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
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
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
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
es geht nur um politisches Kalkül = it’s all politically calculated/a matter of political expediency; minister takes a calculated punt
wie Umfragen die Meinung von politischen Parteien beeinflussen können = political parties always try to sway voters’ opinions; voters pull down standing of prime minister due to his sloppy/wrong handling of crisis/poor crisis management
laut einer Meinungsumfrage hat die Regierungspartei gute Karten, um die nächste Wahl zu gewinnen = the latest opinion poll has put/ left the government coalition in the driver's seat/driving box to remain in office/to win the election
die frischgewählte Regierung muss sich mit den Altlasten der vorherigen Regierungen auseinandersetzen = the newly-elected administration has to deal/grapple with the political legacy/lingering hangovers from the former regime
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
die Wähler haben sich nicht verfangen/überzeugen lassen/haben nicht angebissen = voters refused to be spruiked (AUS for persuaded)/ to take the bait
er setzt sich ein für einen Kandidaten aus seiner Heimat = he was spruiking (AUS) for the candidate from his hometown
