A previous post mentioned the results of a recent public opinion poll by abc News and the Washington Post about U.S.-Cuba reconciliation: Favor normalizing relations? 64% to 31%; favor ending the embargo? 68% to 29%; favor liberal travel to Cuba? 74% to 24%.
Other recent polls confirm those findings. As the Miami Herald, in the heart of Cuban-American opposition to reconciliation, reports, “The polling is in: Cuban exile hardliners and Republicans are in the clear minority nationwide when it comes to the embargo and reestablishing ties with the island nation.” That was its summary of national polls from CNN/ORC International, Langer Research/ABC-Washington Post, Reuters/Ipsos, CBS and a Bendixen & Amandi International survey conducted last week for The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.” Here are some of the polling specifics:
|
Organization |
Favor Normailizing? (Yes-No) |
Favor End of Embargo? (Yes-No) |
Favor Liberal Travel? (Yes-No) |
|
ABC/Langer |
64% to 31% |
68% to 29% |
74% to 24% |
|
CNN/ORC |
63% to 33% |
45% to 40% |
67% to 32% |
|
CBS |
54% to 28% |
||
|
63% to 28% |
66% to 28% |
||
|
60% (YES) |
|||
|
45%-15% |
60%-35% |
However, these polls also show lower support for, and even overall opposition to, these reforms from Republicans. Those who identified themselves as “very conservative,” were even stronger in their opposition.
With the Republican Party now in charge of both chambers of the Congress, their problem now is: do they respond to the overall public opinion or only the opinion of the Republican respondents in these polls?