From underdog to predator

Andrej Babiš, Jaroslav Faltýnek and others sent a united message yesterday at ANO's congress: We are the strongest party in the country by a mile, despite the efforts by our rivals to use dirty tricks to bring us down. This isn't by any means a new message, but it comes as ANO finds itself in a new position. For the first time since Babiš took office as PM, he can probably rest assured that his 30% poll rating is safe. The tactics of the opposition aren't working, and it's not unreasonable to assume that they won't anytime soon. This is a double-edged sword for ANO. Babiš can now move to a more-offensive strategy and try to chip away at the positions of his rivals (esp. ODS), but this presents incalculable risks. Babiš has succeeded in part because the personal attacks of the opposition allowed him to keep playing the underdog. Once he loses this image, he risks being seen widely as exactly what his rivals have tried but failed to present him as: A predator who must be stopped.