GOP pollster: Most Americans support Benjamin Netanyahu speech
Congressional Democrats are demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancel or delay next monthâs address to Congress, but a new survey by a Republican pollster says Americans want the show to go on. The poll â conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, a pollster that worked for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) â found that 59 percent of Americans support Netanyahuâs speech to Congress and only 23 percent oppose, according to results obtained by POLITICO. McLaughlin & Associates CEO John McLaughlin has also advised Netanyahu during his current reelection campaign. Story Continued Below Many Democrats have publicly bashed the planned speech for being scheduled just weeks before the Israeli elections and have lambasted House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for seeking to bring a critic of President Barack Obama to Capitol Hill at a crucial moment during nuclear negotiations with Iran. They have also criticized Boehner for not notifying the White House of the invitation. But the poll concluded that 36 percent of people strongly support the March 3 address, while just 11 percent strongly oppose it. The survey also found that 79 percent want to require both Obama and Congress to vet a deal that would ratchet down Iranâs nuclear program in exchange for further loosening of some sanctions. Congressional Republicans are increasingly shifting their stance on the Iran toward requiring congressional approval for a deal, as opposed to imposing new sanctions. The White House opposes both options. The poll was conducted from Friday to Tuesday and surveyed 1,007 likely general election voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.