beantownbubba wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 10:07 am
John A Arkansawyer wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 6:27 am
beantownbubba wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 5:32 am
Bottom line, I think we ought to be working a lot harder on those face saving measures and be a lot quieter and less threatening about achieving military aims beyond resisting the invasion. Keeping Vladimir Putin from a "nothing more to lose" position ought to be high on the list of US aims and policy right now. And circling back to my first comment, perhaps the US is feverishly working in that direction under the radar, but it doesn't look like it from where I'm sitting.
This makes perfect sense to me, but from the Biden point of view, why would you give up the only popular thing it seems you are able to achieve?
Good point. As you know, the politics of US foreign policy used to be a lot simpler and straightforward, dare I say even bipartisan. Now, of course, it's just another aspect of the sewer in which our politics is mired. I don't know how the Administration should "play" or "spin" a move in the direction I suggest and I acknowledge that there may be political risks in doing so.
From a WaPo newsletter. I have no idea how this all plays out in terms of either policy or messaging choices but I don't envy the Administration personnel who are supposed to figure all this out. It looks like the accompanying charts didn't copy but the numbers are pretty clear from the text.
Biden's Ukraine conundrum: Most Americans favor escalating the U.S. role in Ukraine, but they also fear the war will escalate
President Biden recently asked Congress to approve more funds to help Ukraine as it fights off the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Biden recently asked Congress to approve more funds to help Ukraine as it fights off the Russian invasion. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Most Americans favor escalating the U.S. role in the war in Ukraine. Most Americans also fear the war in Ukraine will escalate. And a very small (but deeply unsettling) number of Americans want direct military action against Russia — even if that might mean nuclear war.
These are some of the findings from a new Washington Post-ABC News poll that took the temperature of public opinion about the largest conflict in Europe since World War II and how President Biden has managed the two-month-old conflagration triggered by Russia.
In all, 14 percent of Americans say the United States is doing too much for Ukraine, 37 percent say too little, and 36 percent say Biden is doing the right amount. The president’s handling of the war gets a thumbs up from 42 percent, while 47 percent disapprove.
Biden’s numbers have gotten better than they were in February, when 33 percent approved of his handling of the conflict, 47 percent disapproved, and 20 percent expressed no opinion.
WE BOTH FAVOR AND FEAR ESCALATION, APPARENTLY
Healthy majorities of Americans support providing more military support to the government in Kyiv (55 percent), increasing retaliatory sanctions on Russia (67 percent) and providing more humanitarian aid to Ukraine (76 percent).
In a fairly dramatic shift over the past month, Biden has obliged those who support sending more potent weapons to Ukraine as well as stepping up training for Kyiv’s forces. He’s now pushing a $33 billion package of military and economic aid and talks in terms of long-term commitments.
“The cost of this fight is not cheap,” Biden said last week, “but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters “we need to be in this for the long term.”
More guns, more sanctions, more aid but: 66 percent of Americans worry economic sanctions on Russia will inflate food and energy prices in the United States.
About 8 in 10 worry the war could expand into other countries beyond Ukraine, that U.S. forces might get involved in the fighting, and that Russia might use nuclear weapons.
My colleagues Ashley Parker, Emily Guskin and Scott Clement note a slight partisan split here, with more Democrats concerned about this (86 percent) than Republicans (72 percent).
LET’S TALK ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Twenty-one percent of Americans say they favor direct military action by the United States against Russian forces in Ukraine. Biden’s repeated warnings that such a confrontation might escalate to the point of triggering “World War III” have apparently not completely sunk in.
A little more than a fifth of Democrats and about the same proportion of Republicans favor direct military action. But the number of Americans who support that drops to 14 percent when they’re asked whether their position would change if such conflict could trigger nuclear war.
Sure, 72 percent oppose direct military confrontation with Russia. But 14 percent are apparently okay with courting nuclear annihilation!
HERE’S YOUR PARTISAN SPLIT
Biden’s numbers have improved over the past month, but partisanship still very much colors matters.
Among Democrats, 73 percent approve of his handling of the crisis, 21 percent disapprove and 6 percent have no opinion. Among Republicans, it’s 14 percent approval, 76 percent disapproval and 9 percent no opinion.
Who thinks the United States is doing too little for Ukraine? Twenty-nine percent of Democrats and 47 percent of Republicans. Who thinks the U.S. is doing too much? Ten percent of Democrats and 18 percent of Republicans. Just right? Fifty-one percent of Democrats, 22 percent of Republicans.
Ashley, Scott and Emily note: “Biden’s support of his handling of Ukraine and Russia has improved markedly with independents since February, when 30 percent approved.” It’s now 41 percent.
And, they reported: “The Post-ABC poll finds that age is a much greater source of division about U.S. involvement in Ukraine, with younger Americans less supportive of additional actions.”
“While 69 percent of those aged 65 and older support increasing military support, that drops to 54 percent among those aged 40-64 and 47 percent among adults younger than 40. Support for increasing military support is particularly low among younger adults who identify or lean Republican: 38 percent support boosting military support to Ukraine, while 52 percent are opposed.”
The Post-ABC poll was conducted April 24-28 among a random national sample of 1,004 adults, reached on cellphones and landlines. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for overall results and is larger for subgroups. newsletter.
All opinions and commentary in my posts are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity.