Pessimism is spreading: Germany needs a jolt - for this Merz needs the courage to be emotional

The country has become despondent and complacent, a new Allensbach study shows. We Germans no longer want to make sacrifices. Chancellor Merz could change that – with just one speech.

Twenty-eight years ago, Germans were in a better mood and had faith in the future. Today, they are work-shy, risk-averse, and want a comfortable life—at least, that's what an interesting study suggests.

"Germans are hardly ready for painful reforms," ​​headlines the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing a survey. According to the survey, our fellow citizens would still agree with many of the statements in Roman Herzog's famous "Ruck speech." In it, the Federal President identified the need for reform, decried bureaucracy, and encouraged Germans to make efforts.

The speech was a hit: The Office of the Federal President received four thousand letters at the time, and the text was requested fifty thousand times. The Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research tested the statements from Herzog's speech in a survey and found widespread agreement. Now the institute has done the same, without identifying the origin of the statements.

Do we lack character?

How would Germans react to the "Ruck" speech today? In short: They want a "Ruck"—but perhaps they lack the character for it.

More and more Germans say they don't see life as a task, meaning they don't want to achieve anything so much as "enjoy life." They value a secure, prosperous life more than a life with great opportunities and risks.

Germans have also become more pessimistic: When the Ruck speech said that the best years were still ahead of us, 40 percent thought that was wrong back then; today the number is 58 percent.

Too many comfortable years

That doesn't mean a 'Ruck' speech can't work today. It means we haven't heard a 'Ruck' speech in a very long time. There have been too many comfortable years.

Since Herzog, no one has given a comparable speech. Federal presidents have even reduced the "Berlin Speeches" format established by Herzog to talk shows. In doing so, they fall into the mistaken belief that citizens primarily want to have their say.

That's wrong: Populists are so successful around the globe because they have leadership. People don't want to take the helm themselves—they want someone to take the helm for them, someone who pretends to know the course.

Moderation and voicelessness

In Germany, on the other hand, Angela Merkel moderated us for many years, followed by a completely voiceless Olaf Scholz. The Federal President was predominantly a man named Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who calmed the nation with a pastoral tone.

I've written here before: You can learn how to communicate from Argentine President Javier Milei. He managed to give the country a drastic cure that demanded a lot from the people. He was ridiculed – now he's getting top marks from economists.

Since Steinmeier is clearly unavailable for the move, Chancellor Friedrich Merz would likely have to take the microphone. What might that look like?

Logos, Ethos, Pathos

Rhetoric traditionally requires three elements: logos, the logical content, ethos, the credibility of character, and pathos, an emotional appeal.

Logos is rarely a problem, even in German speeches. The need for reform is obvious, we see the geopolitical pressures in the news every day, and demographic change is challenging social systems and drying up the labor market. Check that.

Ethos: Merz is considered a credible business person, at least compared to other chancellors and chancellor candidates. However, his closeness to business is currently being viewed as a flaw, especially by leftists. He should lean into this role: Blackrock and a business lawyer? So what?

Pathos: This is often lacking in German political speeches. There's too much fear of coming across as "too American" or, even worse, as demagogic or populist. For Merz, there's a graceful way forward, but one the Sauerland native has so far mostly avoided: his three children and seven grandchildren.

So far, he's largely kept them out of the conversation—but they're an important point of contact. Concern for children unites across political boundaries. Perhaps the comfortable Germans aren't aware that their own offspring pay the price for their comfort.

The right time for the "jerk"

This is where a fourth element of rhetoric comes into play: kairos: the art of picking up on the right moment, the right context, and the emotional state of the target audience. This must be meticulously developed.

Germans still agree with many of Ruck's speech today. Frustration over crumbling bridges, sluggish digitalization, and a sluggish economy is palpable, and concern about our healthcare system is growing. This is the same turf on which populism thrives.

Merz could deliver his version of a "blood, sweat, and tears" speech. But it's not enough to casually remark, with dry lips, that we "all" need to work more—that only causes outrage and fades away.

Take time and space

Merz needs to take his time and space when demanding sacrifices from his people. He would have to vividly describe, in detail, his concerns about Germany in ten, twenty, or thirty years. He could then outline his optimistic vision of how the country could turn things around: with fundamental reforms. An Agenda 2030, if necessary.

Sure, it would be a risk. It's traditionally a job for the Federal President. Currently, the political willingness to make tough decisions is low within the shaky coalition. Politics is succumbing to phlegm, as absurdities like the mothers' pension demonstrate.

But sitting things out won't lead to improvement. "Why can't we get the push right? Because we're all still waiting for it to happen!" Federal President Horst Köhler once said that. Today, however, we're not just waiting for the push—we're even waiting for the push speech.

But no one else will do that for us either.