I spent a couple of hours today filming for PJTV at the Westin Hotel on Century Blvd near LAX where the Islamic Republic of Islamic of Iran had set up a polling place for its presidential election. I was joined by frequent Pajamas commentator Iranian filmmaker Ardeshir Arian. You can see the voting (and protests) at the Westin here and Ardy’s updates on the election, as of approximately four PM PDT, here.
As of now, both sides are claiming victory and, Ardy tells me (he reads the Iranian websites, those not being blocked at least), the police commissioner in charge of public security has decreed no public demonstrations in support of any candidate on the streets of Tehran Saturday. Mousavi, the putative reformer, is insisting he has thirty million votes. Apparently that represents something in the vicinity of 65% of the electorate. If that’s true and Supreme LEader Khamenei still insists on keeping his boy Ahmadinejad in office, then the conditions are rife for something approaching civil war. Or an even worse police state. Who knows what will transpire? The mullahs clearly are nervous. They closed the polls early in numerous places because too many were voting for Mousavi. (In the last election they kept them open extra long to garner votes for Ahmadinejad.) Moreover, they banned the wearing of colors, any colors, at the polling places. Again according to Ardeshir, the mullahs were afraid too many would be seen wearing green, the color associated with the reform movement.
In other news, Ayatollah Rafsanjani – a key player for decades in Iranian politics and supposedly something of a pragmatist; he supports Mousavi – has mysteriously disappeared from view. Two of Mousavi’s important advisors were briefly arrested and there are reports of grenades going off in his headquarters. Truth or rumor? A shot being fired across the bow of a potential revolution. I certainly don’t know.
I also don’t know what to make of Mousavi. Probably not much. A former prime minister, he was a devout follower of Khomeini and in office in the early eighties for the founding of Hezbollah. Next exactly a reform kind of guy in the traditional sense. His younger followers may be different, however. Iran isn’t exactly the kind of place where you have a wide selection of attractive candidates. Youthful idealism has to go somewhere and Mousavi is said to have changed to some extent. Color me skeptical.
I was also skeptical of the voters going in and out of the Westin. Mostly they were well-heeled types and I had a suspicion that their votes were being bought one way or another. Of all the voters I interviewed, two said the were voting for Ahmadinejad (one on film) and the others would not say anything at all. But only a mile from LAX, those voters, many of them tooling out of the hotel parking structure in Mercedes and Beemers, did not look particularly interested in reform. They say Ahmadinejad is the candidate of the poor. That may be. But he is also the candidate of entrenched power.
UPDATE: Amir Taheri is certainly not optimistic.
MORE: Video from the streets of Tehran Friday. I am told the chants of Allah o Akbar at the end are not in support of the Islamic faith, but meant to shame the regime.
MEANWHILE: How deeply naive about Iran is the Obama administration. I wonder if any of them have even done any basic reading. I would suggest beginning with Amir Taheri’s biography of Ayatollah Khomeini. Then they would realize how very dumb this seems: The dominant view among Obama administration officials is that the regime will look so bad as a result of whipping up Iranian hopes for democracy and then squelching them that the regime may feel compelled to show some conciliatory response to Obama’s gestures of engagement. Earth to Obama people. This is a religious movement. They could care less about what the world thinks. They care what Allah thinks. Get it?
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54 Comments
1. David Thomson:“Color me skeptical.”
I don’t think it makes any real difference who wins. The mullahs still remain in power—and the nuclear bomb program will continue. This elction seems to be between
Jun 12, 2009 - 9:25 pm 2. Pajamas Media » Just How Fraudulent Was the Iranian Election?:twiddle dee and twiddle dumb.
[...] Read the entire piece here. [...]
Jun 13, 2009 - 1:07 am 3. Delia:I’m with 1. David Thomson on this one. In the grand scheme of things it’s still ‘bombs, bigotry and business as usual’ at the mullah house of ill repute.
Analogy time: Hitler or Stalin? What kind of choice is that?
Jun 13, 2009 - 1:24 am 4. zen:congratulations Najad – go tiger and blast Judeofascists for another 4 years.
Jun 13, 2009 - 1:30 am 5. Snake eater:Obama needs to take his share of the blame in this. The mullahs now know for certain this man in the White House is a coward who will do nothing no matter the outrage. Obama’s cowardice and appeasement has given them the green light to crush any nascent opposition in Iran. These clerics have taken blatant advantage of Obama’s hubris and weakness and smeared his face in it. He deserves it.
No one should doubt that if the supposed “reformer” had won the Obama sycophants would claim it was due to Obama’s Cairo speech. However, since the “reformer” has been trashed by the Mullahs now Obama needs to take the blame for this disaster in Iran.
Jun 13, 2009 - 2:13 am 6. Blackwater:So much for Ron Rosenbaum’s recent idiotic article proclaiming that Obama’s butt kissing of the islamists is the way forward. Yet another clear example of the utter failure of leftist policy in the real world. It would almost be laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
Jun 13, 2009 - 2:50 am 7. Bad Karma:I would find it very difficult to believe that anyone would think that these were “free” elections in any sense. The mullahs will pick who they want, plain and simple. This is all for show, bottom line. And of course Barry squeezes his way in and will someone equate the voting to his speech in Cairo and how he opened the way. More typical Barry ego stroking. Bet on it.
Jun 13, 2009 - 3:35 am 8. Jack’s Newswatch » Blog Archive » Simon: Voting for Ahmadinejad:[...] [More] Web Logs You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [...]
Jun 13, 2009 - 4:42 am 9. Drider:Well we chose Stalin Delia, does it really matter what the Iranians pick?
Jun 13, 2009 - 5:44 am 10. Data Schlepper:My sympathy is with the police commissioner who banned all public demonstrations. He sounds like a man of integrity.
Jun 13, 2009 - 6:02 am 11. Meryl:But…but…but Soetero said they were having a robust dialogue and that was a good thing…..
Oh, that’s right.
Honest election results are irrelevant as long as they are preceded by a robust dialogue (resulting from the speech made by His Brilliance in Cairo).
So the Iranians were ACORNed. Big deal.
He’s more and more of an embarrassment. (Thanks to remote control and quick reflexes, we seldom hear anything he says.)
Jun 13, 2009 - 6:13 am 12. jebuff:Conservative incumbent stokes paranoia, inflames populist national pride with incendiary rhetoric, lambastes opponent as “unpatriotic”. And wins reelection. Oh dear, Iran. Couldn’t you find a better example than America 2004?
Jun 13, 2009 - 6:26 am 13. Ian Thorpe:Iranian opposition now looking for young, charismatic “anti-fear” candidate for 2014, middle name preference, “Bush”.
Everybody who has at least two brain cells knew the elections in Iran were not going to be free and fair. What surprised me here in Britain was how easily the Obama-worshipping sector of the media convinced themselves that because The Anointed One made a sppech in Cairo Iran would hold free elections and elect a pro western government.
Jun 13, 2009 - 6:38 am 14. savage24:Did Jimmy Carter oversee this election?If he did, there is no doubt in my mind as to whether it was fraudulent or not.
Jun 13, 2009 - 7:27 am 15. Instapundit » Blog Archive » ROGER SIMON: How Fraudulent Was The Iranian Election? I’d like to see a mass popular uprising that…:[...] SIMON: How Fraudulent Was The Iranian Election? I’d like to see a mass popular uprising that overthrows the mullahs, and I heard some people [...]
Jun 13, 2009 - 7:53 am 16. James:GUYS, STOP IT! It’s all becoming Orewllian! Anyone with half a brain and a willingness to read will know that the Iranian “election” is a sham process. It’s always been. The mullahs choose the winner. For the media (and people on this forum) to discuss the “election” like it was really an election, is to begin stepping into Orwell’s nightmare as outlined in 1984. The whole discussion should start with “why have the mullahs selected Ahmadinejad again? What’s their purpose?” Any talk of the “election” process itself is simple mindedness.
Jun 13, 2009 - 8:03 am 17. Terry Gain:Since the Mullah’s are the real power in any event I think “the election” of Ahmadinejad is preferable. While Iran develops nuclear weapons it is better that the face of Iran continue to be the hate-filled irrational extremist rather than a presumed moderate.
For the past 5 months we’ve seen the damage that can be caused by an extremist who is portayed as a moderate.
I think the Mullah’s have miscalculated. Now when Israel bombs Iran’s nuclear facilities, as it must if it wants to survive, there will be less negative reaction than there would have been if Iran appeared to moderating.
Jun 13, 2009 - 8:16 am 18. Lightnin' Hopkins:“Conservative incumbent stokes paranoia, inflames populist national pride with incendiary rhetoric, lambastes opponent as “unpatriotic”.”
BDS lives on!
The windsurfing Winter Soldier didn’t need anyone to hang a label on what he had already proven himself to be, jebuff. Edwards was an even bigger piece of crap, if that’s even possible.
As law-abiding bond-holders, dealership owners, and countless others in the ever-shrinking private sector have found out the hard way, our (dear) leader needn’t be “conservative” (skipping you-know-who as an example for the sake of Godwin, was Stalin a “conservative”? How about Mao?) to “stoke paranoia” – let alone openly trash the Fifth Amendment.
Enjoy the Soma.
Jun 13, 2009 - 8:19 am 19. Dred Scott:Just as in Star Wars, the “Obama Effect” only works on the weak-minded — y’know, Americans…
Jun 13, 2009 - 8:50 am 20. Meryl:5.SnakeEater
“Obama needs to take his share of the blame in this”
I agree with the sentiment you express. What do you think the chances are of him taking “his share of the blame” in anything that has happened in his entire life?
He’s going to keep having it both ways: if things go well, it’s due to his brilliance. If things go badly, why, shoot, he had NOTHING to do with it!
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:07 am 21. Promoguy:And this all brings me back to a wonderful book titled, but not yet written.
“What If Jimmy Carter Lost”
Okay Roger do your homework.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:12 am 22. Moe Lane » ‘Death to this liar government.’:[...] here, here, here, and here – and note, of course, that Mirhossein Mousavi is no prize himself. None the [...]
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:12 am 23. ‘Death to this liar government.’ - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState:[...] here, here, here, and here – and note, of course, that Mirhossein Mousavi is no prize himself.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:21 am 24. Terry Gain:Since the Mullahs ( not Mullah’s)
Oh, for a preview button.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:21 am 25. Annie:I feel sorry for all these idealistic young Iranians. I hope violence doen’t ensue in the wake of this fraudulant election.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:25 am 26. Eric R.:I have rather liked the Iranians I’ve met here.
Too bad Israel will probably someday soon have to nuke their families back in Tehran.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:49 am 27. jake:obama has his head where the sun don’t shine patting himself on the back for being able to read flash cards. Most of us learned to give up reading flash cards in the 1st or 2nd grade. I wonder where obama got his education and who paid for it.
Jun 13, 2009 - 9:59 am 28. Steve:obama has demonstrated that obama thinks he is just another mullah but I got news for him. We throw his thugs out in 2010 and he goes in 2012 if he isn’t impeached before.
Sounds like the voting process in Philadelphia only we have Black Panthers and union thugs along with dead people to insure that the Democrats win.
Don’t worry with the amount of Muslims pouring in from the Middle East, the Mullahs will be joining in shortly. Probably next year.
Jun 13, 2009 - 10:36 am 29. Dale Weeks:OBAMA IS “EXCITED” BY IRAN’S ROBUST ELECTION DEBATE(according to al Reuters).
“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday he was hopeful the robust debate taking place in Iran’s presidential election would advance his administration’s efforts to engage longtime U.S. rival Tehran in new ways.
“We are excited to see what appears to be a robust debate taking place in Iran,” Obama told reporters when asked about the Iranian election during an event at the White House.”
Will his excitement continue when opposition leaders are rounded up and “disappeared”?
Jun 13, 2009 - 10:47 am 30. Penny:The USA has absolutely NO ROOM to complain or even discuss other coutrys’ voter fraud after the acorn frauds of Nobember 2008 here in this holier than thou country. Affirmative action puppet’s fradulent election makes any third world election look like truth.
Jun 13, 2009 - 10:48 am 31. Fat Man:I guess that on the unclenched fist scale, this is a raised middle finger.
Jun 13, 2009 - 11:05 am 32. Mudpie:You’da thought this election was held in Minnesota.
Jun 13, 2009 - 11:08 am 33. Sibyl:Doesn’t matter who won, it’s who has control, “…the power…the real power”…CNN reporter wearing her hood while reporting from the rooftop. Is it that cold at night in Iran in June?
Jun 13, 2009 - 11:09 am 34. Delia:Evil wins?
Jun 13, 2009 - 11:29 am 35. john from cinncinatti:Ron Rosenbaum was right about Chicago politics in the middle east, hahaha the Iranians got acorned.
Jun 13, 2009 - 2:33 pm 36. Folklight:Reform is waiting however to be suspicious of a country like Iran’s theocracy ruled ‘republic’ is self serving, it seems, in the same way that term limits of senators and congressmen never seem to get to the floor for a vote, do otherwise and jepordize power (or credibility) which no “deserving” leader can ever permit. Deja Vu certainly is an accurate description. The revolution 30 years ago was fueled by suspicions as well. This (s)election is another referendum on suspicion as the majority of Iranian citizens have no personal experience of 1978-79 and have grown increasingly wary (and weary) of TPTB and their need to demonize or threaten anyone that might contest the “official” definition of truth and justice. The Power to Define is The Power to Control. Regarless of their rhetoric the mullahs and Ahmadinejad (pronounced Ima Nutjob) realize
Jun 13, 2009 - 2:36 pm 37. john samford:the dog & pony show has lost it’s luster and the 3o somethings know they have Irans future in their hands. If faith conquers fear we ALL win, if not the ‘fallout’ comes.
People across the globe watch & pray for peace & prosperity. God willing, it will be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THe bottom line: it’s outta oBeY-OnE’s hands
As Stalin said; ‘It’s who counts the votes that matters.’
As we found out here last year.
Jun 13, 2009 - 5:28 pm 38. Turmoil in Iran. A new Tienanmen? « Cliftonchadwick’s Blog:At least one good thing can come from this. If the riots continue, the MDM wil lrder their bully boys to start machine gunning rioters. Maybe that will put and end to the whining from the fools that think Iran will remove the MDM’s from power without external assistance.
No 2nd amendment in Iran. ONLY the state has access to firearms. All the MDM needs are thugs to pull the trigger and they will stay in power forever.
[...] Roger Simon is following the events and has video. [...]
Jun 13, 2009 - 7:03 pm 39. ic:As fradulent as the 2004 Washington State gubernatorial election.
Jun 13, 2009 - 7:42 pm 40. Brian:Mullahs must know the world is watching.Iranians are testing the regime.My guess a seriously generational dispute i bet.
Jun 13, 2009 - 7:51 pm 41. noreen:I am praying for the freedom fighters over there. I hope they don’t start gunning them down in the streets. I have no doubt as to who really won the election. Why do they perpetuate such an elaborate scam. The rest of the world know they are no democracy. Liberty and freedom is at stake all over the world in all countires and cultures
Jun 13, 2009 - 8:37 pm 42. Clay Marley:I remain unconvinced. What evidence do we have? That Ajad’s victory was larger than expected? That his opponent lost his own hometown? So what? I can think of 1 or 2 prominent democrats who lost their own state.
Is this perhaps wishful thinking? That the Islamic population is not as extreme as it’s leadership?
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:08 am 43. Delia:11. Meryl,
My post to you went into moderation oblivion. I just wanted to tell you that the “I’ve been Acorned” caption should be a bumper sticker or a t-shirt. lmao. I’m hoping this post goes through. *crosses eyes, toes and fingers*
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:38 am 44. Delia:Yay. My post went through! I’m ALIVEEEEEE!
[yeah, pathetic, I know]
Jun 14, 2009 - 9:40 am 45. MC Mountain Girl:#42 It is axiomatic in politics that massive turnouts seldom favor incumbents. This is doubly true in Iran where the it has been estimated that perhaps 40% of eligible voters did not cast their ballots in the 2005 elections as a protest over a lack of real choice in a system where the mullahs determine which names gets on the ballot. Add in the fact the Iranian economy is in even more of a shambles today than it was in 2005 and it takes either willful ignorance or overt bigotry to believe the Iranian masses turned out in record numbers to say more of the same, please.
Jun 14, 2009 - 11:19 am 46. Delia:45. MC Mountain Girl,
You said it and with spice, you adorable leetle mountain flower! I felt a lil’ zing of a sting from your post evennnnn.
-But, seriously, you nailed it, girlfriend. In a land of choiceless choices the oxymoron buck stops here… wait here…no here…er uh here…
What kind of choice is B+ vs. B-?
I refuse to be ACORNED [hat-tip to Meryl].
Jun 14, 2009 - 8:20 pm 47. Delia:P.S. To Roger L. Simon and many people who post here:
Jun 14, 2009 - 8:53 pm 48. RAP:I pray for you all whenever I catch myself thinking sad or negative thoughts I pray for people I’ve come to know and that helps me overcome my negative vibes. I even pray for David S., Sheesh and Vivo et al because they are people too.
Give it up paleo-cons. The people you see running through the streets of Tehran are the same as the ones who ran through the streets of Chicago in ‘68. They are the Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrns of todays Iran. That is the spoiled children of the wealthy middle class. Naturally the media gives them all the attention; see Chicago ‘68. But just as Nixon had his silent majority Mr. A. had his silent majority of working class, poor and rural folk.
Jun 14, 2009 - 11:08 pm 49. Marc Malone:#31 Fat Man – Hey! Isn’t a raised middle finger the beginning of unclenching the fist? Funny!
Jun 15, 2009 - 1:43 am 50. Dave Boz:Why do people say “they could care less” when they mean “they could not care less?”
Jun 15, 2009 - 2:25 pm 51. cybergeezer:50. Dave Boz:
Jun 15, 2009 - 6:05 pm 52. Class Clown:Because they could!
48. RAP
That is so self-contridictory that I don’t even know where to start. First of all, right up until this moment, the media was kissing up to A’jad because they saw him as the rebel against America (see Roger Cohen, Robert Fisk, et al).
Now you are saying that suddenly A’jad is the Man, and the media is now kissing up to the protesters because they are 60s-style anti-establishment rebels?
Do the media know who they are rooting for anymore? Do you?
Jun 15, 2009 - 6:06 pm 53. Dave Surls:“The people you see running through the streets of Tehran are the same as the ones who ran through the streets of Chicago in ‘68.”
It took them 41 years to run from Chicago to Tehran?
Bunch of alowpokes.
Jun 15, 2009 - 8:42 pm 54. ‘Death to this liar government.’ - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState web01.prod.theplanet.eaglepub.com 174.120.27.221:[...] [...]
Aug 13, 2009 - 11:04 am