New Jersey Senators on the Iran Nuclear Deal

New Jersey, being a traditionally blue state, is represented (not surprisingly) in the Senate by two democrats, Senator Cory Booker and Senator Bob Menendez.  The two of them are ranked among the most liberal current members of Congress, receiving two of the top five most liberal scores on insidegov.com's ideology scorecard (another top five liberal score was that of my personal district representative, Bill Pascrell), as nearly all of their personal views on current hot-button issues fall left on the ideological spectrum.  The two have been avid supporters of the Obama administration in the past, but both have publicly spoken out against the current Iran Nuclear Deal, criticizing it for being ineffective in dismantling Iran's potential to acquire a nuclear weapon.  

Sen. Menendez (who has been battling recent bad publicity from a springtime indictment for corruption charges) has chosen to publicly oppose the deal as it does not "dismantle Iranian nuclear infrastructure," but rather delay the county's capabilities to acquire a nuclear weapon.  While bluntly disagreeing with the Obama Administration's deal, he begins his press release by making it very clear that he does not fall into the crowd that "reflexively opposes everything the President proposes," and even goes on to say that he has "supported President Obama 98% of the time."

Sen. Booker, on the other hand, while expressing dissatisfaction with the current deal reluctantly announced his support for the deal, even though said support "fell short of an endorsement."  Sen. Booker has made it known that his decision comes with the belief that the deal is the "better of two flawed options."  While agreeing with Sen. Booker and the opposition that the deal simply delays the possibility of Iran becoming a nuclear state for 15 years, the alternative (which he defines as further sanctions and even he possibility of military confrontation) allows the possibility of quicker nuclearization.  He states that the current deal, though not ideal, is the best option for eliminating nuclear capabilities of Iran (even though only a temporary delay), which is of the most pressing international security issues.  

Sen. Booker's stance on the issue makes it look as if he is "politicking" around the issue a little.  A recent nj.com poll shows that around 50% of New Jersians oppose the deal, while 45% support the deal: the state is just about split down the middle.  Though expressing support, he "finesses" it a little bit in order to keep from upsetting his opposing constituents.  A the same time, Sen. Menendez could be taking such a strong stance against to get back in the graces of his home state after his recent scandal by somewhat taking the role as a leading voice in democratic opposition, though being careful not to distance himself from the Obama Administration and his party affiliation.