A very interesting topic: Sigmar Gabriel has been appearing more and more with homestories in recent weeks – among others with a woman in child in Die Bunten, in Die Welt, in the ARD/ZDF Morgenmagazin. Is that calculation or coincidence (after all, elections are next year …)?
A great post by Daniel Bouhs:
https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/zapp/Neuer-Gabriel-in-der-Vaterrolle-zum-Imagewandel,gabriel562.html
Here is my entire, nearly 20-minute post:
My theses:
Gabriel stages his private life for political reasons. I am convinced that the presentation follows a strategy and is neatly planned. That’s clever, because he does it well.
The fact that a prominent politician highlights his role as a father is new. It fits in with today’s times and makes one extra trustworthy. And as one of the first “father politicians,” Gabriel also benefits from a role that is interesting – because it is new – for the media.
People today are disenchanted with politics. They are tired of the blah blah blah of the politicos. The feeling of knowing a person creates closeness. Proximity to citizens. After all, it is the politician who is elected rather than the party he or she represents.
His private messages are very well set. It shows a normal person who also misses his family. That’s more effective than glamorous self-promotion with a Brioni suit and Cohiba cigar for 30 euros a pop.
Basically, it is difficult – for politicians and business bosses – to open a door into the private sphere in a way that appears authentic. People can quickly tell if someone is just pandering or if it’s really genuine. And many have already burned their fingers with the presentation of their private lives.
Gabriel in the Bunte: you won’t find such a positive article in the politics section of a daily newspaper. This will benefit him. The portrayals in other homestories, in Die Welt or Morgenmagazin, also paint a positive picture.
With the open depiction of the father’s Nazi past, Gabriel “burns down” in a potentially critical media topic in a “controlled” manner. In this way, he avoids scandalization at a time that might be critical for him.
# # Christof Schramm # #