Most voters want a ceasefire, but few in Congress support one

Speaking Security Newsletter | Note n°223 | 9 November 2023

So far, only 17 House members have signed on to Rep. Cori Bush’s resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. Who else supports a ceasefire? Examples: the UN secretary-general, various UN agencies, 600 international organizations, more than 1,000 USAID employees, and for the most part, the US public wants one too. According to recent polling, 66 percent of all voters say the US should call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Among Democrats, 80 percent are in favor of this idea; among Republicans, 56 percent are in favor.

Congress is always out of step with voter attitudes to some extent, but the contrast here between elite and public opinion is absolutely wild to me. What other issues are like this? Another question: Which political party wins the shameful/shameless award: is it the Republicans, who have zero cosponsors on the ceasefire resolution, or is it the Democrats, who managed to be even more out of touch with its base than the GOP?

^Alt text for screen readers: Most voters want a ceasefire, but hardly anyone in Congress supports one. This chart shows the percent in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza. Among Democratic voters, 80 percent; House Democrats, 8 percent. Republican voters, 56 percent; House Republicans, 0 percent. All voters, 66 percent; all House members, 4 percent. Data comes from House Resolution 786 and an October 20, 2023 poll from Data for Progress. More at stephensemler.substack.com.

-Stephen (@stephensemler; stephen@securityreform.org)

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