On the last day of January 2017, the current leader of PSD, who was then the prime minister, signed the famous Emergency Ordinance 13 (EO 13), aimed at saving Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the Social Democrats, from a possible prison sentence for the offense of „abuse of office”.
The issuance of the legislative act „in the dead of night” triggered, starting from that night, a series of long protests and marches that took place in Bucharest, as well as throughout the country. The epicenter of the anti-PSD movements was Victory Square, in front of the main Government headquarters.
Public pressure caused turmoil within the PSD ranks, the ordinance was withdrawn, and, a few months later, Dragnea dismissed his own protege, Grindeanu, through a vote of no confidence.
For many, it was and still is a wonder how an intermediary of a PSD leader, imprisoned for corruption, who compromised himself trying to save his boss, became the president of the Social Democrats after the biggest political crisis and the failure of the PSD in the 2024 and 2025 elections.
Looking at today's speeches and political activity, it seems that Sorin Grindeanu suffered a trauma nine years ago, when an entire country revolted against him and the folly of supporting the most shameful legislative act in post-December history of Romania - EO 13.
At the recent PSD summer school, which took place at the beginning of autumn to avoid disrupting the private plane trips of the leaders, we witnessed a speech by Sorin Grindeanu, in which he brought back the shameful, but especially catastrophic period for the PSD, during which he was prime minister.
Haunted by the beautiful and free youth
"I did not come here to tell you what to do. I will just tell you what I do not wish for you to do. I do not want you to be beautiful and free youth with lights on your phones. I do not want you to shout orders next to giraffes, mimicking freedom of thought," declared Sorin Grindeanu from the podium, in front of the young Social Democrats.
"I do not want you to insult your parents or grandparents just because they have a different political preference. And, above all, I would not want to see you full of hatred towards all those who do not share your views...," he added.
Like a person tormented by shame and guilt, in his speech, Sorin Grindeanu returned to the scene of the crime, the moment of EO 13, from which started the unstoppable decline of the PSD in Romanian politics.
In two sentences, the Social Democrat leader revived the entire smear campaign carried out at that time by the party led by Dragnea on subordinate TV stations, with the desperation and frustration of a political leadership seeking total control of Romania and stumbling upon a plastic giraffe.
For those who do not know, it is located at the entrance of the Antipa Museum, in the northwest of Victory Square, used as a meeting place by various protesters at the rallies in the years 2017-2018. The giraffe has become a symbol of the anti-PSD movement on social media.
Also, the reference to the beautiful and free youth, which has been mockingly abbreviated as TFL, intensively used by the PSD propaganda, comes from a series of admiring comments posted on social media by older individuals who did not participate in the protests but encouraged and supported them.
A large part of those who attended the marches and rallies were, naturally, younger people.
A new 2017
Bringing clichés from the PSD propaganda into the spotlight indicates a great distress on the part of Sorin Grindeanu, insecurity, and a lack of ideas. How can you inspire a group of party militants by resorting to a dubious and decade-old political arsenal?
But Sorin Grindeanu, besides the giraffe, had another brilliant idea, which materialized in a suburban attack on Ilie Bolojan's eyebrows, referring to the "monobrow interim".
In all his speeches so far, the PNL leader has not directly insulted or made innuendos about any other party representatives or the country's president. And this, regardless of the political affiliation, whether it was the PSD, AUR, or his own party, where he faces the "putschists' group".
After such a speech, it is hard not to wonder what plan Sorin Grindeanu has for Romania? How does he intend to govern? What is his strategy to obtain a majority? And if, in one way or another, out of fear that parliamentarians will have their terms shortened, he manages to obtain it, how will he avoid a new 2017?
Adrian Năstase's playbook
Grindeanu's speech at the summer school rather resembles that of a political suicide, a leader who, even if not realizing it, expresses reaching a limit: entering a zone where he no longer has ideas and solutions, and then exaggerated and aggressive behavior becomes the only weapon.
The obsession with Bolojan recalls another one held by the PSD in the period 2000-2004, with Traian Băsescu, who was then the mayor of Bucharest.
Using the exact same playbook of cheap jokes, insults, and personal attacks, Adrian Năstase and the entire party apparatus targeted the Capital's mayor for four years, seeing him as the main political enemy.
The outcome is known. Traian Băsescu became president and remained in power for a decade.
Why Sorin Grindeanu is using Năstase's strategy from 20 years ago, in a context where the PSD is much weaker, plagued by corruption, and with public support below 20%, is hard to explain, but the result will be the same, with much graver consequences for the Social Democrats.