Putin's Presidency

In Russian context, it's even more demeanant than just a cigarette butt. It's someone of no consequence whatsoever. A kurek is a cigarette butt as we'd say. In Putin's case, he was anointed in the Little Man from Austria's case,. He actually did build a political and democratic party. Now, pro-Poutanistas will say, he took over a collapsing empire from Yeltsin. And so to say that Putin did not do anything positive in early stages of his presidency would be disingenuous. Russians continue to choose perceived stability, better the devil than the devil that you don't.