Overview

• Alexander Schweitzer says the SPD has become "too boring" and calls for a new style with fresh ideas and impulses.
• He argues that political emotion should not be ceded to Die Linke or the AfD and urges a compelling offer from the political center.
• Competent governing is not sufficient, he says, calling to "argue more with the heart, not only with the calculator."
• His goal is to win back former supporters by crafting a distinctive message that reaches and moves people rather than offering bureaucratic answers.
• The Rheinland-Pfalz minister-president and newly elected deputy SPD chair made the remarks to the Tagesspiegel as the party lags at 15 percent in recent polling.