ČSSD needs a pinch of Dominik Feri

If Václav Havel were alive today and put together another list of promising next-generation politicians for a "velvet exchange" of leaders, Dominik Feri of TOP 09 would no doubt be among them. Unlike the national politicians on the 1998 list (Vladimír Mlynář, Cyril Svoboda, Michal Lobkowicz, Martin Bursík, Stanislav Gross), Feri is merely a city councillor in Teplice, but he too has national ambitions. His success is largely thanks to his smile, wit, Afro and presence on social media. He told Deník that the real secret is the way he "gets his hands dirty" by visiting voters all over the country. It's absurd, he said, for ČSSD to prepare a Twitter campaign instead of setting off for Uherské Hradiště. In a sense, ČSSD has the opposite problem of Feri. He has very little to say in terms of policy but is able to attract a large audience for his cutesy messages. ČSSD has plenty to say (bank tax, foreign workers begone!, etc.) but has failed to find a tone that connects with voters.