Regardless of which of the two candidates won, both can know that because of their running, they have a broad democratic base of support that their counterparts in competing parties will never have • Interpretation

• Queues for the Likud primaries this morning // Photo: Oren Ben Hakun

To understand the deep meaning of the Likud's internal elections yesterday, one has to copy the gaze slightly to the left, for the publicist debate surrounding the left-wing lists. At the center of the discussion: who will fall apart, who will unite, who will run with whom and who is at the top. It is undisputed that for the parties to the left of white and blue - Meretz and the green movement in the Democratic camp, Labor Bridge - these are fateful decisions; They are indeed endangered species.

The discussion there is therefore necessary, but its products are nevertheless surprising. Opinion designers, including senior journalists, give advice on the compositions and "necessary" coping features: who should head, who will move to the next level, who will be forced to take his place and who should bring the outside. Everything is plentiful, but things are nonetheless determined, not often in a demanding, almost threatening tone.

The media became the regulating committee

The media functions as the regulating committee of the left lists, which is not surprising. The nickname "shofar" can be slammed in some of the right-wing journalists. But the media history of communication to politics (partly back and forth), and the style of interactions on social networks, suggest the symbiotic relationship between a particular journalist group and its kind of executive arm in politics - hence the boss tone. Blossoming The "What to Do" column is a method of publicity that requires friendly advice that you should not refuse, because "history will not forgive" those who do not follow the dictates of the opinion section.

As befits the fashionable moral panic, everyone there is trying to defend democracy, how not. But of course, in all this national emergency discourse, members of the left-wing parties are forgotten, whose votes - where public elections are held - have little meaning. It does not matter who chooses to head or in a realistic place, when a formula is finally found for list warfare, parachuting wheels and throwing away the weak squads. In any case, this discourse does not appeal to the general public and does not deal with the persuasion of left-wing parties, but rather formulates the expectations of the party leaders and makes clear demands regarding their next steps. It is a political culture that runs above the head of who used to be called the "friends". It is printed in the paper, but it is an internal discourse; Public flogging. The important things have to be cut on the road somewhere between Drucker and Barowitz, or between Abramowitz and Barak; God forbid, between Horizon branches and Herzliya, and the nation's buildings.

And in another, far-flung and ridiculous universe, yesterday two candidates competed publicly and openly for the voices of thousands of party members. From here on out they will be busy with what the Left likes to dismiss contempt for as "please the bass". I mean, to fulfill the commitments given to the public of their choice, namely to the people.

What will really be the end with the people; With this vocal populace, who insists on interfering in the process of determining its leaders; Demanding that things be cut in branches and not in newspaper systems; That the dialogue with his elected officials be conducted at conferences and not focus groups; And that his representatives' identities will be determined in his hands at the ballot box, and will not be honored in the presentations of a strategic adviser. It is good that at least on the other side of the block map does not bend over to the populist surge, and it is well understood that "it sounds awfully nice that 'the public decides', 'the people decide', but we have to protect democracy." I leave you to check who said who.

Wide support base

And after all, the public decided yesterday, and it doesn't just sound pretty; This is democracy in its most glorious and intriguing age. And it doesn't matter now which of the two candidates won, and whether the winner will lead his party to power or to the opposition. Both of them can know that because of their running, they have a "base," that is, a broad democratic base of support that their counterparts in competing parties will never be; Certainly not in the deep and full strata of the concept. Most importantly, each of the people who plunged themselves into the polls yesterday saved his Israeli democracy more than any of its protectors and guardians alike.