The Power Transformer: A New Book on Hendrik Fust – Politics

He knows his plan will work, and calmly passes the time until his speech. The CDU members of the 1st district of Borken, who came to the “Am Erzengel” hotel in Bocholt this November evening, will soon elect him as their candidate for the state parliament. Then Hendrik Fust was almost at his destination. Winning the constituency should not be the biggest obstacle for any CDU politician in Münsterland. What follows: performance, applause, excitement. The candidate won more than an absolute majority, even though he had not previously been considered the favorite. But Foust took the necessary precautions and arranged arrangements so that there would be enough supporters in the hall – and nothing went wrong.

Nearly twenty years have passed since that scene, and the former candidate now sits in the Düsseldorf State Chancellery, governs Germany’s most populous federal state, and leads the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia. But is this enough for him? Or does Hendrik Fust have another plan? Just like in “Archangel”. Is he already in control of the next step, the Berlin move?

Wüst was average in school and in handball

Journalists Tobias Blasius (Funke Media Group) and Moritz Koper (Deutschlandfunk) investigate these questions. In 220 pages, they highlight the type of politician and person Wüst is. According to their own statements, they spoke to approximately 100 people about their book titled “Hendrik Wüst – The Power Converter” – friends, sponsors, experts – and one or two of Hendrik Wüst’s competitors.

The authors are experts on state politics in North Rhine-Westphalia – they succeed admirably in reconstructing Fust’s life as a politician step by step – a long life indeed, considering that Fust was not even fifty years old. The authors begin with Wüst’s youth: he goes to high school in Bocholt, where he is not a great student, and plays handball at TV Rhede – which is not great either. But at the age of fifteen he was already participating in the youth league. His political rise began there, where he formed early networks within the party. For example, in the so-called Einstein League, a four-person group consisting of Stefan Mabus, Markus Söder, Philipp Miesfelder, and West, who came together in 2007 to give the association a more conservative character.

The book also has its strengths in the few memorable moments in which it deals with Wüst’s private life: his mother died early of cancer. While Wüst – who had just stumbled upon the “Rent a Rüttgers” affair as general secretary – was coming to terms with this political defeat, his father died. Later, the authors describe one of the rare moments when the always controlled wretch’s emotions overwhelm him – and he cries in his office in the state parliament. Philipp Miesfelder, his friend and companion since his university days, has just died.

This is not the first book written by Blasius and Cooper about the politician. So the two have experience shedding light on those in power. They previously portrayed West’s predecessor who recently tried to become chancellor: Armin Laschet. They gave him the nickname: “The Strong Man.” This is appropriate for someone like Laschet-Armin of Aachen, who was perhaps ultimately too humanitarian to force his way into the chancellery.

Wüst belongs to a generation of politicians who handle things differently

Wüst is different, more calculating. As the authors note, he is emblematic of a generation of professional politicians who have come to understand that images and messages in the media community have long since become more important than “programmatic.” It’s hard to imagine that someone like Foust would stand up to give a speech in front of a mountain of rubbish. It doesn’t make such mistakes, so Blasius and Cooper prefer the comparison with the animal world, specifically with the Australian saltwater crocodile: “You hardly notice it hibernating at the water’s edge,” they write. But when predation presents itself, it reacts explosively.

Open detailed view

So back to the “Archangel” in Bocholt: the authors describe a young politician – ambitious, close to home, conservative, sociopolitical in the Junge Union – who does not waste time on intellectual thoughts, but gives the audience in the hall what they want, want to hear. (She obviously wanted to get home quickly that evening.) Who doesn’t like to leave anything to chance. “In his world, spontaneity is the charming translation of lack of planning,” Blasius and Cooper say. Instead, they describe Wüst as the type of politician who “sees politics primarily as a craft and develops his career in a measured manner with exemplary organization and sophistication.” For her, Fawcett is someone who is able to constantly reorganize himself programmatically – depending on the general political weather and the spirit of the age, who sheds his skin and adapts to “the changing commercial conditions of politics.” “Transducer”.

To realize this vision, the authors delved into the trials and tribulations of state politics in North Rhine-Westphalia. They tell exciting stories with great attention to detail. For the reader, this means that he must engage in the maneuvers of the Dusseldorf political bubble, which is not easy for everyone. And also because in places the book becomes the work of a kind of political connoisseur interested in occupying the positions of state secretaries in state ministries.

In the end, the question remains: Who is he in reality? How does he decide if he sits alone in the chancellery at night? Does he even want to go there? Blasius and Cooper try to get closer to the essence of Faust, which even some contemporary witnesses and comrades cannot describe. Ultimately, the answer to all these questions is known only by Wüst himself – he must “keep it to himself as long as possible.”