In the iconic words of Kenny Rogers, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”
Benjamin Netanyahu would have done well to heed the country music classic. A brilliant leader for so long, he overstayed his welcome. He did cultivate successors, but when push came to shove, he didn’t allow any of them to take the reins. Quite the contrary, he alienated them, leading to the proliferation of political parties and increased voter splintering, resulting in the most bizarre coalition government in Israel history.
A danger of the parliamentary system is its lack of term limits, so leaders can overextend. I’m reminded of Margaret Thatcher, who finally gave way to John Major, but only after a humiliating vote of no confidence — which she won, but by too narrow a margin to continue claiming legitimacy.
I understand the impulse to stay. There is, of course, the base desire for power. But there can also be a lofty impulse, the desire to finish the work one started, or concern about leaving a country with a leader taking the country in the wrong direction, or even into existential danger.
Still, as Rogers says, “you have to know when to fold ‘em.” Be it democracy or despotism — a leader requires support to be effective. Fortunately, in democracies we have elections to ensure this, not coup d’etats.
Some of our Founding Fathers favored the lifetime appointment of presidents. Wiser heads prevailed, limiting the presidential term to four years, with an election required for an additional term.
Our earliest presidents set the precedent for two terms, a custom which was enshrined into the Constitution after Franklin Roosevelt’s unprecedented third and fourth terms. Americans realized the wisdom of circumscribing presidential power.
By not stepping away when the cracks began to appear — or at least starting to formulate an exit plan — Netanyahu arguably left the country in a weaker position than he should have. I worry about the stability of this new, jerry-rigged government.
Netanyahu played one round too many — and ultimately he lost his hand altogether.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
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