Comparing the jilted hearts of Iranian, Mexican, and U.S. voters

"600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda"

How must it feel in the streets of Tehran today?

How must it feel to walk around, stunned, at the fresh bout of violence gripping this country that only days before was looking, to the rest of the world at least, like it was going to pull a u-turn under the leadership of a new president who might have been expected to not spew hatred toward the United States at every turn.

Don’t misunderstand – not everyone in Iran is upset today, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had many supporters, not the least of which were the poorer, working class, and many rural residents of the Middle Eastern country which lies snuggled between the Caspian and Arabian Seas.

  Still, the images are indelible: yound green-clad students, fans of the losing candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi, setting fires to cars and throwing stones, older, black-draped women literally weeping and gnashing their teeth in what the New York Times, and many other news outlets, have called the worst street protests in a decade.

There’s anger, disappointment, and I imagine, a little something like what Charlie Brown felt every single time Lucy bamboozled him into thinking she wasn’t going to yank that football away from him at the last moment; loss. Loss of the hope that had seemingly blanketed Iran in the last weeks, the loss that comes with the feeling that an important election has been stolen from voters.

It reminded me of July 2006, when Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his opponent Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) wrestled with the razor-thin margins for months to see who won the Mexican presidency. After several nail-biting months of re-counts, allegations of corruption and general uproar, Calderon was declared the winner on September 5, 2006, winning by a mere 243,934 votes (0.58%).

That July election set off nightmarish, sometimes violent protests that literally shut the city down for months and months as AMLO set up a shadow presidency and his supporters occupied the streets of Mexico vowing not to leave until justice was carried out.

I mentioned this parallel as a Tweet yesterday morning: "Crap! In Iran, Ahmadinejad claim's victory, as does his opponent. Hope it’s not another months-long drama like Calderon/AMLO in MX" to which one interested observer said, "right... or Florida in 2000!"

That gave me pause...No, I don’t think so.

Oh, I recall being as disheartened and angry as the next (non-Republican) guy that Al Gore lost to George W. Bush, and that the victory appeared to have been either the result of some horrible mechanical mishap or that – gasp – the people had gotten what they’d asked for and were about to get it good and hard.

But I don’t remember anyone getting into the streets for a good old-fashioned riot. Endless late-night talk show skits about "hanging chads" and "butterfly ballots" yes; fires and overturned cars like what happened in Chicago when the Bulls won the 1992 basketball championship – no.

I’m not saying we should have, I’m not saying violence is a good answer to any disappointment – no matter how devastating to a people or a country – but we are a long, long way from the Sam Adams tactics of our Founding Fathers.

There had been those who were very concerned that if President Barack Obama lost the 2008 election that all hell would break loose (read my column on Chicago election night plans here), but we can’t know what would have happened because our home-town boy won. In any case, I can’t imagine the sort of passion being aroused like what we’re seeing in Iran today.

God bless America, that security is our American privilege. Our thoughts should be with the people of Iran tonight.

Esther J. Cepeda writes the "600 Words" & "Pregunta del Dia" columns, and is also the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Her views and reporting do not necessarily reflect those of ISAC. "600 words" is a registered trademark of EeJayCee, Inc., Copyright 2008. May be reprinted with permission, contact eejaycee@600words.com

Comments

[eve isk]

I don't remember the protest in Mexico being as violent or the government cracking down as much in 2006. I think it was worse in 1988 in Mexico, which to me is the closest parallel to Iran.
When Cuauhtemoc Cardenas lost the election in very dodgy circumstances and all hell broke loose.

[Daniel]

About AMLO,

I was in Mexico City the following summer and all I heard from the people regarding AMLO was good ridden with him.

So many people lost their incomes while the city was shut down.

Shutting down an entire economy is the wrong approach, IMO.

I would image that a lot of people in Iran are also losing their incomes.

[A. Ruiz]

I don't remember the protest in Mexico being as violent or the government cracking down as much in 2006. I think it was worse in 1988 in Mexico, which to me is the closest parallel to Iran.
When Cuauhtemoc Cardenas lost the election in very dodgy circumstances and all hell broke loose.