Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Americans Skeptical of Iran Deal


 
48% of Americans disapprove of the deal to limit Iran's nuclear program, while 38% approve, according to a survey conducted July 14-20 by the Pew Research Center.
   
73% say they have not too much (35%) or no confidence at all (38%) that Iran's leaders will uphold their side of the agreement.
(Pew Research Center)

UPDATES:
 
No Nukes for Iran rally in New York's Times Square.  It was the largest protest ever in Times Square.
 
- Dana Sauchelli, Frank Rosario and Bruce Golding

Thousands of protesters flooded Times Square Wednesday to rally against the Iran nuclear arms deal. Organizers of the "Stop Iran Now" rally estimated the crowd, which filled the blocks between 42nd and 38th streets, at 12,000.
     
Speakers in Times Square included former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who said opposing the pact "is not only a strategic issue but a moral one. In the face of Iranian threats, does this agreement make us and our allies safer? I believe it does not." 
 
Defense attorney, Harvard law professor [and liberal Democrat] Alan Dershowitz called the rally a "great display of democracy in action." 
(New York Post)
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I hear the argument that Iran would be a threshold nuclear state without an agreement. But the truth is it would have been an illegitimate one that would have justified continued disapproval, sanctions and the threat of a military option against its nuclear program. The most dangerous regime in the region should never be given such legitimacy on such a perilous project. The original goal of dismantling Iran's nuclear infrastructure was not wishful thinking, but a vital part of what needed to be achieved.
The writer served as national director of the Anti-Defamation League for 28 years.
(JTA)
 
 

Far from requiring the Iranians to dismantle their illicit nuclear program, the Vienna accord leaves almost all of it intact. In exchange for little more than a promise to delay its development of nuclear warheads, Tehran is rewarded...
(Boston Globe)
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A majority of Americans want Congress to reject the recently-negotiated nuclear deal with Iran.  52% say Congress should reject the deal, while 44% say it should be approved, according to a new CNN/ORC poll conducted on July 22-25.
(CNN)
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The data shows US Jews opposing the deal by 47-44. But after hearing arguments on both sides, they oppose the deal by an overwhelming 58-30.
 
The survey of 1,034 people was conducted by Olive Tree Strategies on behalf of pro-Israel advocacy group The Israel Project. It claims a margin of error of 3 percent, and is the most extensive yet to be conducted on the issue. It comes as a wide array of U.S. Jewish groups have announced opposition to the deal, which is believed to endanger Israel and U.S. security.
[The Algemeiner]
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How can Americans favor the Iran deal by 18 or 19 percentage points and oppose it by 8 or 10? The differences, I believe, come down mostly to the questions asked by the pollsters. If poll questions argue, in effect, that it's a good deal, Americans tend to support it. When people are asked their opinion in an unbiased way that reflects their own understanding of the agreement, they oppose it.
 
When Pew asked simply, "From what you know, do you approve or disapprove of this agreement?," unaffected by a positive description of the deal, just 33% approve, while 45% disapprove.
 
In short, every poll that finds support for the Iran agreement includes a question that explains why people should support it while casting no doubts. Every poll that offers a neutral description, or none at all, finds Americans opposed to the agreement. Moreover, every poll indicates Americans don't believe this deal will work. 
The writer has worked for Democratic candidates and causes since 1982.
(The Hill)
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57% of Americans oppose the nuclear deal with Iran, while 28% support it, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted July 23-28.
56% disapprove the way Obama is handling the situation in Iran, compared with 35% percent who approve. 58% also think the deal makes the world less safe.   
(The Hill)
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