Ha'aretz grandiosely declares that the anti-Olmert and Peretz rallies were "different from all other protests" because it involved "Israelis with different beliefs who came... to demonstrate". That would be nice for Ha'aretz, because it would mean that shallow leftism didn't disproportionately contribute to the situation that Israel finds itself in today. To pretend that toppling a government is apolitical is stupid - some parties and ideologies benefit more than others (which is why Peace Now, execrable as they are, was clearheaded enough to know that they should slam this supposedly apolitical rally because a change in government now would empower the right).

Ha'aretz shilled for Peretz repeatedly and shamelessly. They shilled for him by talking about how he had single-handedly reinvigorated Labor "for the first time in a long time". They shilled for the union friends that he catapulted to the top of the Labor list by writing that he had put together "a fresh [candidate] list of high quality".

People need to get it through their heads: fanciful ideology has real consequences. It's very nice to strike a pose about how you're willing to "take a chance" when you know - as so many liberals in the US seem to sense - that your "revolutionary" ideas have no chance of being implemented. That's why American professors can rail against capitalism and demand that the US cede sovereignty, while playing the stock market and relying on US embassies overseas. Because they know that their demands are impossible, and that no one will listen to them anyway.

Except get enough disaffected people all striking the same pose at the same time and inertia takes over. You end up with a union hack who becomes Defense Minister, loses a war, and should be resigning in disgrace. In their shallow leftism, Ha'aretz would like to pretend that everyone's in this together and that everyone is equally involved in creating the situation. That's not true.

References:
* ANALYSIS: May 3 rally stands apart in historical significance [Ha'aretz]
* Israeli Political Update - Ha'aretz Shills for Peretz Edition (Edition I) [MR]
* Israeli Political Roundup - The Far Left Loves Far Leftists Edition [MR]
* MR Political Roundup - 2006-01-19 [MR]
* Peace Now slams anti-Olmert rally [YNet]

Previously:
* Liberal Academic Middle East Experts Seem To Know Nothing About The Middle East
* National Council of Churches: Feel Good Liberalism Means Never Having to Worry about Consequences
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Academic Feminism Not Doing Much To Stop Teenage Girls From Being Lost In Pakistani Poker Games