Okay, not a fan of the Guy itself…but realistically speaking…what exactly was he, a representative supposed to do? Pray for the service technician to repair swiftly? Stand vigil in armor like a knight protecting the very populace that entrusted their vote in him? Surely, going on vacation on the day of crisis is a thing…but the press conference is usually the day after when some facts are gathered, he as politician can do like nothing, power loss of that scale is already priority 1 for all people involved, there is literally nothing he can do to speed up the process. Might as well relax before the coming storm of questions.
I think the real issue here is that he publicly lied about working continuously and tirelessly to remedy the situation, to the point of locking himself in in his office, while in fact, he was just playing tennis.
On the other hand, a politician at this level not being a blatant and unashamed liar would be more surprising than him actually being one.
That was my first thought, too. Like, they expect him to be up in a basket truck reconnecting transformers?
But then I read more about the guy, and it sounds like he’s a standard issue douchecanoe politician who doesn’t actually give a shit about Berlin. This is more about optics crystallizing the public perception, like Nero playing the fiddle, or Ted Cruz taking a vacation. The act itself isn’t the problem, it’s the message you’re sending to constituents about how little they matter.
Right. It’s the same as the chancellor slipping into his Wellington boots when there is a flood event. He looks around, listens to people telling him that there is water everywhere, then he says the government will do what they can to help.
He does not (and cannot) do anything to help anyone at that moment, at least more than is already happening, but pretending exactly that is part of the job. If the mayor does not want that part of the job, he’s not fit for it and should be doing something else. Like, coaching tennis or something.
He does not (and cannot) do anything to help anyone, but pretending is part of the job. If the mayor does not want that part of the job, he’s not fit for it and should be doing something else. Like, coaching tennis or something.
Actually, those PR visits are even counter productive, as those big wigs and their entourage require space and protection, so they’re tying up resources that would be more urgently needed elsewhere. In Spain the residents had the right idea when they chased away visiting political big wigs by pelting them with mud after that fatal flash flood last year.
Wegner, from the conservative Christian Democratic Union party of the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had told reporters on Sunday that he had been working round the clock to mitigate the impact of the blackout and get the power back on.
“I was neither bored nor putting my feet up, but was on the phone all day trying to coordinate and get as much information as possible,” he said,and had “ literally locked myself in my office at home ”.
Yeah, sorry. That’s enough for me. He’s a lying ass.
Also the F*ng disconnect.
Mamdani goes to the poorest folks and grassroots organisers etc. in person, and this guy thinks he can represent the people of the city when he never set foot in the reality most people live? He probably despises the poor anyway.
Better keep high level politicians away from disasters, they are only there for the PR, anyway. I don’t have an exact grasp of what Berlin’s disaster response law is like, but I assume that the responsibility for setting up and running a crisis staff would be with the affected district mayor, and on state level (Berlin is a city state after all), the immediate responsibility would be with the senator of the interior.
I’m wondering what a politician would bring to a PR visit at a power outage, the rubber boots customary for floods certainly aren’t going to work, maybe an extension cord?
Okay, not a fan of the Guy itself…but realistically speaking…what exactly was he, a representative supposed to do? Pray for the service technician to repair swiftly? Stand vigil in armor like a knight protecting the very populace that entrusted their vote in him? Surely, going on vacation on the day of crisis is a thing…but the press conference is usually the day after when some facts are gathered, he as politician can do like nothing, power loss of that scale is already priority 1 for all people involved, there is literally nothing he can do to speed up the process. Might as well relax before the coming storm of questions.
I think the real issue here is that he publicly lied about working continuously and tirelessly to remedy the situation, to the point of locking himself in in his office, while in fact, he was just playing tennis.
On the other hand, a politician at this level not being a blatant and unashamed liar would be more surprising than him actually being one.
That was my first thought, too. Like, they expect him to be up in a basket truck reconnecting transformers?
But then I read more about the guy, and it sounds like he’s a standard issue douchecanoe politician who doesn’t actually give a shit about Berlin. This is more about optics crystallizing the public perception, like Nero playing the fiddle, or Ted Cruz taking a vacation. The act itself isn’t the problem, it’s the message you’re sending to constituents about how little they matter.
Right. It’s the same as the chancellor slipping into his Wellington boots when there is a flood event. He looks around, listens to people telling him that there is water everywhere, then he says the government will do what they can to help.
He does not (and cannot) do anything to help anyone at that moment, at least more than is already happening, but pretending exactly that is part of the job. If the mayor does not want that part of the job, he’s not fit for it and should be doing something else. Like, coaching tennis or something.
Actually, those PR visits are even counter productive, as those big wigs and their entourage require space and protection, so they’re tying up resources that would be more urgently needed elsewhere. In Spain the residents had the right idea when they chased away visiting political big wigs by pelting them with mud after that fatal flash flood last year.
Leaving the country is a little different from playing tennis.
Oh I agree, and Ted Cruz is a piece of shit for a variety of reasons. I’m saying the events are analogous.
If they’re so different, they’re not quite analogous.
Are you sure you understand what an analogy is?
Not apples and oranges.
There are many ways in which apples and oranges can be compared in an analogy, even though they are very different.
Yeah, sorry. That’s enough for me. He’s a lying ass.
Also the F*ng disconnect.
Mamdani goes to the poorest folks and grassroots organisers etc. in person, and this guy thinks he can represent the people of the city when he never set foot in the reality most people live? He probably despises the poor anyway.
Better keep high level politicians away from disasters, they are only there for the PR, anyway. I don’t have an exact grasp of what Berlin’s disaster response law is like, but I assume that the responsibility for setting up and running a crisis staff would be with the affected district mayor, and on state level (Berlin is a city state after all), the immediate responsibility would be with the senator of the interior.
I’m wondering what a politician would bring to a PR visit at a power outage, the rubber boots customary for floods certainly aren’t going to work, maybe an extension cord?