First Poll Since Barak’s Return Shows a Flat-line of Support

In the first major poll since former prime minister Ehud Barak announced his return to politics and intent to form a new party to run in the September 17th election, the man who holds the record for lasting in the office for the shortest amount of time is heading up a party that might not even reach the threshold for entry into the parliament. At the level of 3% the Channel 12 survey returned, Barak would have to return to the cannabis business and be content with growing his net worth. While Barak’s return generated talk of a number of other political retirees returning to the fray, what effect the poll will have on discouraging other re-cycled-wannabees will have remains to be seen. In the venerable Labor Party, retread Amir Peretz, who once held the position for a year without any measurable success, has been returned to the party chairmanship. He is best remembered for his tenure as defense minister in the Ehud Barak government fighting the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and the classic photo of Peretz unable to see through his binoculars which still had lens caps on. A frequent-flier between parties, Tzipi Livni, is rumored to be returning after having retired from politics when the party she named after herself was predicted to fail to reach the threshold. On the right, at least two retires reportedly plan to un-retire in order to take a shot at unseating Prime Minister Netanyahu.