TV column – The “heute-show” visits the East

Two reporters from the “heute-show” tour the countries where elections will soon be held. Michael Kretschmer is overwhelmed, Bodo Ramelow is funny and Oskar Lafontaine is worried about Sahra Wagenknecht.

Wherever you ask people on the street in the East, the media doesn't come off well. The worst anger is directed at the public broadcasters: “Mainstream”. “Predetermined opinions”. “In line with the rules”. “Fake news”. Many also prefer to stay in their own bubble and like to consume what they think they already know.

Kretschmer is confronted – and does not come out of it well

Now public TV in the East is striking back. And it's quite funny. Or bitter, if you look at the reactions to it. Lutz van der Horst and Fabian Köster from the “heute-show” have a good sense of how to offer outrageous things in a serious manner. But sometimes it's enough to work with a double bottom. Unfortunately, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer is not well prepared for this. He is shown election posters from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) and the AfD. The trick: the statements on them come from Kretschmer himself. Even “Cession of territory for peace” (Ukraine) or “Basic right to asylum limited!” or “Reduce asylum benefits!” Kretschmer squirms and then gets really grumpy. At the end he says: “I'll just accept that.”

Bodo Ramelow will probably have to pay more attention to garden gnomes in the future

Bodo Ramelow, Kretschmer's colleague as Prime Minister in Thuringia, does a lot better. When he is forced into an office of the employment agency, he plays along, and does so with complete self-irony. He is told that he will soon no longer have a job. What hobby does he have, for the future? “Garden gnomes,” he says. “You'll need hobbies, you know that!” says “agency clerk” Lutz van der Horst. He is now supposed to call in the next person, Thomas Kemmerich from the FDP. “Mr. Kemmerich, please!” he goes along. Humor is when you go along with it despite everything.

The Greens and the numbers: Unfortunately, little good comes out of it

The numbers are not fake. Only 17 percent of Germans live in eastern federal states. 43 percent of eastern Germans feel like second-class citizens. And in the west, people earn an average of 824 euros more a month than in the east. Tobias Lindner, the Green Minister of State in Ms Baerbock's office, looks stupid. He thought people earned the same amount in the east as in the west. Seriously? The Greens may not be so good with numbers. Green Party leader Ricarda Lang also believed that German pensioners received an average of 2,000 euros. In reality, it is about 500 euros less. Yes, seriously!

Armin Laschet can score points

Sometimes it gets nasty when politics meets reality. Which two ministers in the traffic light government came from the East? CDU man Armin Laschet, who is not in the government, can correctly name Klara Geywitz and Steffi Lemke. The Green Tobias Lindner then calls the Federal Minister for Construction Gleywitz. One L too many. And little knowledge.

Bad boys from ZDF: Oskar Lafontaine has to protect his Sahra Wagenknecht

It's also nice how Sahra Wagenknecht's 80-year-old husband wants to protect his wife. From the general journalists from public broadcasters. “Watch out, he's from the 'heute-show',” Oskar Lafontaine whispers to the BSW boss. She nods and says: “I know.” And quickly brushes off the bad guys from ZDF. “We're in a good mood ourselves at the moment,” she says. And then Mr. Lafontaine shouts that time is of the essence.