I like Guesser......guy tells it like it is in my opinion. Just like me!! But I like you as well...even though you don't like me....so figure that one out.
Play nice tonight gents.....time to watch tbay bullpen blow a late inning lead in bed.
I like Guesser......guy tells it like it is in my opinion. Just like me!! But I like you as well...even though you don't like me....so figure that one out.
Play nice tonight gents.....time to watch tbay bullpen blow a late inning lead in bed.
I like you, Vit. I disagree agree with your opinions at times, and have taken some unfair shots at you, but most of the time I'm just giving you shit. Just please don't tell the "sick cult" whose asses I'm currently kissing. I don't want to lose my chance at the coveted mascot in training position. Congrats on your baseball run as well. Impressive.
[h=1]Obama to meet with Jewish leaders to push Iran nuclear deal as poll shows American public opposes pact with ayatollahs[/h]
PUBLISHED: 00:28, 4 August 2015 | UPDATED: 01:21, 4 August 2015
President Barack Obama will meet with prominent leaders in the Jewish community tomorrow behind closed doors, the White House announced today on the heels of another poll showing resistance from the public to the nuclear deal the executive branch negotiated with Iran.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was dispatched on Friday to lobby leaders of influential Jewish organizations, and he said at a subsequent briefing with reporters he thought was a 'very good meeting.'
Apparently, it wasn't good enough, as the the president is now making himself available to answer questions about the deal that his spokesman openly acknowledged today is a source of concern for strong supporters of Israel, the sworn enemy of Iran.
+5
President Barack Obama will meet with prominent leaders in the Jewish community tomorrow behind closed doors, the White House announced today on the heels of another poll showing resistance from the public to the nuclear deal the executive branch negotiated with Iran
'The president will come prepared to make a strong case....about how he believes that historic agreement.... isn't just in the best interest of the United States,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, 'it's clearly within the national security interests of our closest ally in the region, Israel.'
Earnest did not say who specifically the president was meeting with tomorrow, and the White House was not ready to make that list public when asked for it later in the day by DailyMail.com.
Among the 31 named attendees of a previous meeting at the White House with Obama in April to discuss the pending deal were Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Steve Rabinowitz, a Democratic strategist and alumnus of Bill Clinton's White House press office and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld.
Other attendees included Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Robert Cohen, the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
AIPAC has come out against the agreement while J Street, a liberal, Jewish-American group, is backing it and has been pressing its members in Congress to do the same.
.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been begging world powers and American legislators to oppose any deal with Iran since before the the accord in question came to fruition, however, and his words hang heavy in the air for Jewish lawmakers.
'It's a zealot country,' Netanyahu said in an appearance on NBC News a day after the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was inked. 'It's killed a lot of Americans. It's killing everybody in sight in the Middle East.'
Netanyahu said in his opinion, 'Iran has two paths to the bomb: One if they keep the deal, the other if they cheat on the deal.'
Vice President Joe Biden was the first administration official tasked with persuading Jewish Americans to ignore Netanyahu's warnings after negotiations concluded last month, hosting a call that the Jewish Telegraphic Agency says attracted more than a thousand listeners on July 20.
Biden, it said, spent an hour defending the deal from common criticisms. He did not take any questions afterward, it said, but his national security adviser, who was at that time on the ground in Israel with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, did
+5
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was dispatched on Friday to lobby leaders of influential Jewish organizations, and he said at a subsequent briefing with reporters that he thought it was a 'very good meeting.' Apparently, it wasn't good enough, as the the president is now making himself available to answer questions about the deal
Next up was Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. The MIT professor-turned-cabinet member characterized his dealings with the Jewish leaders as 'a very good discussion.'
'I felt that we made real progress in terms of clarification of issues in terms of how this agreement was ultimately good for our security and for the security in the region,' he said.
Moniz acknowledged that participants came to the meeting with 'very, very different perspectives' but said, overall, he thought 'it was a very, very good meeting.'
The energy secretary's meeting with reticent Jewish leaders topped off a tough week for the administration in terms of securing support for the international agreement that Moniz and Secretary of State John Kerry had a heavy hand in bringing about.
CNN released a poll taken several days after the public announcement of the deal showing that 52 percent of Americans wanted Congress to vote down the deal.
Kerry likewise took fire on the Hill, from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, during a set of congressional hearings.
Today, the administration received more bad news as Quinnipiac University published a survey of its own, taken during the same, rough time period as CNN's, in which a mere 28 percent of Americans said they approved of the deal. A majority, 57 percent, said they did not.
Even worse was that a bare-majority of the president's own party members, 52 percent, voiced their support for it.
Similar percentages of respondents told poll-takers they believed the accord would make the world less safe and President Obama was mishandling Iran.
Several prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill have since fallen in line and said they would be voting against a resolution of disapproval.
Prominent Jewish Democrat Adam Schiff, the ranking member on House Armed Services committee, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren both threw their support behind it today as the best the way to prevent Iran from building a bomb.
+5
+5
Still silent: New York Senator Chuck Schumer, left, who is in line to lead his party after Harry Reid retires, and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, right. Schultz represents Florida in Congress
+5
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been begging world powers and American legislators to oppose any deal with Iran since before the the accord in question came to fruition, however, and his words hang heavy in the air for Jewish lawmakers
Still silent though, are New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who is in line to lead his party after Harry Reid retires, and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Schultz represents Florida in Congress.
Schumer's been the target of an aggressive lobbying campaign to oppose the deal. He told Politico in an interview published yesterday, 'I’m doing what I’m always doing when I have a very difficult decision: Learning it carefully and giving it my best shot, doing what I think is right.'
'I’m not going to let pressure or politics or party get in the way of that,' he said.
Last week during a call with progressive activists, the president had said some Democratic lawmakers were getting 'squishy' on the deal under pressure from its critics.
The White House declined to tell DailyMail.com whether the president had spoken to Schumer directly last week and it played coy when it may a similar inquiry into the president's plans to meet with Schultz one-on-one during a working reception he was hosting at the White House for House Democrats that evening.
The House subsequently adjourned for a six week break. The Senate will take its leave at the end of this week.
Earnest said during his briefing today that the president could meet with meet with additional senators before they leave town. He may also meet with 'other stakeholders who have shown interest in this particular issue,' in the coming days, as well, Earnest said.
Lawmakers will return from their summer vacation the second week in September. The White House will have, at most, 12 days after that to win over Democratic hold-outs.
The legislative branch has until September 20 to approve or disapprove of the deal or it doesn't get a say at all.
If it passes a resolution of disapproval, it starts the clock for President Obama to authorize a veto, which he has said he will. Congress would then have 10 days to come up with the support to override his decision before the accord could take effect.
- Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was dispatched on Friday to lobby leaders of influential Jewish organizations
- Told reporters he thought was a 'very good meeting'; clearly it didn't go well enough - now Obama is meeting with them at the White House
- Biden spent an hour on the phone with Jewish Americans several days after the deal was announced making the administration's case
- Several prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill have not said how they'll vote
- New poll shows that just 28 percent of Americans want the deal; 57 percent are opposed
PUBLISHED: 00:28, 4 August 2015 | UPDATED: 01:21, 4 August 2015
President Barack Obama will meet with prominent leaders in the Jewish community tomorrow behind closed doors, the White House announced today on the heels of another poll showing resistance from the public to the nuclear deal the executive branch negotiated with Iran.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was dispatched on Friday to lobby leaders of influential Jewish organizations, and he said at a subsequent briefing with reporters he thought was a 'very good meeting.'
Apparently, it wasn't good enough, as the the president is now making himself available to answer questions about the deal that his spokesman openly acknowledged today is a source of concern for strong supporters of Israel, the sworn enemy of Iran.
+5
President Barack Obama will meet with prominent leaders in the Jewish community tomorrow behind closed doors, the White House announced today on the heels of another poll showing resistance from the public to the nuclear deal the executive branch negotiated with Iran
'The president will come prepared to make a strong case....about how he believes that historic agreement.... isn't just in the best interest of the United States,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, 'it's clearly within the national security interests of our closest ally in the region, Israel.'
Earnest did not say who specifically the president was meeting with tomorrow, and the White House was not ready to make that list public when asked for it later in the day by DailyMail.com.
Among the 31 named attendees of a previous meeting at the White House with Obama in April to discuss the pending deal were Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Steve Rabinowitz, a Democratic strategist and alumnus of Bill Clinton's White House press office and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld.
Other attendees included Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Robert Cohen, the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
AIPAC has come out against the agreement while J Street, a liberal, Jewish-American group, is backing it and has been pressing its members in Congress to do the same.
.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been begging world powers and American legislators to oppose any deal with Iran since before the the accord in question came to fruition, however, and his words hang heavy in the air for Jewish lawmakers.
'It's a zealot country,' Netanyahu said in an appearance on NBC News a day after the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was inked. 'It's killed a lot of Americans. It's killing everybody in sight in the Middle East.'
Netanyahu said in his opinion, 'Iran has two paths to the bomb: One if they keep the deal, the other if they cheat on the deal.'
Vice President Joe Biden was the first administration official tasked with persuading Jewish Americans to ignore Netanyahu's warnings after negotiations concluded last month, hosting a call that the Jewish Telegraphic Agency says attracted more than a thousand listeners on July 20.
Biden, it said, spent an hour defending the deal from common criticisms. He did not take any questions afterward, it said, but his national security adviser, who was at that time on the ground in Israel with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, did
+5
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was dispatched on Friday to lobby leaders of influential Jewish organizations, and he said at a subsequent briefing with reporters that he thought it was a 'very good meeting.' Apparently, it wasn't good enough, as the the president is now making himself available to answer questions about the deal
Next up was Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. The MIT professor-turned-cabinet member characterized his dealings with the Jewish leaders as 'a very good discussion.'
'I felt that we made real progress in terms of clarification of issues in terms of how this agreement was ultimately good for our security and for the security in the region,' he said.
Moniz acknowledged that participants came to the meeting with 'very, very different perspectives' but said, overall, he thought 'it was a very, very good meeting.'
The energy secretary's meeting with reticent Jewish leaders topped off a tough week for the administration in terms of securing support for the international agreement that Moniz and Secretary of State John Kerry had a heavy hand in bringing about.
CNN released a poll taken several days after the public announcement of the deal showing that 52 percent of Americans wanted Congress to vote down the deal.
Kerry likewise took fire on the Hill, from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, during a set of congressional hearings.
Today, the administration received more bad news as Quinnipiac University published a survey of its own, taken during the same, rough time period as CNN's, in which a mere 28 percent of Americans said they approved of the deal. A majority, 57 percent, said they did not.
Even worse was that a bare-majority of the president's own party members, 52 percent, voiced their support for it.
Similar percentages of respondents told poll-takers they believed the accord would make the world less safe and President Obama was mishandling Iran.
Several prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill have since fallen in line and said they would be voting against a resolution of disapproval.
Prominent Jewish Democrat Adam Schiff, the ranking member on House Armed Services committee, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren both threw their support behind it today as the best the way to prevent Iran from building a bomb.
+5
+5
Still silent: New York Senator Chuck Schumer, left, who is in line to lead his party after Harry Reid retires, and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, right. Schultz represents Florida in Congress
+5
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been begging world powers and American legislators to oppose any deal with Iran since before the the accord in question came to fruition, however, and his words hang heavy in the air for Jewish lawmakers
Still silent though, are New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who is in line to lead his party after Harry Reid retires, and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Schultz represents Florida in Congress.
Schumer's been the target of an aggressive lobbying campaign to oppose the deal. He told Politico in an interview published yesterday, 'I’m doing what I’m always doing when I have a very difficult decision: Learning it carefully and giving it my best shot, doing what I think is right.'
'I’m not going to let pressure or politics or party get in the way of that,' he said.
Last week during a call with progressive activists, the president had said some Democratic lawmakers were getting 'squishy' on the deal under pressure from its critics.
The White House declined to tell DailyMail.com whether the president had spoken to Schumer directly last week and it played coy when it may a similar inquiry into the president's plans to meet with Schultz one-on-one during a working reception he was hosting at the White House for House Democrats that evening.
The House subsequently adjourned for a six week break. The Senate will take its leave at the end of this week.
Earnest said during his briefing today that the president could meet with meet with additional senators before they leave town. He may also meet with 'other stakeholders who have shown interest in this particular issue,' in the coming days, as well, Earnest said.
Lawmakers will return from their summer vacation the second week in September. The White House will have, at most, 12 days after that to win over Democratic hold-outs.
The legislative branch has until September 20 to approve or disapprove of the deal or it doesn't get a say at all.
If it passes a resolution of disapproval, it starts the clock for President Obama to authorize a veto, which he has said he will. Congress would then have 10 days to come up with the support to override his decision before the accord could take effect.
New poll: U.S. Jews support Iran deal, despite misgivings
by Steven M. Cohen
Posted on Jul. 23, 2015 at 1:02 pm
The LA Jewish Journal Survey found that 49% of American Jews support the Iranian nuclear deal. Information from LA Jewish Journal Survey – July 16-20, 2015." height="332" width="539">
The LA Jewish Journal Survey found that 49% of American Jews support the Iranian nuclear deal. Information from LA Jewish Journal Survey – July 16-20, 2015.
By a wide margin, American Jews support the recently concluded agreement with Iran to restrict its nuclear program, and a clear majority of Jews wants Congress to approve the deal. In fact, as compared with Americans generally, Jews are more supportive of the “Iran deal,” in large part because Jews are more liberal and more Democratic in their identities. It turns out that liberals (Jewish or not) support the deal far more than conservatives (Jewish or not), just as most Democrats are in favor, while most Republicans are opposed.
These results emerge from the new LA Jewish Journal Survey conducted under my direction by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS), between July 16-20, a few days after the agreement had been announced. SSRS interviewed 501 Jews for the Jewish survey, and for the national survey, 522 respondents by phone (almost a third of which were cellphones). The margin of error is 6 percent for the Jewish survey and 5.2 percent for the national survey (consisting of 505 non-Jews and 17 Jews).
The LA Jewish Journal Survey asked respondents’ views on “an agreement … reached in which the United States and other countries would lift major economic sanctions against Iran, in exchange for Iran restricting its nuclear program in a way that makes it harder for it to produce nuclear weapons.” Almost half – 49 percent of American Jews – voiced support, and 31 percent opposed. Jews differ from the national population. Of all respondents in our national survey, only 28 percent support the deal, 24 percent oppose and the rest (48 percent) “don’t know enough to say.”
Similarly, asked whether Congress should “vote to approve or oppose the deal,” Jews lean heavily toward approval, 53 percent for versus 35 percent against. These margins contrast with the near-even split among the nation generally (41 percent for versus 38 percent against, with 21 percent undecided).
As a group, Jews hold these supportive views of the agreement, notwithstanding their mixed views regarding its outcomes. Asked whether “this agreement would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons over the next 10 years or so,” only 42 percent are somewhat confident or very confident, while 54 percent are not so confident or not confident at all. A slim plurality believes the agreement will lead to more rather than less stability in the Middle East (46 percent versus 41 percent), but a wider margin believes the deal will make Israel more endangered (49 percent) rather than safer (33 percent), almost the same as in the U.S. survey (48 percent versus 32 percent respectively).
The bottom line: American Jews, more than Americans generally, tend to support the Iran deal and they want Congress to approve it
A slim majority of Jews want Congress to approve the deal, yet nearly half believe the agreement will make Israel more endangered. How is this possible?
It turns out that among those who see Israel as safer, almost all voice approval. Among those who are not sure how Israel will be affected, the vast majority wants Congress to approve. And among those who feel Israel is more endangered, a full 20 percent still support the deal. Arithmetically, it all adds up, even though support for the Iran deal is, indeed, closely related to perceptions of how the deal will affect Israel's security.
But even with their misgivings, Jews overwhelmingly think that, in retrospect, the idea of the U.S. conducting negotiations with Iran was a good one (59 percent) rather than a bad one (19 percent).
Opinions among Jews and the country generally are sharply divided along ideological and partisan lines, with even sharper polarization among Jews than among non-Jews.
Among Jewish liberals (self-defined), those favoring congressional approval outnumber opponents 72 percent to 18 percent. For conservative Jews, the numbers are reversed: 8 percent for approval and 81 percent opposed. Similarly, Jewish Democrats divide 70 percent-20 percent in favor of congressional approval, while the Republicans divide 77 percent-15 percent in opposition.
We asked respondents their views of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders are about equally popular among American Jews and Americans in general. However, people tend to disagree in their assessments; many who favor one of them tend to disfavor the other.
Given these contrasts, it should come a no surprise that positive views of Obama are associated with approval of the Iran deal: Those who very favorably view Obama seek congressional approval 93 percent to 4 percent. The opposite is true about Netanyahu: His admirers oppose the deal, and his detractors heavily oppose it. Among those seeing him as very favorable, only 22 percent want Congress to approve the deal, while 73 percent seek rejection.
Approval of the Iran deal rises with increased confidence in its effectiveness, greater belief in its ability to promote more stability in the Middle East, and wider conviction that it makes Israel safer rather than more endangered.
Of those who think it makes Israel safer, 98 percent want Congress to approve. Of those who see Israel as more endangered by the deal, only 20 percent seek congressional approval. The “swing votes” are the “don’t knows” about the impact on Israel: They break 66-8 percent in favor of congressional approval.
Indeed, connection to Israel does play a major role in influencing views on the Iran deal with those more connected to Israel less supportive of the deal. However, even the pro-Israel segment of the Jewish population comes down in favor of the deal. Among those who have never been to Israel, support for congressional approval wins 58-30 percent. But it also wins, albeit more narrowly, among those who have visited Israel: 48 percent to 44 percent. In fact, among those who say that they are “very attached” emotionally to Israel, 51 percent want Congress to approve the deal, versus 38 percent who oppose such action.
Another question asked about the degree of sympathy with Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians. Among those with the highest level of sympathy (“a lot”), support for congressional approval very narrowly exceeds opposition, 47 percent to 44 percent.
Of some political import is the fact that more younger adult Jews seek congressional approval than their elders — 59 percent-25 percent for those younger than 40, versus 51 percent-40 percent among those 65 and older. The highly educated (also more politically active and influential) strongly favor congressional approval (61 percent to 31 percent) as compared with those without a college degree who tend to oppose (39 percent for approval and 48 percent against).
The bottom line: American Jews, more than Americans generally, tend to support the Iran deal and they want Congress to approve it. Their support certainly co-exists with considerable hesitations and qualifications. Their views on the Iran deal are highly differentiated by political camp. On one side are liberals, Democrats and Obama admirers; on the other, conservatives, Republicans and Netanyahu admirers. Even the most pro-Israel support the deal, albeit far more narrowly than those who are less passionately connected with Israel.
The true and deeper divide in American Jewry is not about the Iran deal per se. This issue is merely the latest place to witness the ongoing and maybe growing divide between the liberal and conservative wings of American Jewry. As with many views and behaviors related to Israel and being Jewish, American Jews’ political identities serve as a major basis for social differentiation. Which is a fancy way of saying: Liberals and conservatives — especially Jewish liberals and conservatives — see and experience the world, including Iran, very differently.
by Steven M. Cohen
Posted on Jul. 23, 2015 at 1:02 pm
The LA Jewish Journal Survey found that 49% of American Jews support the Iranian nuclear deal. Information from LA Jewish Journal Survey – July 16-20, 2015.
By a wide margin, American Jews support the recently concluded agreement with Iran to restrict its nuclear program, and a clear majority of Jews wants Congress to approve the deal. In fact, as compared with Americans generally, Jews are more supportive of the “Iran deal,” in large part because Jews are more liberal and more Democratic in their identities. It turns out that liberals (Jewish or not) support the deal far more than conservatives (Jewish or not), just as most Democrats are in favor, while most Republicans are opposed.
These results emerge from the new LA Jewish Journal Survey conducted under my direction by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS), between July 16-20, a few days after the agreement had been announced. SSRS interviewed 501 Jews for the Jewish survey, and for the national survey, 522 respondents by phone (almost a third of which were cellphones). The margin of error is 6 percent for the Jewish survey and 5.2 percent for the national survey (consisting of 505 non-Jews and 17 Jews).
The LA Jewish Journal Survey asked respondents’ views on “an agreement … reached in which the United States and other countries would lift major economic sanctions against Iran, in exchange for Iran restricting its nuclear program in a way that makes it harder for it to produce nuclear weapons.” Almost half – 49 percent of American Jews – voiced support, and 31 percent opposed. Jews differ from the national population. Of all respondents in our national survey, only 28 percent support the deal, 24 percent oppose and the rest (48 percent) “don’t know enough to say.”
Similarly, asked whether Congress should “vote to approve or oppose the deal,” Jews lean heavily toward approval, 53 percent for versus 35 percent against. These margins contrast with the near-even split among the nation generally (41 percent for versus 38 percent against, with 21 percent undecided).
As a group, Jews hold these supportive views of the agreement, notwithstanding their mixed views regarding its outcomes. Asked whether “this agreement would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons over the next 10 years or so,” only 42 percent are somewhat confident or very confident, while 54 percent are not so confident or not confident at all. A slim plurality believes the agreement will lead to more rather than less stability in the Middle East (46 percent versus 41 percent), but a wider margin believes the deal will make Israel more endangered (49 percent) rather than safer (33 percent), almost the same as in the U.S. survey (48 percent versus 32 percent respectively).
The bottom line: American Jews, more than Americans generally, tend to support the Iran deal and they want Congress to approve it
A slim majority of Jews want Congress to approve the deal, yet nearly half believe the agreement will make Israel more endangered. How is this possible?
It turns out that among those who see Israel as safer, almost all voice approval. Among those who are not sure how Israel will be affected, the vast majority wants Congress to approve. And among those who feel Israel is more endangered, a full 20 percent still support the deal. Arithmetically, it all adds up, even though support for the Iran deal is, indeed, closely related to perceptions of how the deal will affect Israel's security.
But even with their misgivings, Jews overwhelmingly think that, in retrospect, the idea of the U.S. conducting negotiations with Iran was a good one (59 percent) rather than a bad one (19 percent).
Opinions among Jews and the country generally are sharply divided along ideological and partisan lines, with even sharper polarization among Jews than among non-Jews.
Among Jewish liberals (self-defined), those favoring congressional approval outnumber opponents 72 percent to 18 percent. For conservative Jews, the numbers are reversed: 8 percent for approval and 81 percent opposed. Similarly, Jewish Democrats divide 70 percent-20 percent in favor of congressional approval, while the Republicans divide 77 percent-15 percent in opposition.
We asked respondents their views of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders are about equally popular among American Jews and Americans in general. However, people tend to disagree in their assessments; many who favor one of them tend to disfavor the other.
Given these contrasts, it should come a no surprise that positive views of Obama are associated with approval of the Iran deal: Those who very favorably view Obama seek congressional approval 93 percent to 4 percent. The opposite is true about Netanyahu: His admirers oppose the deal, and his detractors heavily oppose it. Among those seeing him as very favorable, only 22 percent want Congress to approve the deal, while 73 percent seek rejection.
Approval of the Iran deal rises with increased confidence in its effectiveness, greater belief in its ability to promote more stability in the Middle East, and wider conviction that it makes Israel safer rather than more endangered.
Of those who think it makes Israel safer, 98 percent want Congress to approve. Of those who see Israel as more endangered by the deal, only 20 percent seek congressional approval. The “swing votes” are the “don’t knows” about the impact on Israel: They break 66-8 percent in favor of congressional approval.
Indeed, connection to Israel does play a major role in influencing views on the Iran deal with those more connected to Israel less supportive of the deal. However, even the pro-Israel segment of the Jewish population comes down in favor of the deal. Among those who have never been to Israel, support for congressional approval wins 58-30 percent. But it also wins, albeit more narrowly, among those who have visited Israel: 48 percent to 44 percent. In fact, among those who say that they are “very attached” emotionally to Israel, 51 percent want Congress to approve the deal, versus 38 percent who oppose such action.
Another question asked about the degree of sympathy with Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians. Among those with the highest level of sympathy (“a lot”), support for congressional approval very narrowly exceeds opposition, 47 percent to 44 percent.
Of some political import is the fact that more younger adult Jews seek congressional approval than their elders — 59 percent-25 percent for those younger than 40, versus 51 percent-40 percent among those 65 and older. The highly educated (also more politically active and influential) strongly favor congressional approval (61 percent to 31 percent) as compared with those without a college degree who tend to oppose (39 percent for approval and 48 percent against).
The bottom line: American Jews, more than Americans generally, tend to support the Iran deal and they want Congress to approve it. Their support certainly co-exists with considerable hesitations and qualifications. Their views on the Iran deal are highly differentiated by political camp. On one side are liberals, Democrats and Obama admirers; on the other, conservatives, Republicans and Netanyahu admirers. Even the most pro-Israel support the deal, albeit far more narrowly than those who are less passionately connected with Israel.
The true and deeper divide in American Jewry is not about the Iran deal per se. This issue is merely the latest place to witness the ongoing and maybe growing divide between the liberal and conservative wings of American Jewry. As with many views and behaviors related to Israel and being Jewish, American Jews’ political identities serve as a major basis for social differentiation. Which is a fancy way of saying: Liberals and conservatives — especially Jewish liberals and conservatives — see and experience the world, including Iran, very differently.
