Putin’s strategy and revisiting the Cold War

NEWS AND OPINION:

News organizations in multiple nations are speculating about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions as the siege against Ukraine continues. Many reports explore Mr. Putin’s possible strategy, motivation or master plan — there is a multitude of descriptors at work in the press.

Other coverage cites historical factors that could influence the outcome of the conflict, including persistent memories of the Cold War.

“Putin’s motives have always been clear. While, yes, he does miss the days of Soviet power and glory, he realizes that Russia is a country in relative decline and it has no way to rebuild the USSR,” said Harry J. Kazianis, senior director of Center for the National Interest and executive editor of the National Interest magazine.

“However, what he can do is try and redo the map of Europe and Eurasia so as to damage as many old Soviet republics around Russia’s borders so Moscow’s position is secure. That is why he destroyed Chechnya, invaded Georgia and now invaded Ukraine not once but twice,” Mr. Kazianis told “Inside the Beltway” in a statement.

“Putin does not want to conquer per se — but instead he wants to ensure that Russia’s neighbors are a bunch of failed states that Moscow can control and dominate. And that means he will smash Ukraine over at least several weeks to make sure the European Union and NATO won’t touch Kyiv for decades to come,” Mr. Kazianis said.

HERE COMES ‘THE BIDEN DRAG’

Here’s a handy new term to consider: “The Biden Drag.”

It originates with the Tarrance Group, a strategic research and polling firm which has conducted some significant polling on behalf of the Republican National Committee.

“The Biden Drag: The results from this survey find the political environment for Republicans to be in a very encouraging place,” the organization said in its broad analysis of these persistent negative findings regarding President Biden’s job approval — and the greater implications.

“Even the bargain-bin public polls reflect the weakened position President Biden is in with voters. The free fall in approval he experienced in August and September of last year has not bounced back, and in fact has seen some continued decline. This poll has him at a 53% majority disapproval, with only 41% approval,” the analysis continued.

“That number is even more extreme among independent voters with 55% disapproval and only 37% approval. What has been less covered, but is in fact much worse for President Biden and the Democrats’ chances in November, is the waning intensity of that remaining support. Voters strongly disapprove of the President at a rate of over 2 to 1 of those who strongly approve,” the analysis said.

“A meager 21% of voters say they strongly approve of the job President Biden is doing. His strong disapproval — among those who hold that opinion with a higher level of passion and increased likelihood to vote based on it — is at 44%.”

The poll of 800 registered U.S. voters was conducted Feb. 10-17 and released Tuesday.

62 MINUTES

Here’s one last little bit of information about President Biden’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

As a historic and political exercise, the ever-vigilant C-SPAN keeps a tally of how long recent presidents spoke during their first address over the years.

Here’s where Mr. Biden stands.

He spoke for exactly 62 minutes, according to the meticulous C-SPAN count. Now, let’s consider the data on the other recent presidents, going back in order of time.

Donald Trump spoke for 80 minutes, 32 seconds, Barack Obama for 69:20, George W. Bush for 47:50, Bill Clinton for 63:49, George H.W. Bush for 35:41, and Ronald Reagan for 40:05.

FOXIFIED, THE JUMBO EDITION

Fox News Channel had a major ratings triumph Tuesday night: The network was the most-watched channel of all for coverage of President Biden’s first State of the Union address. According to Nielsen Media Research, 6.9 million viewers tuned in — besting not only all cable new rivals but broadcast networks like NBC and CBS.

In addition, Fox News coverage of the Republican response by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also had blockbuster ratings, drawing 5.9 million viewers.

Meanwhile, the network enjoyed its highest ratings since the 2020 presidential election during the week of Feb. 21-27, drawing an average 3.2 million primetime viewers, again according to Nielsen. For the week, Fox News aired the top 13 cable news programs. CNN weighed in with 1.5 million viewers and MSNBC with 1.4 million.

“The Five” remains the most watched Fox News program of all with 4 million viewers, followed by “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (3.9 million) and “Jesse Watters Tonight” (3.5 million). All three have audiences larger than such network shows as ABC’s “The Bachelor” and NBC’s “Today.” Another standout was “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo,” which enjoyed an audience of 3.2 million.

In addition, “Fox News Sunday” drew 1.3 million viewers. Currently anchored by Harris Faulkner, the ratings for the Sunday staple were up by 23% from previous broadcasts.

POLL DU JOUR

• 78% of U.S. adults say normal life will “look different” when the U.S. moves beyond the pandemic; 67% of Republicans, 79% of independents and 85% of Democrats agree.

• 57% overall say that state and local communities should decide on their own when to lift coronavirus masking and testing requirements; 83% of Republicans, 62% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.

• 65% overall are concerned that children’s and teenagers’ mental health will suffer if COVID restrictions are not lifted; 73% of Republicans, 67% of independents and 56% of Democrats agree.

• 63% are concerned that local businesses will suffer due to loss of revenue if restrictions continue; 74% of Republicans, 66% of independents and 50% of Democrats agree.

• 35% overall say it is now safe for most people in the U.S. to resume their normal pre-pandemic activities; 65% of Republicans, 38% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: A Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 1,502 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 9-21 and released Tuesday.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.