Why does the left support Ahmadinejad?

Question

I've seen many people on the left tout their support of Mahmour Ahmadinejad, especially after his interview on 60 Minutes. People claim he is "well spoken", or "thoughtful". But they ignore the human rights abuses his government inflicts on the people of Iran on a daily basis. People are beaten in the streets, arrested on no charges, subject to summary execution for thought crimes. There is absolutely no religious freedom. Not to mention that women are legally second class citizens (can't vote, can't hold office, their voice is worth half of a man's in court, can't drive without their husband's permission, no legal abortions). Is that the kind of society that leftists really want to live in?

Rebuttals:
Saying he's democratically elected, and therefore is OK, is a canard. First, the man was not democratically elected, he was appointed by the ruling mullahs of Iran. Iran does not have open elections, people are told for whom to vote. Second, it matters not one whit if he was, his country still routinely violates the human rights of his people. Isn't this the claim the Left makes against Bush? So why not apply the same standard elsewhere?
Second: The man is not well spoken, he has the verbal capacity of a hamster. Witness his constant statements that the Holocaust was a "myth". It wasn't until his interview with Wallace that it seemed what he might be saying is that Europe and the US have granted mythical power to the history of the Holocaust. But due to his poor command of language and logic, this point was lost and he now seems a Holocaust denier. In what way is that "well spoken"?

Thid: The man is a full-blown religious fundamentalist, who believes strongly in the literal meaning of the Koran. This is the same behavior that the Left accuses Bush of, and hates Bush for (supposedly) taking part in. So why the double standard?
Fourth: you can be against both Bush and Ahmadinejad, you don't have to choose one just because you don't like the other. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" only works if your values and ideals are not important enough not to violate or mutate when it suits you to do so.

Answer 1

Because the left thinks that giving him credibility and negotiating with him will keep the bad man in the closet from killing us. Did you know that Ahmadinejad was the military man in charge of holding the hostages in the embassy in 1979 and 80? He has a long history of militant actions against Americans. The left also wants to pull out of Iraq. That would leave a whole country for Iran to march into and take over. Thus increasing our security threat twofold. You don't see that point in the mainstream media, now, do you?

Answer 2

Well,...
Simply Because Nijad Is President in Democratic Country and he is Elected by Irani People
and BTW ..
Every Country has it's own rules and The main Problem in Globalization is the Coming Point ..
People doesn't respect other Nations Religions or Traditions or anything

I'm American so simply I Can assume that my Traditions is the Standard and Other are Big Fools or Nazis ??!! Illogical but happening !!

People around the World Consider legal abortions is Basic Right while it's A Fatal Mistake in other Societies !!

I think it's so Logical Respond to Nijad !!

,Regards

Answer 3

That sounds a lot better than the country the US is building in Iraq. What is the beef with Iran? Ever since the acquiescent Pahlavi got ejected by his own people, the US has had a hostile policy towards Iran. Ahmadinejad is democratically elected. Unlike the staunch all of the US, Saudi Arabia. If you are going to bring up these points, look at Saudi and ask why we like them so much. IT'S ABOUT OIL! The faster you understand that, the quicker you will get to understanding why Iran is such a "threat" to the US.

Answer 4

Good question!
I often ponder how the left can be so emboldened by the constant media reports of a divided US.


Don't they know that Islam is the most anti-freedom, anti-womens rights, anti-human rights, anti-democracy religion on the planet?

Traditionally liberalism opposses ALL OF THAT.

Liberals, do you realize that you are selling out EVERY ONE of your core beliefs when you side with countries like Iran?

Do you really hate Bush that badly that you would sell out your beliefs to Islam?????

Answer 5

The answer seems to be in this article from last week's Economist magazine:

"[The] European view of Israel [ ] contrasts sharply with America's. In a Pew Global Attitudes survey earlier this year, far more Europeans sympathised with the Palestinians than with Israel (see chart). These findings come on top of a European Union poll in 2003 that had 59% of Europeans considering Israel as a greater menace to world peace than Iran, North Korea and Pakistan."

See http://snipurl.com/vgib for the rest of the article.

Answer 6

Saying someone is well spoken or intelligent does not equal supporting what they say or not is it supporting the policies of the government they represent. You need a class in logic or at least a bit of higher education to improve your thinking skills. Or perhaps you need to be a little more honest and stop twisting statements and issues to suit your partisan purposes.

I think it's worthwhile to talk first, to see if negotiations can be started before dropping bombs. This was the policy of the United States from the time of its founding up until the present administration.

Answer 7

The left would support Big Bird if she/he came out with a agenda against Bush.

This man was the head kidnapper in 1979...Whats Foggy Bottom doing about that?

Answer 8

All those bad thing in that country are true, but guess what, Ahmadinejad is still the DEMOCRATICALLY elected president of Iran. Which means that their people want it that way. Isn't democracy great.

Answer 9

Oly and sprcpt - Ah the old "he was democratically elected" stance, that's just crap. If I threaten you and tell you vote for me or I'll kill you and your family and then I magically get elected, are you calling that democratically elected.

Tyranny is not a political platform.

Answer 10

Oh no, you found out our secret!!! Oh well, the cat's out of the bag now. Guess we'll have to find us another madman!!!