(Shinui leader Tommy) Lapid: Name of Sharon's new party resembles Mussolini slogan

Ha'aretz ^ | 24 November 2005 | Mazal Mualem and David Ratner

[anotherview]

Last update - 20:19 24/11/2005
Lapid: Name of Sharon's new party resembles Mussolini slogan
By Mazal Mualem and David Ratner, Haaretz Correspondents

Shinui Chairman Yosef Lapid said Thursday evening that had Prime Minister Ariel Sharon consulted with him, he would have urged him to change the name the latter chose for his new political party. Speaking at a Shinui council meeting, Lapid said that the name "Kadima" (Hebrew for forward) should be changed because it is similar to the Avanti slogan used by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

The Shinui members who met Thursday did not set a date for primaries that will determine the party's Knesset list, but it is likely that they will be held in early January.

Regarding his standing in the party, Lapid said, "Whoever calls me a dictator is a liar. Shinui council members are the ones who select the Knesset members." He went on to say that he is not just a "mandate contractor" that will not interfere in determining the party's Knesset list.

Lapid verbally attacked Labor and Kadima, saying, "All of the new parties are competing over who will be more populist and will give more to the poor, which means taking more from tax-paying citizens and increasing the burden on them."

According to Lapid, there is no need to believe the polls, which predict a major loss for Shinui in the upcoming elections, because they only reflect a passing enthusiasm for Amir Peretz's victory in the Labor primaries and Sharon leaving Likud, rather than "real political enthusiasm."

Lapid said that the public will soon understand "who really stands up for the secular, middle-class public." Lapid rejected proposals by fellow party-members to reduce the party's anti-ultra Orthodox campaign.

[anotherview]

It should be noted that the far left, including Ha'aretz, doesn't think much of Tommy Lapid or Shinui, and that bias shows in the tone of this article.

Lapid is right about one thing: the polls at this stage are meaningless. Counting out Likud or Shinui at this point is ridiculous. Don't assume the Prime Minister will win a third term, either. A lot can change in four months, particularly in an election with four major parties.

[anotherview]

Shinui campaign ping.

[APRPEH]

not that i am a conservative movement follower or anything but isnt Kadima the name of the youth organization for younger kids in the conservative movement? eeks, all those kids are Mussolini followers?

[Alouette]

Who's the fascist, Tommy? Tommy Lapid is the Israeli Michael Newdow.

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[adam_az]

"Who's the fascist, Tommy? Tommy Lapid is the Israeli Michael Newdow."

Not exactly.

On economics issues, he's right on. On many other things, he's a dumbass.

He's more like the US Libertarians than Michael Newdow who is a committed leftist.

[katya8]

Kadima is just fine, since Sharon is a fascist dictator himself.

[Alouette]

Tommy Lapid and Michael Newdow have one primary goal in common: they are both committed to causing as much pain as possible on the religious population.

[sagar]

Lets ban the word "forward"

[Alexander Rubin]

Yes, it is. I attended when I was younger.

[GSlob]

Well, Katya8 might have written her post with a big tongue in cheek, in which case it would not be a name-calling. At least one could choose to look at it in this [more charitable] light.