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Iranians For Obama

Ali Gharib on how ordinary Iranians prefer Barack Obama in the U.S. elections.

Remember when Mitt Romney kept saying that President Obama threw Iranians under the bus when he supposedly stayed silent (though he didn't) on the Green Revolution in 2009? Well, somebody forgot to tell Iranians. Writing from Tehran for the Washington Post, Jason Rezaian reports:

[...O]n the streets of Tehran, many Iranians say they have a clear favorite: Obama.Unlike the Iranian establishment, ordinary citizens say they see major differences between the two candidates. Among many, the belief seems to be that Iran could be attacked by the United States or Israel if Romney becomes president, while they see a greater possibility for a peaceful solution if Obama is re-elected.“Most of my colleagues and I believe that Obama is better because he is moderate and wants peace, while the Republicans talk about war, which frightens us,” said Marjan, a 43-year-old high school teacher...“I favor Obama because I know he is not looking for bloodshed. We have seen what Republicans have done in Iraq and Afghanistan and do not want anything similar to happen here,” said Naser, a 30-year-old employee at Iran’s Red Crescent relief organization. “We have problems inside Iran, but at least we do not have a war.”

Rezaian rightly notes that scientific assessments of Iranian opinion are darn near impossible, but he clearly observed a trend in reporting the piece. He did manage to find at least a couple of Romney supporters: one holds a grudge against Democrats because of Jimmy Carter—who presided over the advent of the Islamic Republic—and the other, a former member of Iran's parliament, said Republican "threats have never been real to us" and that Iranians "have suffered from the most pressure during Democratic presidencies.”

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Ali Gharib

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