John Podhoretz, Commentary Magazine
In a democracy, a demonstration is an oxymoron—it’s a supposed show of force that is actually an expression of frustrated powerlessness.
"In America, Donald Trump continues to insist the 2020 election was stolen somehow, but perhaps he needn’t have bothered to make that preposterous and embarrassing argument. In Israel right now, we’re seeing a different way to handle losing an election and winning the post-election, one that is vastly more effective—and in its effectiveness, potentially more dangerous to the future good working order of democracy than the election denialism Trump practices and that liberals so revile.
"In November, the right won the election in Israel and then, upon assuming power in January, began to implement the policies on which it ran. At which point, some of the losers of the election took to the streets. Ever since, those in ideological agreement with the losers have expressed continual wonderment and pride at the fact that 8 or 9 percent of the population of the small country is out in the streets on a weekly basis. Yes, but more than 50 percent of the electorate in Israel voted the other way. Imagine if they took to the streets. But you can’t, because they won’t, because they shouldn’t have to. Democracies exist to make street action unnecessary. People go to the streets when they have no other way to express themselves—and what’s more, tragically, street action is almost always futile. And dangerous for those who undertake it, who show heroism by doing so.
"Democratic elections and the legislation that follows them are morally, politically, and practically better than street action because they have specific aims, specific goals, and have been legitimized through victory." . . .
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