Republicans support going to war in Venezuela (but wouldn’t mind knowing why)
It is a truism by now well-established that many or most Republicans will agree with President Trump, no matter what. There are issues on which parts of his base will go sideways (like on immigrant visas) but they (and the legislators they’ve elected to Congress) are generally content to clap along with whatever Trump is doing.
You might therefore find it mildly surprising that, in a poll conducted by YouGov in September, a plurality of Republicans expressed opposition to invading Venezuela — a possible action suggested by a build-up of American military forces in the area. More nuanced questions about U.S. involvement evoked more support (both from Republicans and overall), but in no case did at least half of Trump’s party say they supported deployments.
That was then.
Over the weekend, CBS News published new YouGov polling, showing that most Republicans now support military action against Venezuela. A large majority of everyone else opposes it.
What changed? Two things. First, the more recent poll eliminated the “not sure” option, forcing people to choose between support and opposition. Probably the most significant shift, though, was that Trump and his administration have more openly embraced the idea of launching military strikes, moving the idea from something abstract to something that has the president’s potential blessing. With that comes Republicans approval.
Before you accuse me of being cynical, allow me to point out that most Republicans also say they know little to nothing about Venezuela. So a chunk of Trump’s party that admits to not knowing much about the country is also supportive of going to war with it.
That said, Republicans still align with the public overall in thinking that Trump should get Congress’s approval for any action and make a stronger case for the need for action, something he hasn’t yet done. They are less likely to think those things are necessary than are Democrats or independents, but a majority still holds those views.
But it probably doesn’t actually matter. If, as has been hinted, military strikes are imminent, Trump’s supporters would be forced to choose between their interest in Trump’s building consensus and his having already taken action. As noted at the outset, history suggests that this wouldn’t be a particularly difficult choice after all.
However much the rationale echoes one the party has spent more than a decade rejecting.
Photo: Jets fly over the White House. (White House/Flickr)