RJC Response to Iran Deal Makes Headlines

RJC's advocacy efforts against Pres. Obama's Iran nuclear deal have garnered attention from key media outlets, including CBS News, Politico, USA Today, and the Washington Post

CBS This Morning ran a report on the intense efforts by pro-Israel groups to stop the President's bad Iran deal:

But the administration is up against the country's biggest pro-Israel lobbying groups, including The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the Republican Jewish Coalition, which are spending up to $40 million to try and kill the deal -- a lopsided figure compared to the $10 million spent by groups backing the administration, such as liberal pro-Israel group, J-Street.

"I would describe it as one of the largest congressional fights we will see in our lifetime," Republican Jewish Coalition spokesman Mark McNulty said.

Click image to watch video.

Politico reports:

Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal are borrowing a tactic from the fight over Obamacare: taking a stand during town halls with members of Congress. The question is how heated the debate will get...

The Republican Jewish Coalition, one of several groups mobilizing against the deal, is distributing the town hall schedules of lawmakers to its 40,000 members so that they can attend and voice their opinions. The group's "action alerts" target around 70 lawmakers, including Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

..The RJC's McNulty compared the nuclear deal to Obamacare in that it's a "monumental, a paradigm shift." But while he acknowledged the nuclear deal wasn't likely to spur the same level of passion as the health law - which directly hit people's pocketbooks - he said the bitter history between Iran and the U.S., including the 1979 hostage crisis, still provokes visceral reactions from Americans.

"I think Americans have this instinctual feel that these people cannot be trusted and it's wrong to make a deal where you've given up so much," he said.

The Washington Post notes:

The Republican Jewish Coalition, an advocacy group opposing the deal, has compiled a long list of 72 lawmakers they see as on the fence. Only one of them, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), is a Republican.

...I think in today's politics, what's more important to these guys than sticking with your president is getting re-elected," McNulty said. "So a lot of the pressure we're going to be putting on these guys is through our members, who are their constituents."

USA TODAY reported on our social media campaign. 

The Republican Jewish Coalition is "spending heavily" on social media ads to persuade lawmakers to reject the deal with a veto-proof majority, said Mark McNulty, the group's communications director.