deceiving.
Because the search for causes for the disastrous performance on September 26th at the weekend was largely the description of crisis symptoms and not the search for the causes themselves.
Most of the symptoms, such as the devastating performance among urban and young voters, did not just emerge openly three weeks ago, but have been known for a long time.
The same applies to the realization that in recent years many voters had decided in favor of the Union, not in spite of Merkel, but because of Merkel.
So the future of the Union hardly lies in presenting itself as an association of small and medium-sized enterprises, as do aspirants for Merkel's successor.
If the CDU and CSU want to be elected from Saarland to Bavaria in the coming years, then they should take seriously the warning from the old CDA driver Karl-Josef Laumann: Anyone who no longer knows the reality of life for people who have a “normal job” , don't be surprised if the political coordinate system really or supposedly shifts to the left.