Journalist Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury," in which the author casts doubt on U.S. President Donald Trump's sanity and ability to lead, is another layer in a new and complex threat to modern Western democracy, coming from an unexpected direction.
At the heart of democracy lies the premise that all people are equal and that every citizen, regardless of his or her class, employment or education, has the basic right to choose their leaders. According to the rules of democracy, a minority may not impose its views on the majority, even if that minority is thoroughly convinced that it is the only group that is fit to rule and that it somehow has exclusive rights on common sense.
Keyboard warriors, frustrated politicians, delusional outcasts and street urchins are joining forces to delegitimize democratically elected leaderships.
In the U.S., their efforts are focused on slinging mud at the president, who defied their predictions and was democratically elected against their wishes. The liberal Left and its representatives in the media have been unable to make peace with the election results, ever since they were first made public, and they continue to make every effort to unseat the elected president.
This changes nothing, as Trump has, within one year, astoundingly succeeded in reviving the American economy, decreasing unemployment and restoring America's honor, which had terribly eroded during his predecessor's term. This madness bizarrely reached a fever pitch for me at one point when a senior representative on the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors tried to convince me that there was no real difference between Trump and Hitler.
It comes as no surprise that a similar effort to bypass the ballot box and unseat the elected government is currently underway in Israel. This is known as a "putsch." In Israel, this effort involves intense pressure on law enforcement to indict the prime minister on grave charges and mudslinging by former government officials with an ax to grind against the prime minister. The prime minister and his family are consequently being demonized.
All is fair in the battle to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There is no respect for his dignity. There is no presumption of innocence. The champions of "quality government" are attacking without shame.
I am convinced that the efforts both in the U.S. and in Israel will fail. Democracy is stronger than those who sow hate and try to destroy it.
