State of the Union experts available

President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union to Congress on Jan. 25 as the nation faces war, high unemployment and questions about the civility of public discourse. Wisconsin will have ties to the speech — U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville will deliver the Republican response to Obama’s address, and a day later, Obama will visit Manitowoc.

UW-Madison has a number of experts who can discuss the speeches and the road map for the remaining two years of Obama’s first term in the White House:

• Ken Mayer, professor of political science, is an expert on the American presidency and can talk about the historic role of the State of the Union address and what Obama might be looking to do in his speech this year. Contact: kmayer@polisci.wisc.edu, 608-263-2286.
• Barry Burden, professor of political science, is an expert on American politics and can discuss potential themes for Obama’s speech, such as the economy, taxes, the attempt to repeal the health care reform bill and the shootings in Tucson. Contact: bcburden@wisc.edu, 608-263-6351.
• David Canon, professor of political science, is an expert on the U.S. Congress and can address the congressional reaction to the speech in light of the new makeup of Congress and the aftermath of the Tucson shootings. Contact: dcanon@polisci.wisc.edu, 608-263-2283.
• Kathy Cramer Walsh, associate professor of political science and a faculty research scholar with Morgridge Center for Public Service, is an expert on civic engagement and political communication who can discuss the speech as a tool for communicating with the public. Walsh can also weigh in on the discussions about civility in public discourse sparked by the Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Contact: kwalsh2@wisc.edu, 608-265-3679. Note: Walsh is only available for comment in the days leading up to the State of the Union, but not following the speech.
• Thomas Oliver, professor of population health sciences and an expert on health policy, politics and system reform, can discuss last year’s health reform legislation and efforts to repeal it. Contact: troliver@wisc.edu, 608-262-6731.
• James Baughman, professor of journalism and mass communication, is a historian on the press and politics and can comment on the media coverage of the speech. Contact: baughman@wisc.edu, 608-262-3691.