Iran Deal Lobbying From All Sides

The great debate over the Iran deal – who is coming down where, and why.

The heat is fully on now on the Iran nuclear deal. The President, reportedly making calls from his summer vacation, looking to hold enough votes to sustain his veto against a Congressional vote of no to the deal. His allies, rallying support from airwaves to street corners. Opponents of the Iran deal pulling out all the stops. Pouring money into ad campaigns. Looking for every point of leverage to line up the votes to kill it. It is an extraordinary summertime battle of lobbyists, true believers, heads of state. This hour On Point:  the arm-twisting, big money and urgent appeals over the Iran deal.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Jodi Schneider, Congressional editor for Bloomberg News.

Catherine Ho, lobbying reporter at the Washington Post. (@wapocat)

Nicholas Burns,  professor in international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. Former US Ambassador to Greece and NATO. (@RNicholasBurns)

J. J. Goldberg, editor-at-large of the Forward. Author of "Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment." (@jj_goldberg)

Washington Post: Mega-donors opposing Iran deal have upper hand in fierce lobbying battle — "On one side of the fight are Sheldon Adelson, Paul Singer and Haim Saban, whose foundations have given a total of $13 million since 2010 to advocacy groups battling the Iran nuclear deal in Congress. And on the other are George Soros and a smattering of smaller donors. Soros and his foundation chipped in at least $68,500, a comparatively meager sum, over the same time period to lobbying groups who want the controversial pact to be adopted."

Bloomberg Politics: Lobbying Congress on Iran Deal Consumes Washington’s Summer — "The agreement with Iran by the U.S. and five other world powers would curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for easing sanctions. Congress has until mid-September to review the accord. If lawmakers adopt a resolution disapproving the agreement — as is likely in the Republican-controlled House and Senate — Obama has said he will veto it."

Associated Press: Democrats undeclared on Iran deal heed voters, not ads — "It's not lost on observers in both parties that AIPAC and its donor base tilts toward Democrats, and many Democratic lawmakers are already upset that they've been cast as anti-Israel and were summoned for a stern lecture by Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu in a joint meeting of Congress in March. A tougher approach from the group could have backfired and damaged relationships that the group has long nurtured."