Like Herzog, Miliband was unelectable
Op-ed: Did anyone who ever saw or heard Ed Miliband seriously believe that he was prime minister material? Did anyone who ever saw or heard Isaac Herzog seriously believe that he was either?
Minutes after the exit polls showed a shock victory for the British Conservatives on Thursday night, there were calls for Ed Miliband's brother, David, to return to save what was left of the country's Labour Party.
David Miliband, British foreign secretary under Gordon Brown and party heir apparent, had decamped to New York after his younger brother defeated him in the 2010 party leadership contest. Buoyed by the support of the unions, Ed had squeaked through to a surprise victory by a margin of just 1.3 percent.
Now, with the party in tatters after so many leading lights have lost their seats in parliament, some want him back, sorry that they had let him walk away. And rightly so.
Did anyone who ever saw or heard Ed Miliband seriously believe that he was prime minister material? Did anyone who ever saw or heard Isaac Herzog seriously believe that he was either?
Pitted against masters of the turn of phrase, professional tweakers of the truth and exuders of apparent honesty and devastating charisma, neither had a chance.
The die-hard voters are not the ones that have to be won over. The undecideds are. And they are not swayed by just policy. Both men tried to make their lack of personal appeal into a virtue.
Herzog even went so far as to produce a campaign video poking fun at his own rather high-pitched voice. What a disaster.
When it comes to imposing, he is a far cry from his father, who once took the entire United Nations General Assembly to task as he denounced those who denounced Zionism. Israelis live in a war zone, they need a figure of conviction, not mockery.
Similarly, "Awkward Ed" can boast no end of videos of him stammering, making frankly weird noises and, on more than one occasion, actually gurning. He even came close to falling off the stage after a grilling from the British electorate on the country's most prestigious interview program. Such gawkiness might endear him to teenage girls, but not to those looking for a leader.
David Cameron, by contrast, oozed conviction, swaying the voters who needed to be swayed; Benjamin Netanyahu alternately purred and thundered in his familiar baritone, impressive in Hebrew and English.
Both are statesmen, for good or for ill, swathed in self-assurance, absolutely secure in their own abilities.
If the left-wing in Israel and in the UK ever wants to reclaim the reins of power, it indeed has to do some soul-searching, as every other pundit has suggested.
But in both countries, it should start with a leader the people can believe in, that they actually want to follow into the future. Someone with star power, to win over the undecideds who ultimately decide.
Undoubtedly, both Herzog and Miliband are clever men, and dedicated to their respective causes, but let's leave the policy wonks behind the scenes, where they flourish and do the most good.
Please, no more Bujis and no more Eds.
