Friedrich Merz was able to quickly notice that a pithy competition against a verbal bodybuilder like Hans-Georg Maassen can hardly be won.
A week ago, the CDU chairman announced that Maassen would be considering leaving the party, but now the only request left is that he no longer sees the CDU as his political home.
But the former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution will hardly do this favor to the party.
After all, his daring provocations are above all an expression of an offended personality.
Wounded pride and vanity
And it is above all with this hurt that Maaßen fits in at the top of that private group of CDU supporters who describe themselves as conservative and, as a "union of values", are primarily out to recognize their own ignored vanities and injured pride.
Since it was founded seven years ago as a result of the refugee movement, the CDU leadership has refused to grant the union of values official status.
Even the Wolfgang Bosbachs and Christean Wagners did not succeed in climbing a recognized rank in the party in this way;
the last value union chairman Max Otte finally attached himself to the AfD.
Maassen will hardly get rid of the CDU in this way.
Maybe he could at least be ignored.