PAGE A14, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 04, 2022
Americans think the state
of our union is a disaster
PUBLIC SQUARE welcomes all points of view. Published submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Keizertimes
What happens in Ukraine
should matter to all of us
By LYNDON ZAITZ
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the
largest military action in Europe since
World War II. Though Kyiv is almost
6,000 miles from Oregon, what is hap-
pening there is a concern for what may
come next.
Pundits try to understand what
Vladimir Putin’s goal is. He is concerned
about NATO encroaching on Russia’s
border. It is all about security for Putin.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union
in the early 1990s it was the hope that
Russia would join the international com-
munity. It has, but is insecure about the
West’s intentions.
The Russian leader put his nuclear
forces on high alert, which set many
teeth on edge. Some called for military
strikes against the 40-mile long military
convoy that entered Ukraine. Though
the invasion of Ukraine is unjustified
and unprovoked, hitting the invading
forces can come to no good end.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy, a former actor and come-
dian, has demonstrated his leadership
in the face of overwhelming odds. He
has stayed in his capital and rallied the
citizens of his country to resist the inva-
sion. So far, the people have heeded the
call to arms, frustrating Putin’s plans.
Zelenskyy could have taken refuge in
some allied country, or flew off to some
peaceful location to lead his country
from behind. He takes his position as
president seriously. Events shape a
man’s character and his character is
exactly what his people need. He is my
front runner for the 2022 Nobel Peace
Prize.
The invasion of Ukraine is more
than an abstract event happening far
on my
mind
from American shores. It is a living
illustration of what leaders will do to
achieve their goals. A large majority of
Americans agree Russia's invasion is
unjustified and a big bipartisan majority
support economic sanctions to punish
that country for its actions.
The U.S. and its allies have to hit
Russia where it will hurt most, its econ-
omy. There are risks with that strat-
egy—how will Russia respond? Much of
Europe gets energy from that country,
especially natural gas. Economic sanc-
tions need to target those that support
Putin's geopolitical misadventures,
especially the oligarchs that help keep
the Russian president in power.
We can't forget the human element
of invasion. Almost a million Ukrainian
refugees have fled, many heading to
Poland. People's daily lives are shattered
by rockets striking their homes. Russia
has started targeting civilian neighbor-
hood. Though the number of civilian
casualties is relatively low, we should
send more than thoughts and prayers.
Ukraine needs military hardware.
European Union countries are sending
arms as should America. The best out-
come would be to frustrate Putin's plans
to the point that he pulls back and heads
to negotiations with Zelenskyy.
If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine,
who knows where his attention may turn
next.
(Lyndon Zaitz is editor and publisher
of the Keizertimes .)
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By MARC A. THIESSEN
Normally in a State of the Union
address, the president steps onto the
rostrum of the House of Representatives,
touts the administration’s achievements
in the past year and lays out a plan to
build on them.
That model won’t work for President
Biden. Most Americans don’t think the
state of our union is strong; they think
Biden’s first year has been disaster.
Since he took office, we have experi-
enced the worst inflation in 40 years; the
worst crime wave in many cities since
the 1990s; the worst border crisis in U.S.
history; the worst foreign policy debacle
in recent memory, in Afghanistan. The
worst global health crisis in a century
is still upending our lives. And we are
witnessing the worst act of unprovoked
aggression in Europe since World War II.
Little wonder that a new Fox News
poll shows (like many other polls have
found) that Biden’s approval is underwa-
ter across the board on every major issue:
COVID-19 (51% disapprove), foreign pol-
icy (58%), crime (59%), the economy (61%)
and immigration (62%). When it comes
to Ukraine, 56% say Biden has not been
tough enough on Russia, and 54% say
they are not confident in his judgment in
a crisis. A Politico-Morning Consult poll
found that 50%t say Biden is responsi-
ble for Russia’s invasion. In Economist-
YouGov polling, 56% say Biden is a weak
leader (38% say “very weak”). And 56%
of respondents to NPR-PBS NewsHour-
Marist say his first year has been a fail-
ure—with 36% calling it a “major failure.”
No modern president has fallen from
grace so far, so fast, so early in his tenure.
If Biden tries to convince these
Americans they are wrong—and paints
his first year as a series of major suc-
cesses, pushing for the same partisan
agenda—he will fail. And at such a time
of international crisis, we cannot afford to
have the president fail.
So, what should Biden do? Simple. Do
what he promised, but failed, to do from
Day One: Unite the country.
The war in Ukraine is an opportunity
to do just that. Americans have been
inspired by the courage and tenacity
of the Ukrainian people, who have held
off the Russian invaders. They look
at the bravery of Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky—who turned down
Biden’s offer to help him flee his coun-
try‚—and think: So that’s what a strong
leader looks like. Biden should channel
his inner Zelensky (if he has one) and
use his State of the Union address to
rally Americans to help Ukraine defeat
Russia’s assault on its democracy.
He should use his speech to tell the
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stories of brave Ukrainians who have
taken up arms to defend their country
and seat their American family members
in the first lady’s box. He should spell out
a concrete plan to help them. He should
make clear that, whether Kyiv stands
or falls in the coming days, our country
will continue to provide arms and intel-
ligence to the forces of a Free Ukraine.
He should call out Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s war crimes and unroll
even stronger sanctions -- including on
oil and natural gas. Most important, he
needs to say something he has not said
yet: “This aggression will not stand.”
He needs to make clear that the United
States will support the Ukrainian people
until Russian forces are gone from their
country.
He should then say that with free-
dom under siege abroad, we must unite
at home as never before -- and spell out a
bipartisan agenda to achieve that. In his
inaugural address, Biden promised to put
his “whole soul” into uniting the country.
But a majority of Americans say he is
doing more to divide than unite us.
The fact is, Biden is going to have to
pivot to bipartisanship in a few months
whether he wants to or not. Come
November, it is likely that Republicans
will take control of at least one house of
Congress, if not both. When that happens,
there will be no more radical, multitril-
lion-dollar Democrat-only reconciliation
bills. He will need Republican support to
pass anything. So why not make a virtue
out of necessity? If he pivots to a biparti-
san agenda now, at least he can make it
seem like a choice.
The worst thing that has happened
to Biden’s presidency was the nar-
row Senate majority that came from
Democrats winning Georgia’s two
Senate seats. It deluded him into think-
ing that he could be a transformational
president like Franklin D. Roosevelt. But
if Americans had voted for a transforma-
tional president, they would have given
him FDR-like majorities. Instead, they
elected a 50-50 Senate and a razor-thin
House majority. That wasn’t a mandate
for socialism; it was a compromise.
In his first year, Biden failed to meet
that mandate. The State of the Union is
a chance -- perhaps his last chance -- to
fix that error, which has hobbled his
presidency.
(Washington Post)
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