H.R. 1327, Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009, is a bill to further curtail possible investment in Iran. The bill authorizes State and Local governments to divest of any assets or companies connected to Iran. Trita Parsi has written about it in the Ahmadinejad's Little Helpers. It has been fast-tracked and could be voted on only days before Iran's election. There is no good reason to vote on this now, and surely this bill can wait two weeks to see the outcome of the election on June 12th and a potential runoff on the 19th.
The most compelling reason to delay this vote is that it actually could effect the vote this Friday in Iran. Current polls show a very close election developing, and in addition to the fact that most recognize that existing polls are educated guesses at best, no one really can predict how this will turn out with any certainty. Iranian elections and political parties are still formative, and predictable voting patterns that are reliably measured by polls simply do not exist. If this bill passes and gets picked up in the news cycle, it feeds into the "Great Satan" mindset and strengthens the hard-liners argument in Iran that the US will not change. Remember, Ahmadinejad and the hard-liners benefited tremendously from Bush's words, policies and actions. In a close and unpredictable election this is clearly a vote that can wait a week or two. Moreover, what happens if they pass the bill and a Reform candidate wins?
As Trita Parsi points out, AIPAC supports this legislation along with other punitive economic acts, read here. Moving H.R. 1327 to the Suspension Calendar (fast-tracking) may be occurring for a couple of reasons. One could speculate that AIPAC recognizes that Ahmadinejad may very well lose the election, and as a result the popularity of punitive legislation in the US will likely fade. So, they would like to see the vote happen now. OR One might think that AIPAC might actually want to see Ahmadinejad win. They are not likely to get another Iranian President that continually says such inflammatory things and almost single-handedly keeps the probability of military action against Iran justifiably on the table for Israel and the US. I think it is likely the former, but taking this vote now does not merit the risk. If, in six months to a year, a new Iranian government proves as intransigent as the Ahmadinejad government such legislation can be re-visited.
House Sponsors of the Bill are:
Barney Frank-MA
2252 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
tel: (202) 225-5931
fax: (202) 225-0182
Mark Kirk-IL
1030 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4835
Fax: 202-225-0837
I will be contacting my representative:
Chris Van Hollen-MD
1707 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5341
Fax: (202) 225-0375
AND Steny Hoyer-MD for good measure.
1705 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone - (202) 225-4131
Fax - (202) 225-4300