U.S.
support grows for Obama's push to boost ties with Cuba
Send a link to a friend
[December 23, 2014]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American
support for lifting the trade embargo on Cuba appears to be growing
after President Barack Obama said he plans to restore diplomatic ties
with Havana, new Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.
|
Forty-one percent of Americans said the United States should lift
the embargo, which began more than 50 years, according to a poll
conducted between Dec. 18-22, right after Obama announced he would
do what he could to ease restrictions on travel and trade with the
Communist-run island.
That's up from 37 percent in surveys taken between July and October.
During that summer period, more Americans - 38 percent - said they
were unsure whether the embargo should be lifted. The recent poll
shows 34 percent are unsure.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/23/images/ads/current/abes_christmas_sda_112014.png) Removing the embargo completely would require Congressional
approval, something administration officials have acknowledged would
be difficult to obtain. Republicans like Florida Senator Marco
Rubio, a Cuban-American thought to be a potential presidential
candidate in 2016, have vowed to roll back Obama's actions.
Twenty-five percent of Americans said they were opposed to the idea
of lifting the embargo, unchanged from this summer. Also unchanged
is a third of Americans saying they believe Cuba is a threat to U.S.
national security.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_040113.png)
Only half of Americans were familiar with Obama's announcement, the
poll showed.
But 46 percent of Americans said the United States should establish
normal diplomatic relations with Cuba, as Obama has proposed, up
from 43 percent in surveys this summer.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Diane Craft)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2014/Dec/23/images/ads/current/friendship_manor_sda_christmas2014.png) |