State of the Union Live Blog

It’s understandable that so much attention during the State of the Union was devoted to discussing the war in Ukraine and that Biden foregrounded the issue to set the tone of his address. From a strategic perspective, Biden officials are undoubtedly aware that the situation offers somewhat of a second chance to show the U.S. public and allies overseas that the administration has some strengths on foreign policy after its widely criticized management of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. During Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, he not only pledged to restore America’s “respected leadership on the world stage” but also specifically promised to “fight back against Russia’s attacks on Western democracies.” Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine presents his administration with a direct test of that campaign rhetoric and provides Biden with an opportunity to claim he is rejuvenating U.S. leadership in the liberal world order—what he referred to as “the free world” during his speech.   The loss of life and humanitarian consequences of the war have also captured public attention in ways that demanded a response during the speech. Biden focused heavily on U.S. work “inflicting pain on Russia” through sanctions, diplomacy, and the NATO alliance. Another dimension of the conflict, however, involves forced migration. Within the first few days of Russian troops pressing into the country, over 150,000 people fled across the border into neighboring European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. As of now—roughly one week into the war – over 660,000 civilians have fled. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) anticipates over 5 million Ukrainians might become displaced if conditions continue to deteriorate. Ukrainians seeking refuge in other countries are mostly women, elderly people, and children, as men of “fighting age” have been ordered to remain in the country. That aspect shapes the global politics of welcoming refugee groups. Research on gender norms and humanitarian protection has shown that portraits of women and children are more easily constructed as innocent, vulnerable, and deserving of rescue. There are already ample stories of governments around the world opening their doors and volunteering to host and house Ukrainian refugees. Some state and local officials here in the United States have also vocalized support for welcoming displaced Ukrainians into their jurisdictions. During his State of the Union, President Biden reinforced positive images of Ukrainians as courageous and proud people with an iron will. He spoke about the deep bond Americans share with Ukrainians. This kind of language enables members of the public to imagine Ukrainian refugees as “like us” and non-threatening. On one level, this discourse and outpouring of support through offers of welcome appear to affirm notions of international solidarity around refugee responsibility-sharing. For those of us who research refugee and migration policy, it feels like a very rare moment in which global norms encouraging the protection of displaced people are aligning with public sentiments and government policies. Biden’s State of the Union emphasis on how much Ukrainians and Americans are alike, however, also raises more…

Biden’s incredibly brief mention of the U.S. Supreme Court and his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson is curious. Her nomination is significant for at least two reasons: the first black woman to be nominated to the highest court, and, if seated, she’d be the first federal public defender on the Court. Just today, Judge Jackson has submitted her questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee as she prepares to meet with Senators in advance of her nomination hearings. Jackson’s experience as a public defender may also help us to predict how Republicans will push back on her nomination: just a few weeks ago, Senators Tim Cruz and Josh Hawley questioned appellate judge nominee Nina Morrison for her own work with the Innocence Project. Although Republicans have increasingly supported criminal justice reform (consider the First Step Act signed by Donald Trump), public defenders or those working to exonerate the wrongfully convicted have long endured claims that they are too soft on crime. Whatever the strategy, hearings for Jackson should certainly prove interesting. Why then was Biden’s mention of this historic nomination so brief? In short, it’s likely because her nomination is virtually guaranteed to have little to no impact on the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, given the Court’s overwhelming conservative majority. Upcoming rulings on major issues like abortion did get something of an indirect call-out by Biden, but otherwise the Supreme Court may very well not be an area for Democratic optimism at the moment.

The President has highlighted a number of topics that have been at the forefront of state policy making lately (e.g., voting rights, law enforcement reform, gun control, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights). These are issues that will be incredibly important during the upcoming midterm election for congressional candidates and for those running for governor. We will likely see several of these topics as central issues in the gubernatorial race in Wisconsin.

While President Biden was polishing his notes and his audience prepared for cheers and jeers, Capitol Police and other officials have spent the last week preparing the Capitol for potential protests against the President. Over the last week various outlets have reported the plan for a mass protest of truckers – the “People’s Convoy” – to potentially arrive in Washington D.C. over the next few days. Most recent reports suggest that the protest may have petered out, but I’ll be curious if they’re able to mount any kind of resistance and blockage like the convoy that congested Ottawa for some three weeks – an historic protest that pushed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke emergency powers. As the New York Times reports, fortifications and preparations for this potential protest have returned the Capitol and its surroundings to a level not seen since after protesters stormed the building on January 6th, 2021. Speaking of that historical event: just yesterday the first trial opened in D.C.

Hello everyone and welcome! My name is David Helpap and I am an Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at UWGB. The focus of my teaching and research is primarily on state and local governments, with a specific focus on the management of local governments and the services they provide citizens. Recently, I have been interested in the opportunities and challenges that face rural local governments, in particular. I regularly teach courses on state and local government, public policy analysis, public and nonprofit budgeting, and regulatory policy. Like most folks, I expect that President Biden will give significant attention to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. foreign policy response to the war. On the domestic front, the President will most certainly highlight his recent and historic nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, update the nation on the COVID-19 pandemic, and address concerns about inflation. While these international and national policy topics and developments will almost certainly be given priority in the address (and for good reason), there also should be some portions of the speech that will directly apply to state and local governments across the country. For example, the recently passed $1.2 billion bipartisan infrastructure law will send much needed money directly to state and local governments for long overdue repairs to the nation’s infrastructure, including in Wisconsin. Other issues that could be addressed include climate change, voting rights, gun control, and reproductive rights—policy areas that states, in particular, have been on the forefront in terms of policy changes and new legislation. Finally, this will probably be the most prominent occasion for the President to address the nation prior to the 2022 midterm elections. His discussion will have the potential to set the tone for congressional races, but also for gubernatorial races in several politically important states that include Michigan, Pennsylvania and, of course, Wisconsin. Governor Evers will likely be giving careful consideration to the address and considering the implications for Wisconsin and his own upcoming reelection efforts.