Was wondering if anyone knew why Ahmadinejad is being referred to as President potato by the Iranian students? This Australian piece calls Ahmadinejad’s government a “potato government,” and this twitter references Mousavi saying the following:
“these masses were not brought by bus or by threat. they were not brought for potatoes. they came themselves”
What is the story behind the potato remarks?
Bill H
At one point he promised free vegetables to the masses to illustrate his populist position. At one of his speeches people were throwing potatoes at him.
Edit: woohoo, #1 comment. First time I’ve been below about 80.
Neddie Jingo
He was buying votes by handing out free spuds on the campaign trail.
Ash
Ahmedinajad has been giving out tons of potatoes (and other such assistance) to the poor, presumably trying to buy their votes
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2bda0b3a-2dca-11de-9eba-00144feabdc0.html
Bootlegger
When the dictator gives you potatoes, make potato salad.
gbear
Ahmadinejad promised rally attendees that Pamela Anderson would personally thank each of them.
linda
explanation here:
The stakes could scarcely be higher, but it is the lowly potato that has been grabbing attention.
The Government is handing out 400,000 tonnes of free spuds in rural towns. It says that it is merely distributing the surplus from a bumper crop, but Mr Ahmadinejad’s opponents accuse it of bribing the poor. “Death to potatoes,” they chant at rallies.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6382829.ece
Kennedy
I’m certainly no expert, but I think it has something to do with this.
Rob F
Apparently Ahmadinejad had undertaken a massive distribution of free potatoes to the poor in the winter/spring of 2009 in an attempt to buy votes. This I learned from the excellent, hilarious podcast “The Bugle.”
Zifnab25
Gbear, is that a bribe or a threat? Pam is kinda old and fugly now.
El Cid
But, I like potatoes!
Quaker in a Basement
linda: They were chanting “Death to potatoes”? I thought it was “Death or potatoes”!
Bill E Pilgrim
His name used to be O’Madinejad, before he changed it. They’re making fun of his Irish heritage.
R-Jud
Here we go: the kids tweeting in Tehran are reporting gunfire. Other cities were reporting violence throughout the day.
There was a lady in Dubai translating the BBC Persia live feed but she is offline now; her scroll is still an interesting read.
jibeaux
Death to potatoes, really? The Iranians need to work on their sloganeering a bit.
gbear
This post seems to be making a side trip to the Dan Quayle skool of spelling.
@Zifnab25:
But Pam’s potatos just never seem to get old (in contrast to her ad, which is getting very old).
edit: removed offensive apostrophe.
Wolfie1974
If they were chanting “Death to potatoes” obviously they’ve never been to Five Guys.
Carnacki
@Bootlegger: Mmmm…potato salad.
linda
quaker — looks like it’s ‘death TO potatoes’.
fine by me — baked, fried, mashed… whatev… lol
R-Jud
I have spent the last five minutes trying to think of a “freedom fries” joke. Potato humor fail.
Bill E Pilgrim
@gbear: But you know the word does have an “e” if it’s plural, right? Quayle was adding it to the singular, i.e. “potatoe”.
GregB
Ahmadinejad’s campaign slogan was: A potato in every pocket, front pocket that is.
-G
gbear
edit: delete
note to self: stfu
gopher2b
If I’m a hated dicator, I don’t think I would hand out the hardest vegetable out there. Why not hand out bricks.
ChrisB
@gbear: Now’s the time for them to meet her. They probably shouldn’t expect to get martyred, go to heaven, and meet her there.
Ash
Indeed. Roasted eggplant might be a better choice.
demimondian
@Ash: Spud cannons for freedom[e]!
Krista
Exactly. Why not some nice green onions instead? Potatoes DO seem to be the perfect size and shape for biffing at someone.
Surreal American
Don’t know why Ahmadinejad is called a potato. He doesn’t strike me as a reliable commentator (common tater) of recent events.
4tehlulz
>>“Death to potatoes”
Mr. Potato Head does not like where this is going.
Tsulagi
@Zifnab25:
Yeah, but remember Ahmadinejad was trying to appeal to the conservative family values crowd. Pam with watermelon implants and three arms would likely appeal to them probably as much as to the straighter elements in our real American family valuers.
Thlayli
“Shut up, Potato.”
— Special1
Ecks
@R-Jud: Well I don’t know about freedom fries, but launching the leaders bribery potatoes back at him could certainly be interpreted as letting your freedom flies.
PGE
Huge scandal coming when it’s revealed his campaign workers were caught with hundreds of pounds of what’s called “walking around potatos”.
patrick
This
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mjwqy5-ZZ8
Laura W
@PGE: That’s so funny.
canuckistani
Because my mind is set for the trivial and obscene, I’ll remind everyone of the grade 6 dirty joke in which a man arrives at a costume party wearing nothing but a potato on his penis. When asked for an explanation, he replies “I’m a dictator”.
There’s your connection.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
@Thlayli:
“So you got Arshavin and a Brazilian? Pretty smooth, Voyeur.”
Sad_Dem
In theocratic Iran, potato eats you.
http://members.tripod.com/potatogunwarrior/links.htm
Rheinhard
Didn’t know about the spuddy vote-buying… but perhaps Ahmedinajad imagines himself something like a Persian Frederick the Great?
Actually, if AhmMadInTheHead could be half the leader Frederick was (one of the best Enlightenment despots), Iran would be in pretty good shape…
strawmanmunny
No Potatoes, No Peace!!!
PGE
@Laura W: Glad you thought so. I got a giggle when I thought of it.
Laura W
@PGE: You oughta sell it to Jon Stewart. Perfect for them.
4tehlulz
A bit OT: Politico needs to eat the bag of dicks.
yet another jeff
I’m thinking of the old Soviet Publisher’s Clearing House joke:
“You may have already won a potato!”
dslak
@4tehlulz: Yes, that really does call for more than just a bowl of dicks.
Surreal American
Maybe the current president of Iran was going for the sweet potato pie thing that Obama did there towards the end of the 2008 campaign. It didn’t translate well.
Andy K
@Thlayli:
First thing that popped into my head. :D
Outis
In general, a potato is much harder than a tomato, which sounds like a good enough reason to me.
Notorious P.A.T.
If you cut Ahmadinejad in half, you can grow 2 Ahmadinejads.
R-Jud
Baked potato saved my life/Baked potato showed me the way…
R.Mutt
Only a crazy dictator would feed the poor. This could never happen in a free, capitalist society.
Joshua Norton
My great grandmother used to call people who always bragged about their ancestry “potatoes” because the best part of them was underground.
But I don’t think this is the same thing.
Will
I’m no Potato!
Nazgul35
all your potatoes are belong to us…
How long before we have lolcats in on this?
HyperIon
Strangely the answer can be found by typing “Ahmadinejad” and “potato” into a browser search engine. Whocoodanode?
Steve Balboni
Clearly they hate the Irish.
mcd
The Special1 refs make this the most awesomest site evah! (Do Denilson and Diaby add up to one decent playah?)
dfd
For the MSTies of the world.
“Potatoes are what we eat!”
LD50
Yeah, but if John had done that, we wouldn’t have had this delightfully witty thread, now would we?
slag
@Steve Balboni: First, everyone’s blogging green, now it’s all about the potato. Are we sure Iran’s not just celebrating St. Patrick’s Day a little late?
DoucheBaggins
Mahmood I’m-a-dinner-jacket.
That’s all I got.
Ted
It’s a reference to how things in Iran are devolving.