A lack of pressure on the Republican Party to denounce the war with Iran could cost them at the midterm elections.
Donald Trump confirmed strikes had been taken against the Middle Eastern country earlier this week, leading to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 500 civilians. Six US servicepeople were also confirmed dead as a result of retaliatory strikes from Iran. The outbreak of war in the Middle East is beginning to shift prices in the US, with a possible spike in gasoline prices noted by economist Paul Krugman.
But the lack of comment from members of the Republican Party could prove costly, according to analyst Russell Payne. The Salon correspondent believes a clear route must be taken by members of either party should they wish to secure an election victory come November.
Payne wrote, "While Republicans have not seen the same magnitude of a shift [as the Democratic Party], there have still been changes: sympathies for Israelis have fallen to 70%, while sympathies with Palestinians have risen to 13%.
"Taken together, the Republican support for war and the Democrats’ status quo approach to Israel and Palestine paint a picture of two parties that are out of step with voters when it comes to American policy in the Middle East."
This change in public mood and opposition to the war in Iran could affect the midterms far more than first expected, Payne believes. James Zogby, a former member of the DNC and the founder of the Arab American Institute, said change in the run-up to the midterms is unlikely.
Zogby noted that "despite increasingly critical perspectives on Israel gaining traction in the GOP, no coalitional organization exists to pressure elected Republicans on this issue."
He added, "The difference here is that on the Democratic side, there is a real coalition that has been around since ‘84 and it does include my community. It also includes progressive Jews and includes Black voters, Latino voters, Asian voters increasingly and young kids, college kids."
Payne added, "What’s unclear is whether and to what degree either party will stand to suffer or gain politically from their opponents’ positions in the midterms.
"While it’s commonly recited that voters don’t normally make their decisions based on a party or candidate’s foreign policy, an unpopular new war in the Middle East, which an ally ostensibly dragged the U.S. into, may push the issue higher in terms of voters’ priorities.