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If one listened solely to Republican neocons and Congressional war hawks, one would think that a vast majority of Americans oppose the nuclear deal with Iran and are anxious to “bomb, bomb” Iran.
Not so, says a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday.
According to the poll, 89 percent of Democrats either support the agreement or are not sure. Fifty percent of Democrats support it while only 10 percent are opposed to it.
But how about Republicans, you ask. They must overwhelmingly oppose it…
Surprisingly, 31 percent of Republicans favor a new nuclear deal with Iran, Reuters reports “creating a challenge for their party’s lawmakers who largely oppose the framework accord sealed between Tehran and world powers,” and revealing “a sharp split in the party as its leaders ramp up opposition to the deal championed by President Barack Obama…”
When one combines the percentage of Republicans who either support the agreement or are not sure, the percentage rises to a whopping 71 percent — little bit of a round-off error here.
How about Independents?
Reuters:
Among independents – an important constituency group for both parties ahead of the 2016 presidential election – 33 percent voiced support, 21 percent registered opposition, and 45 percent said they were unsure about the deal.
Reuters notes that the president still has some tough selling to do to Americans, even to members of his own Party and notes how Americans still differ widely on other issues concerning Iran.
However:
The poll showed little support among members of both parties for using military force as a sole method for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. Five percent of Democrats supported such an option, along with 11 percent of Republicans and 6 percent of independents.
CODA:
The Reuters/Ipsos online poll surveyed 2,291 American adults between April 3 and April 7, after the Iran deal was announced. Among those polled were 893 Democrats, 803 Republicans and 320 independents.
Lead image: www.shutterstock.com
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.