Let's get some facts straight here.

First of all it's only polls and there's a lot of panic and alarmism right now. I don't want to say the polls are not concerning, but we went from a global pandemic right into a European war and a looming economic crisis. Of course people are blaming the government for just about anything right now, they are extremely on the edge.

Before these events the AfD was in decline and it's being estimated that about half their self proclaimed voters are voting (or polling) for them rather out of protest than actual favor. So I'd really not treat these polls as election results. Not only because they are not, but because they are still two years away and the situation will likely be a lot different then. The situation seems to improve already, even thought we just took one huge economic hit after another.

A, imo, way more concerning development is happening within the CDU. They are not center-right anymore. Maybe in their policies, but not in their rhetoric. They have joind thr AfD in their populist demeanor in an attempt to claw back voters, with limited success so far. They are making baseless claims and they will use them to attack anything the government does. With this, they are normalizing the AfD's behavior and stirr up fear and panic alongside them.

They also start to position themselves in a way that will make it very hard for them to form coalitions in the future, because the behavior of their leading figures is very repulsive towards the left leaning parties. Meanwhile they also claim that they don't want to work with the AfD, or at least most of the CDU does, but this is called into question more and more. On the one hand because of the lack of alternatives (well, except one...), on the other because they mimic them to some degree.

I think what they do is very dangerous and destructive. (And I also think they could be more successful if they tried to be a more constructive opposition that points out actual flaws and maybe even helps to push through stuff they believe is good, but part of the coalition doesn't.)

It really seems like they are going for all or nothing. I really hope our current government doesn't fuck up, because I don't want to see the "nothing" end of the story. Currently my money is on them, but only because they actually do stuff and things seem to brighten a little.

On a side note, fuck the media for helping with the fearmongering. Stop capitalizing on panic you spineless cowards.

And here's the actual topic:

Fucking right-wing media making up the narratives that help bring votes for right-wing extremists, so they can report about the totally surprising rise in polls.

"That said, the primary driver of the AfD’s success is the same issue that has defined far-right parties across Europe for a generation: migration.

A dramatic surge in illegal immigration has accompanied the AfD’s rise, fueling concerns among many in the country that the governing class has completely lost control of Germany’s borders. [...] The rise, first reported by German daily Bild [...]"

So Politico, one publication by German Axel Springer SE known for lying and pushing a right-wing agenda constantly (if they aren't occupied with a smear campaign against the German Greens that is now ongoing 24/7 since summer 2021 when they started fearing their beloved conservatives will lose the government with too many votes going to other parties thus allowing other viable coalitions), is reporting about yet another imaginary immigration problem and their source is another Axel Springer SE publication BILD (and the worst of them on the same trash level of journalism as the british Sun).

PS: And for completion's sake and to show how it's a concerted effort to manipulate people. The same people triggered a week long report chain across all media about the Green crisis in German politics a few weeks ago and how that part of the government coalition is on an all time low (No wonder, with their rediculous politics trying to destroy Germany for some idiological goal *wink wink *) with their voters running away in droves while the AfD in opposition is constantly rising. In reality out of the parties in the government coalition the SPD has lost ~8% (from 25,7%, so about ⅓ of their voters), the FDP has lost ~4,5% (from 11,5%, so ~40% of their voters) and the Greens sit at ~-0,1% compared to the last election (that's far below the precision of the polling methods btw...).

One thing I think doesn't get mentioned enough is that the European far-right has pretty representative demographics, while the American equivalent is all old and/or uneducated people. They have completely different makeups and probably completely different sociology.

Whether that makes the European version a terrifyingly viable challenge to democracy or likely to merge into the mainstream right without drama is up for argument.