EIGENSCHAFTEN & CHARAKTER DER POLITIKER
ihr Ruf/sein Image ist angekratzt/ramponiert = her/his image/reputation is tattered/is in tatters/is on the rocks/is shot/has taken a hit, has crumbled; following her/his gross misconduct her/his reputation/image got deeply dented/hurt/tarnished; with his poor attitude her reputation was ripped to shreds; the MP/Congressman has been trying to grow out of/shake off his image as a ruthless politician; the senator’s extra-marital affair is a blight on his squeaky clean reputation/a blot on his copybook; her harsh/offensive words against religious minorities deeply clouded/marred/tainted/damaged/besmirched her image/reputation; politician is despised as a feckless figure
für manche Politiker ist die persönliche Verunglimpfung eine Art von Sucht/Zwang = making personal snipes is for certain politicians some sort of compulsion/obsession
mit verkehrten Entscheidungen verliert Politiker an Glaubwürdigkeit = politician’s poor decision-making rips his credibility to shreds
Politiker muss an seinem Image arbeiten = the MP/House rep. needs to beef up/to know how to milk/exploit his/her image a bit
diese Äußerungen sind nicht konform mit Parteiprinzipien = these remarks are inconsistent/don’t sit well with the values/principles we hold/espouse/cherish; his comments reflect private sentiments and not the party’s official view; his bigoted/appalling/biased comments were off base/out of line/out of step with the party’s high moral standards; when a politician oversteps the line the party leadership has to engage in damage control; the party leader had to tough out the uproar over his marital troubles; his comments were at odds with the party's stance
von unseren Führungskräften in Politik und Wirtschaft wird erwartet, dass sie in Bezug auf Verhalten und Verantwortlichkeit Maßstäbe setzen = our political and business leaders are expected to set standards in terms of behavior and accountability
manchmal packen Politiker die Moralkeule aus = sometimes politicians seem to be dripping with self-righteous sanctimony
das Vertrauen ist dahin = voters lost all confidence in the Congresswoman/MP after evidence showed she/he lied to the press; his misdeeds undid a lot of good work previously done
rücksichtslose Politiker gehen über Leichen = ruthless politicians run roughshod over anybody who stands in their way
Stadträte werden von Bürgermeister der Kleinstadt immer herumkommandiert = small-town mayor always tries to lord it over the city hall councilmen
manche Politiker wollen mit einem Machogehabe auffallen = politicians sometimes enjoy putting on a tough guy stance/façade
Politiker ist am Pranger = politician comes under attack/fire; the minister copped (AUS)/took a media mauling for his carry-on/conduct over the migration issue; minister's role in the financial affair is being questioned by the opposition
treue Anhänger scharen sich um den unter Druck geratenen Ex-Präsidenten = loyal supporters rally around/line up behind embattled former president
der Minister bleibt hartnäckig = the minister won’t back down/flinch on the issue
der ehemalige Kanzler hat ausgesorgt = the former PM is sitting pretty for the rest of his life
Politiker, die in die Privatwirtschaft wechseln, müssen eine einjährige Sperrzeit abwarten = a one-year cooling-off period applies when a politician moves to a job in the business sector
Politiker sind finanziell meistens gut abgesichert = politicians are usually well catered for
während seiner/ihrer Laufbahn erlebt ein Politiker viele Hochs aber auch einige Tiefs = during his/her career a politician experiences many peaks/honeymoon periods but also a few valleys and troughs
Wähler mögen labile/unberechenbare Politiker nicht = voters don’t like flaky/feeble/wobbly/unpredictable/feckle politicians
wenn es um wichtige persönliche Eigenschaften geht, schätzen die Wähler Stärke, starke Führungsqualitäten sowie einen selbstbewussten Redestil bei einem/r Präsidenten/in = when it comes to key personal attributes voters prize strength, strong leadership qualities and a confident speaking style in a president
es gibt einige unentschlossene Politiker = some politicians sit all too often on/straddle the fence/are perceived as being hesitant and dithering/waffling
sogenannte gesichtslose/unentschlossene Politiker fahren mit vielen Themen auf Sicht = so-called low profile/ultra-cautious/undecisive politicians pussyfoot/tiptoe around on many issues
junger MdB mischt die Politik in der Hauptstadt auf, kommt sehr gut an und kann sich gut durchsetzen = the junior MP is finally making waves/noise; he’s about to hit the big time and come through in the country’s capital as a consummate politician; he can cut in the big city
mit guten Argumenten muss man überzeugen können = you have to be assertive/persuasive if you want to make your intentions known
manche Politiker leben in einer Parallelwelt = some politicians live in an ivory castle/a realm divorced from reality; some politicicians are totally out-of-touch with reality/ideologically hide-bound
PM verurteilt das Verhalten des Außenministers = the prime minister damned the foreign minister’s conduct in the affair
Politiker müssen die Stimmung der Öffentlichkeit einschätzen können = politicians need to know/weigh how to tap into a public mood
manch ein Politiker versucht mit Unwahrheiten/Betrug durchzukommen = some politicians seem to thrive on/prosper by lies and deceit
manche Minister warten lieber ab, bevor sie eine Entscheidung treffen = a few ministers have a knack for staying above the fray/sitting on the fence/skating over an issue
Politiker sind unterschiedlich gestrickt = politicians/legislators are all cast in different moulds
Was bewegt/treibt ein Politiker um? = What keeps politicians busy? What makes a politician tick? What are politicians' key concerns/hot topics? What are the biggest/most severe challenges/realities a politician faces?; all main parties pledge to improve the economy, provide relief for the cost of living crisis, boost jobs, and improve health and education facilities, as well as housing
Politiker sollen klare Kante zeigen = don’t hesitate/be reluctant to stand up and be counted; MP’s sometimes are upfront and honest about political processes; yesterday the government laid it on the line when asked how it will combat corruption; in politics you have to stare down your foes/opponents; the opposition leader showed some backbone/ much-needed leadership; we should make a stand against higher taxes; always show great resolve/be more assertive when dealing with key issues; never be afraid of standing up to your values; during debates some politicians always strive to be on the front foot; he/she is a politician who stands up for what he/she believes is right
Was bewegt/treibt die Wähler/den Otto-Normal-Bürger um? = What are citizens’/voters’ main concerns/priorities?; voters care about/ are mainly troubled by /preoccupied with “the big/top issues” such as the economy and inflation, safety and security, health services and border security and refugee issues; in a way politicians’ attitudes and behavior (can be positive or negative) may also play an understated role when voters go to the polls
manche Politiker sind sehr gewieft/geschickt = some politicians are very adept at working both sides of the street; she is a canny/shrewd/ cunning politician
es gibt einige Politiker, die oft versuchen, aus einem Ereignis/einer Rede ihren eigenen politischen Nutzen zu ziehen = some politicians often try to score political points off an event/a speech
manche Politiker sind bodenständig sowie zuverlässig = some politicians are a safe pair of hands as well as reliable
charismatische Politiker meinen über alles erhaben zu sein = larger-than-life politicians/characters sometimes think they are untouchable; some politicians show too many signs of arrogance, complacency and hubris
junge Politiker strahlen Selbstbewusstsein aus = young politicians exude/ooze confidence/charm/self-esteem
junge Politiker sind forsch und rhetorisch sehr fit = young politicians are brash and outspoken
wer die politisch korrekte Sprache beherrscht, kann als opportunistisch bezeichnet werden = those who use politically correct language can be deemed/labeled as expedient/opportune
für manche Politiker ist alles eine Sache des politischen Kalküls = minister takes a calculated punt/calibrates his/her next move; it’s all politically calculated/a matter of political expediency
Finanzminister schneidet in Sachen Ehrlichkeit dürftig ab = the finance minister finishes last in the sincerity/authenticity sweepstakes
manche Politiker/Parteien kupfern erfolgreiche Ideen von anderen Parteien ab = some politicians love to take the credit for other people’s achievements; by claiming they do more for climate change than any other party the government stole the Green’s thunder; some politicians/parties co-opt certain ideas/policies from other parties
MdB schneidet sich eine Scheibe von der Koalitionspartei/einem respektierten Politiker ab = MP borrows page from his coalition partner’s playbook; she took a cue from/fed off his revered colleague’s speech and doubled down on the issue
langjähriger Parteivorsitzender ist bekannt für seinen hochgestochenen Redestil = veteran party leader has a reputation for grandstanding/self-grandiosity
sie ist rhetorisch gut/sehr redebegabt = she’s got the gift of the gab
kein Politiker ist vollkommen, sie haben auch ihre Launen und Macken = no politicians are perfect as they have their whims, quirks and biases; you have to accept politicians as they are, warts and all
der Präsident ist nicht kompetent genug/hat nicht das Zeug für den Job, denken manche Leute = some people think the president is not fit for office/lacks the competence to carry out the job
der Kandidat scheint für das Amt des Präsidenten/Premierministers eher/vollkommen ungeeignet zu sein = the candidate seems to be rather/wholly unfit to serve as president/prime minister
der Kanzler tut sich schwer = the prime minister is straining/struggling to stay in charge
Politiker räumt großen Fehler ein = politician admits (to)/acknowledges/concedes making a wrong call/catatrosphic blunder; the ministry has/have to mop up their huge financial planning mistake/mess/snafu/bungle
Ministerin startet eine Charmeoffensive = minister steps up her charm offensive/turns on the charm
Politiker sollen ihre Privatreisen nicht als Dienstreise tarnen = private travel by politicians shouldn’t pass off as official business
sehr lange wird man ihm nicht mehr die Stange halten können = party leader is still willing to cut inconsistent member some slack; party issues/warns bad performing MP to lift/raise his game or he’s gone; party member/official could be cast into the political wilderness if he doesn’t toe the line/keeps behaving erratically; PM won’t quit on rebellious minister yet
ein guter Politiker sollte wenig versprechen aber viel liefern, aber nicht umgekehrt = as a good MP you should always underpromise and overdeliver, but never the other way around, i.e. overpromise and underdeliver; a good politician should never show signs of complacency, hubris or arrogance
unehrliche Politiker sollten ihre eigenen Prinzipien in Frage stellen = dishonest politicians should question their own convictions
es schadet sicherlich nicht, wenn Politiker ihr Image aufbessern = it sure as hell helps when politicians affirm their character and burnish their reputation
auch Politiker sollen manchmal kleine Brötchen backen/demütig sein = sometimes even politicians should get off their the high horse/eat humble pie; good politicians should display character traits such as low-key manners, tolerance and humility, have a positive attitude/ demeanor, be hard workers besides always being keen on delivering; occasionally some politicians take their humility too far
wie australische Politiker mit der australischen Sprache umgehen = Australian pollies (it’s short for politicians, remember?) sometimes resort to making use of typical Aussie words/expressions (i.e. jingoistig clichés or platitudes) such as “”mateship”, “no-worries attitude”, “a bloke in the crowd” or “larrikin spirit” to fire up national pride
er setzt sich ein für einen Kandidaten aus seiner Heimat = he was spruiking (AUS) for the candidate from his hometown
