Kanzler ohne Rückhalt, die Pläne der AfD und das Ende des Internets, wie wir es kannten
August 28, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe episode opens with a striking statistic from the Survey Center on American Life: the percentage of people in the US who report having no close friends rose from 3% in 1990 to 12% in 2021. The time people invest in being together dropped by 20% between 2003 and 2023, and by 35% among young men. For the hosts, this is not just about phones replacing conversation. The deeper mechanism is that technology of convenience—ordering food instead of going to a restaurant, working from home instead of an office—eliminates the random encounters where friendships form. Making friends is an effort, and friction is being engineered out of life.
A Chancellor Without Backing
The political discussion begins with Friedrich Merz returning from a three-week summer break to immediate criticism. Green co-chair Felix Banaszak called his absence "brazenness, cowardice and ignorance." Miriam Meckel argues that a chancellor needs time to think and gather new momentum, especially when the government is being criticized for lacking a future vision. But the real problem is not the holiday itself—it is that Merz has no political capital left. Even among CDU supporters, over 50% are dissatisfied with him.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Holiday Recap and Casual Banter** - Hosts Sebastian Matthes and Miriam Meckel return from summer break, sharing vacation stories.
- 2 (11:35) **Chancellor Merz Under Fire After Summer Break** - Analysis of Friedrich Merz’s return to a turbulent political landscape.
- 3 (15:55) **Communication Failures and Internal Party Frustration** - Meckel critiques Merz’s divisive rhetoric and the growing unrest within the CDU.
- 4 (21:39) **Three Scenarios for Merz’s Future** - Matthes outlines the internal CDU discussions on how to proceed with the unpopular chancellor.
- 5 (26:05) **AfD’s Rise and Rhetoric in Saxony-Anhalt** - The hosts examine the AfD’s campaign ahead of the September 6 state election, where it polls at ~40%.
- 6 (29:50) **AfD’s Policy Platform: A "Germany of Yesterday"** - A detailed breakdown of the AfD’s election program for Saxony-Anhalt.
- 7 (37:16) **Education, Science, and Economic Contradictions** - The hosts dissect more AfD proposals and their inherent inconsistencies.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
„Ich spreche mit denen, die arbeiten“, sagte Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz, als er im nordrhein-westfälischen Hürtgenwald ausgebuht wurde. Publizistin und Professorin Miriam Meckel sagt, Merz liefere die falsche Botschaft in einer Zeit, „in der wir ohnehin verlernen, miteinander zu reden“.
Gleichzeitig liegt die AfD in Sachsen-Anhalt bei rund 40 Prozent. Spitzenkandidat Ulrich Siegmund verspricht, „das gute alte Deutschland“ zurückzubringen. Handelsblatt-Chefredakteur Sebastian Matthes sieht darin auch ein Versagen der etablierten Parteien, „eine Vision für die Zukunft zu entwickeln“.
Zum Schluss sprechen Meckel und Matthes über die Zukunft des Internets. Der Internetvermittler Cloudflare meldet, dass inzwischen mehr als die Hälfte der Anfragen von Maschinen statt von Menschen kommt. Was vom Internet, wie wir es kannten, noch bleibt, hören Sie in der aktuellen Folge.
Das Buch von Cory Doctorow (MCD x FSG): Enshittification
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Wenn Sie Anmerkungen, Fragen, Kritik oder Lob zu dieser Folge haben, schreiben Sie uns gern per E-Mail: [email protected]
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