"Krone" commentary

Compassion

Dear Mr. Andreas Babler. I am about to write the worst thing you can write about a politician: I feel sorry for you. Terribly sorry, in fact.

Pity is a high form of empathy, an important glue that holds our society together, but for a politician it is poison. Poor Babler. Nobody votes for someone out of compassion.

They've been running, day and night, but not a marathon, but a traffic circle. The wrong topics, the wrong words, all at the wrong time. Talked a lot, said nothing. Your eyelids fluttered nervously every second during the discussion rounds, as if they wanted to flutter away with you. You wanted to build a firewall against the right, but it turned out to be a snail fence. The comrades were always behind you - the ideal strategic position for throwing choppers.

Babler was made big by the Vienna SPÖ. With their "Doskozil blocking doctrine", the comrades from the federal capital elevated the Traiskirchen mayor to the top of the once proud workers' party, although high-ranking functionaries had already said the previous year: "We won't get anywhere with him."

After the worst result in its history, what the Social Democrats need now is a complete new start. The starting signal for this must also come from the Vienna SPÖ. From Michael Ludwig.

If that doesn't happen: Then another round of pity.