Hamas War

Friday, January 17, 2020

Politics: Sometimes You Have to Hold Your Nose...

I had a talk with a neighbor at the makolet* last night about it**. We both felt that in the world of politics/compromise/deals, Otzma is useless. Sometimes you have to hold your nose and vote either Likud or Yamina or whatever they're calling themselves this time round.
* local supermarket
**upcoming Israeli Elections


This is a popular version of what Otto von Bismarck had said:
"Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best."
In Israel, more than in some other countries, the meaning of this slogan is 1,000% accurate.

The Israeli Political System does not include direct voting for the Prime Minister, executive branch of government. Actually we don't vote for individuals at all. We vote for a list of potential Knesset Members, and the head (#1) of the list succeeds in crafting/negotiating a ruling majority, minimally sixty-one 61 out of the one hundred and twenty 120 MKs becomes Prime Minister.

This isn't a simple process. I guess we should be grateful that for the first seventy 70 years of statehood, we never needed a "redo" election. Now we're about to try a third time, and the polls again predict a standoff, unless elected MKs break ranks and follow Bismark's suggestion. Neither side has to luxury of uncompromising principles.

We must choose to vote for a political party that has a serious platform for the security and betterment of the State of Israel. Politics isn't supposed to be a personality game. That's why those who decided on our political system decided against direct elections for Prime Minister.

Gd willing, in our next Knesset Elections, the voting citizens of the State of Israel will choose wisely, even if it necessitates going against uncompromising idealism.

2 comments:

rutimizrachi said...

Well said. I wish I could follow my ideals when voting... but we live in far from ideal times. There is much wisdom in your words. A government's main function -- indeed, some would say its only function -- is to protect and defend its citizenry. May we choose wisely... Alternatively, God could just send Mashiach. But until He makes that decision, we have to do the best we can.

Batya said...

Thanks
Remember that we're not Gd's puppets. We will make the Redemption.