Trumpmadinejad? Not until 2020

There are plenty of comparisons out there that cite similar scare tactics and empty promises made by Ahmedinejad and (possibly) Trump during their ascent to power. Both broke the mold of the conservative establishment, promised wealth to the working class, went to war at the podium (in speeches and debates) and institutionalized the spread of rumors and aggressive personal attacks against the opposition.

By Jon Mroz

I’ve never been to Iran but a delightful morning meeting with a photographer from Tehran made me consider Trump’s rise to power and why his “reelection” might spell bad news for Americans. The Iranian people deserve a lot of credit for the Green Movement. It was an opposition movement that received a violent backlash after a rigged election kept Ahmadinejad in power. Many Americans haven’t heard of the Green Movement. Far fewer would believe that something similar might happen here in 2020.

There are plenty of comparisons out there that cite similar scare tactics and empty promises made by Ahmedinejad and (possibly) Trump during their ascent to power. Both broke the mold of the conservative establishment, promised wealth to the working class, went to war at the podium (in speeches and debates) and institutionalized the spread of rumors and aggressive personal attacks against the opposition.

Like Trump, Ahmadinejad was simultaneously a catalyst for ultra-conservatives and a (successful) protest vote against corrupt political elites. Unlike Trump, Ahmedinejad’s blessing from the Council of Guardians to run in the election was built on the back of a political system that is far different from than what we have here in the US. But if Trump wins now, 2020 could be a very frightening year.

Sometimes I feel like Marco Polo when talking to liberal friends, old and new, about the perceptions and perspectives I encountered during my three-year hiatus in conservative America. Donald Trump is an inevitable catalyst for millions of Americans who have been discontent for decades and many cannot or do not want to take them seriously. On the flip side, liberal arrogance doesn’t exist in Iran; they know better because they have to.

By now we’ve all come to accept that Trump has forever altered the landscape of American public life. One step out of any major American city and you will see that the vast majority accepts him as their leader. The whiff of cheerful arrogance that lingered in the nostrils of the Left over the past year is only now at the 11^th hour, beginning to fade.

A quiet fear is mounting in its place in liberal strongholds like New York, Chicago and LA. Art house theatres are showcasing the movie Ideocracy and run-of-the-mill liberals are beginning to realize something that political analysts have known for years.

Many conservative Americans see liberals as barbarians “within” the gates. Just like the Iranians did in 1979.

There will be no conservative revolution in 2020. It won’t be like Iran in 1979 but it may be like Iran in 2009.

Trump hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in a peaceful transfer of power. His supporters, emboldened by his rise and every decision that comes after might easily mount violent resistance to dissent. It could get ugly, very ugly.

Its really not that hard to imagine that the election could be rigged, protestors could be rounded up and/or shot and censorship in the name of security could be imposed. It might seem farfetched even the slightest possibility upends everything that makes this country great.

One thing is for certain. If Trump wins, a much wiser, smaller and more vulnerable Left will  exist in 2020.

(Jon Mroz is a commentator and marketing executive at ElementOne, a full service digital marketing agency. Jon formerly served as a policy analyst and consultant contributing expertise to think tanks, government agencies and humanitarian non-profits.  Click here for his Facebook Page.)

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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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