How will the average American react to an attack on Iran?

[Philosoraptor]

[gateley]

1. From the latest I've heard

(and not knowing if it's 'real' or not), it sounds as though it might be Israel doing the actual operation (with enthusiastic blessings from Bushco, of course).

If that's the case, the Average American will think "Well WE didn't do it, Israel did." I don't believe it will be too much of a blip on their radar. Hell, even Iraq isn't much of a blip these days.

[Philosoraptor]

2. I'd guess half couldn't care less.

[indepat]

11. They'll care if gasoline goes through the roof, like $9 to $12 a gallon, and maybe a few will

care should such hand junior his latter-day trifecta: martial law, canceled national elections and, for lagniappe, well, only God and Cheney and junior know. :D

[Dr.Phool]

14. They'll think it is well worth it,

As long as we get that evil Saddam Hussein!

[DJ13]

3. Pur, raw hatred at Bush and Congress

Especially when oil skyrockets above $240 per barrel, and gas rapidly climbs above $8 per gallon.

Im thinking this will incite riots, and part of me thinks thats pecisely what Bush and the neocons want so they have their excuse to institute Martial Law.

[gateley]

16. There's more of US than there is of THEM --

but I fear not all of us would grab the pitchfork.

[slipslidingaway]

4. We had to stop their nuclear weapons program, didn't we? :( n/t

[gateley]

18. Exactly. Never mind that they're years away from actually getting the

amount of 'sutff' and delivery systems up and running.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Depends if they interrupt their viewing of the TEEVEE shows. NT

[ColbertWatcher]

25. This is similar to my guess: depends what the TV says. n/t

[paparush]

6. If gas doubles, it may finally awaken the wrath of Joe and Jane 6-pack

and Bush** will have a difficult time blaming that on someone else.

[Fire Walk With Me]

43. Some will be averse to naming the elephant sitting right there in the room

and blame it on them ferners.

After all, no American could ever profit by plotting against America. :sarcasm:

[paparush]

47. Wonder if they could ever get their heads around the President's grandfather

plotting to overthrow FDR.

Mmmmm..probably not.

[NutmegYankee]

7. well, Israel is planning the attack...

But I'm afraid we would get attacked as well in retaliation, or Iran would attack the shipping, which would bring us in.

[Greyhound]

8. Huh? What? Whats on (insert inane TV show here) tonight? n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

9. What I don't hear is anyone talking about the possible repercussions.

Wouldn't Israel be open to Syria pre-emptively attacking as Syria wouldn't sit back and wait for Israel to attack it as a proxy for the U.S.? This can really turn into a regional clusterfuck.

Or how about the detonation of known nuclear weapons by Israel and/or hidden nuclear weapons that another country, say Iran, could have purchased instead of built.

[gateley]

21. Good point about Iran possibly having gotten rarin' to go weapons through

purchasing. I was stuck in the groove that they, on their own, wouldn't be able to manufacture and get all the components in place to launch for years.

Hmmmm...

[asjr]

10. I can only speak for myself, but it

would be a dumb move on our part to invade. If Israel invades we will of course go to the aid of one of our "allies." Which is another dumb move. Israel and BushCo want to invade and we probably will but it will start WW111. And of course the media will play it for all it's worth. They would never come right out and say what a stupid idea it is. I have come to believe there is no one in charge of the country and if someone is we are still doomed.

[Mike Nelson]

12. How does this help find Natalie Holloway?

What's on TV?
where's my beer?

[BlueJac]

13. They will be ho-hum....

as long as they have their cell phones and ipods.

[BlooInBloo]

15. Average? "Kill the fucking ragheads"...

The problem with this country is not the politicians - they're merely the symptom. The problem is the people.

[Speck Tater]

17. They may not notice the war on Iran, But they WILL notice...

That gas officially costs them $12 a gallon.
That they can't find gas at the official price, so they buy it on the black market at $20 a gallon.
That truckers have gone bankrupt and Wall-Mart's shelves are bare.
That the grocery stores are running out of food.
That they only get a few hours of electricity a day.
That their cell phones don't seem to work very often any more.
That their bank has gone bust and they can't get their money out.
That rioting and looting have made their city a very dangerous place to be.

[gateley]

24. I so hope it won't get to that, but I fear it might have to before the

masses take any action. :(

[Flabbergasted]

19. Every year there are a few weeks where everyone goes berserk over suggestions of an attack.

It's not in anyone interests not ever Israel or the neocons. So why do it? It's not going to happen IMO.

[Peregrine Took]

20. Tie a teddy bear holding a flag around a tree with a yellow ribbon????

[murray hill farm]

22. Oh, that was a good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And ....easily the winner post on this one!!!

[World Citizen]

23. by thinking that animal extermination is sometimes necessary

sad to say but true. They excuse murder by proclaiming self preservation. Its already happening. Why would that change.

[craz3z]

26. If the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted

as Iran has threatened to do if attacked, gas will be a whole lot more than $12 a gallon.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL1337724320080713

[LostInAnomie]

27. Unless it effects them directly, they won't really care.

It will be the typical way American always react to war.

The military will rally around the President and not say anything. Those that do will be branded as cowards.

The Right wingers will scream "Support the troops" and call the Left wingers "traitors" or "Iranian sympathizers".

The Left wing will have a bunch of disorganized protests, and a lot of people attending will dress like idiots or go WAY over the top (effectively marginalizing the anti-war movement). Countless online petitions will be made and signed, effectively doing nothing.

The media will stay quite and gulp down whatever the administration feeds them out of fear of being "unpatriotic".

The congress will bitch and moan, but cave in and give Bush whatever he wants. They might even send a strongly worded letter or two.

The average American will pay a lot of lip service to whatever groups of people they are around at the time, but since they aren't going to war and don't really know anyone going, they won't really care.

The only thing that will make the average American care is if the price of gas jumps to ridiculous proportions.

[Fumesucker]

29. How do "idiots" dress?

Do you assume anyone not in "business attire" is an idiot?

[LostInAnomie]

33. I could go back through pictures of the Iraq War protests...

... and find you about a 500 examples, but that would take too long.

I'll put it this way. If you dress in a manner that calls attention to yourself instead of what you are protesting you are defeating the purpose. The media looks for people that dress and act silly at protests. It gives them a nice visual to focus on and set a narrative with. A protest of hundreds of thousands of rational citizens dressed respectfully and acting rationally gets turned into "a bunch of loonies dressed like jack-asses" because a few people have to call attention to themselves.

[Fumesucker]

35. You didn't answer the question...

But instead used another ambiguous term..

"Dressed respectfully"..

What *exactly* does that mean?

[Danger Mouse]

45. In normal clothes, rather than in something flamboyant.

[LostInAnomie]

49. I thought I was pretty clear.

Don't dress in a manner that removes attention from your cause and places it on you. Dressing in a t-shirt and jeans is fine. Dressing as a blood soaked Uncle Sam on stilts, or in something that would serve as a fucked up Halloween costume is not fine.

By becoming the liberal version of all those idiots outside of Terri Schiavo's hospital, you make us look like fools. Don't give the media and the Right Wing as easy opportunity to marginalize the peace movement.

[WCIL]

28. This average American

will start thinking about where she can hide her 18 and 19 year old children.

[MaryEllen71]

32. I totally agree

my nephew just turned 18 on Friday and I have a 21 year old cousin is who graduating from boot camp for the marine reserves on Friday.

[Vinca]

30. The average American can't find Iran on a map and won't really care

unless it causes the price of gas to go higher. It's very sad what a dimwitted nation we've become.

[Chisox08]

31. No one will care until it affects them.

[blues90]

55. that sums it up.

[shadowknows69]

34. Ask me that after Hezzbolah blows up the first shopping mall

[Evoman]

36. Buy an ipod. Post on facebook.

[Jim__]

37. They'll react the way the media tells them to - n/t

[Paula Sims]

38. They only care if it affects them directly

Other than that, it's the "other guy's" problem. Not everyone thinks ahead or of the broad ramifications. Frankly, it's sad.

[enid602]

39. shuffle

They'll keep their heads bowed and faced to the front, shuffle along and hope to God they can hold on to their jobs. Just like last time, but more so.

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. "Meh."

[Imagevision]

41. It really depends, especially if CNN covers the next 'shock n awe' (part two)

[shadowknows69]

44. I don't think they'll show us much this time

We'll get lots of phoned in descriptions of surgical strikes. Al Jazerra is lying about all those civilian deaths. That hospital was actually a munitions factory.

[roamer65]

42. They'll react by gas lines miles long at filling stations...

...and with unprecedented violence when the gas runs out.

[Danger Mouse]

46. Gas prices will surge. American interests at home and abroad will be hit hard by Iranian agents...

and the likelihood of a terrorist strike in the U.S. will skyrocket.
Americans will care, because it will affect them directly. But it will be much worse than anyone anticipates.

[paparush]

48. Dangit Ethel..they're showin the war instead of the race....

[spanone]

50. most don't know the difference between iraq, iran, zimbabwe, sudan, qatar, pakistan and on

[Blecht]

51. U-S-A!!!!! U-S-A!!!!!

Yaaahoooooooooooo!!!!

Kickass!!!!

[northernlights]

52. other than battening down my hatches real hard...

I'm far less concerned about how Americans will react than how, say, Putin, will react.

[Annces]

53. Macho glee

[ileus]

54. run out and fill up every container they have with gas???

that's what I'll be doing.

[Individualist]

56. The propagandist talking heads on teevee will tell them it's a good thing,

and the Murkin public will accept that.

[ThoughtCriminal]

57. Run on gas stations

Everyone will top off their tanks.

[Zhade]

58. Who cares?

(No, I mean, that's the response.)

Seriously though - helpless anger.

[HeeBGBz]

59. Throw on their rapture panties and jump to Jeezus

Armageddon headin

[Philosoraptor]

60. ...............