JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
As missiles streak across the Middle East and casualties mount, what do people in the U.S. think of the nation's conflict with Iran so far? NPR's Frank Langfitt went to a competitive congressional district in Pennsylvania to find out.
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FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: Scores of people crowded a music venue here in Harrisburg yesterday to support Justin Douglas.
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LANGFITT: He's running in the Democratic primary for Congress in Pennsylvania's 10th District, one of the few toss-up races in November's midterms. Among the crowd was Emilee Ellenberger (ph), a 38-year-old bartender. She can't stand the U.S. strikes on Iran.
EMILEE ELLENBERGER: I mean, I think that it's pretty pathetic that our president has decided that he gets to just do whatever he wants with no approval from Congress. The fact that Congress doesn't really seem to care to stop him is disheartening. It seems pretty crazy.
LANGFITT: Michael Peffley (ph), a Democratic activist, was also in the crowd. He blames America's past meddling in Iran for the rise of the current Islamist regime. Long ago, the U.S. backed the shah of Iran, an autocrat, who ruled for nearly four decades.
MICHAEL PEFFLEY: We wouldn't have this problem today if the United States of America had not, in the 1950s and then, again, 20 years later, interfered with Iranian politics. We never learn. We never learn our lesson.
LANGFITT: What did you think when you heard the president encourage the Iranian people to rise up, knock off the regime, and take over?
PEFFLEY: I thought they were the words of a fool. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't understand how the Iranian Guard can put down massive numbers of people protesting. He's encouraging people to go out and meet their death.
LANGFITT: Security forces killed more than 6,000 people during protests in January, according to rights groups. A short drive away, Republicans are gathering signatures at a restaurant to get their own candidates on the primary ballot. Anthony Miller (ph), a local Republican officeholder, is glad the U.S. attacked Iran.
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ANTHONY MILLER: I mean, I'm 68 years old. It's like 47 years of my life has been watching this terrorist organization, this country - Iran, terrorize the world, just constantly say, death to America.
LANGFITT: The president when he was running, you know, he's very critical of U.S. military intervention and forever wars.
MILLER: To me, Iran's had a 47-year war on the United States. So that seems to be a forever war that looks like he's trying to end. This action is not going to be a forever war. There's no boots on the ground, as far as I know. It's only been two days, so let's see what happens.
LANGFITT: Marc Anderson is a Republican state representative and former history teacher. He supports the strikes on Iran but has concerns.
MARC ANDERSON: Regime change is hard because we don't understand the cultures of these places. Iran has had half a century of totalitarian autocratic rule, and even before that, when you had the shah. So regime change - while it may be a noble effort, who's responsible for regime change is the people who live there, not the United States.
LANGFITT: The Pentagon says at least six U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict so far.
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LANGFITT: Back at the music venue, Justin Douglas, the Democratic congressional hopeful is already weaving Iran into his stump speech.
JUSTIN DOUGLAS: Yesterday, we went to war. And now we've seen the cost of it today - American lives. And unfortunately, that's probably not going to be all of the American lives because now we're in. And once we get in, things escalate.
LANGFITT: President Trump says he's not ruled out sending troops to Iran and has acknowledged that more will likely die as the fighting continues. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
(SOUNDBITE OF CITY OF THE SUN'S "NASCOSTO NEL MONDO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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