Does anyone see the parrallels between Iran and the U.S.?

I was stuck by this section of a NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/world/middleeast/14iran.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

You could almost change it to:


The emotional campaign was widely seen as a referendum on Mr. Bush’s divisive policies. It pitted Mr. Obama, who has pledged to move the U.S. away from confrontation with the Muslim world, combat economic stagnation and expand gay’s rights, against Mr. McCain’s economic populism, social conservatism, and hard-line foreign policy.

Many women, young people, intellectuals and members of the moderate establishment backed Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain drew passionate support from poor rural Americans as well as conservatives.


I am not saying the conservative right and Islamic fanaticism is the same. Please don't draw that conclusion - I am not. I am just saying I find it amusing that most of America here is hoping for a more moderate Iran, just as most of the world hoped for a more moderate America.

And that our conservatives support iran's moderates, while Iran's conservatives prefer America's moderates.

Yet in our home countries, conservatives are ready to demonize their own nation's moderates. Why is that?

 

Well, economic populism would be more under Obama's terrain - you are right. In this country....there is the weird notion under the rural poor that they benefit from what benefits corporations and not things like progressive income taxes or minimum wages. It's a strange thing.

 

I was actually a Bush supporter for his first year in office. The last 7 years...and how the conservatives have behaved have pushed me to be a moderate, and right now I am giving Obama a chance. There's a lot I don't like about the left mind you.

I have always been socially liberal in the sense I felt the gov't shouldn't get involved in decisions like gay marriage or abortion, but it's part of me being a libertarian.

Originally being a libertarian, I felt guys like Ron Paul best shared my values. But over the years, as the Bush admin squandered away the budget surplus, and invaded other nation without good cause (Iraq) and pushed through the Patriot Act - I came to the conclusion that the Republican party had become very reckless and infact radicalized by the right-wing elements within it.

I prefer personal freedom...so much so that despite being an advocate of gun control, I do not wish to take the right away from Americans to have a gun, just that it needs to be regulated in a way to cut down on crime. I think democrats are more likely to yield a balanced budget as demonstrated by the past 4 or 5 administrations. It's democratic presidents that are more fiscally conservative - they balance the budget, not the Republican presidents.

I think cutting taxes during the 80's was a great thing, and very smart. Reagan was right. But to do it to extremes...which is what Bush did, created a real fiscal mess.

Anyway, back to the topic on hand. My point is that the radical element of each country fear the radical element of other countries and prefer their more moderate factions....but not within their own country. It's fairly interesting dont you think?