Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement at his office in Jerusalem January 23, 2013. REUTERS/Darren WhitesideIf an incumbent wins easy re-election but with reduced levels of support, is that a sign of public “rebuke”?
For American media, it depends on that incumbent’s political correctness. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cruised to re-election with his party winning nearly double the support of his closest rival. But most reports in the U.S. depicted his victory as a damaging setback because right wing parties control 4 fewer seats in Parliament.
The New York Times headline proclaimed “Israeli Voters Rebuke Netanyahu,” but when Barack Obama won with 4.5 million fewer popular votes, and 33 fewer electoral votes than four years ago, the prestige press hailed his sweeping victory and resounding mandate.
And for Obama, overall turnout fell sharply from 2008, while Israeli turnout reached its highest point in 14 years.
Bibi deserves credit for his own solid mandate.
The voter turnout in America is dismal because far too many of us are distracted by sports or reality shows or Dancing With the Stars. Even what we call our “extremely poor” don’t starve. Our relative affluence breeds complacency, which breeds tyranny. A population of sheep invites a government of wolves. There are far to few of us sheep dogs. Knowlege and respect for the Constitution is dying, and nobody seems to giver a s**t about it. Most who do care seem to inevitably be true Christians that actually believe in the Bible. Perhaps that’s because we sense that we’ll be the “Jews sent to camps” this time around. God help us.