‘Go get ’em!’ Biden’s forceful State of the Union speech tackles Putin, spotlights infrastructure plans

President Joe Biden delivered a forceful State of the Union speech Tuesday night as Russians were bombing Kyiv and other Ukraine cities. Biden projected the optimism we need during these challenging times.

With the world watching as Biden condemned Vladimir Putin for his “premeditated and totally unprovoked” war, Biden still had to — and did — tout the infrastructure and COVID relief programs he pushed through Congress, massive parts of his legacy, impacting all of Illinois – and often overlooked.

“We’re done talking about infrastructure weeks. We’re now talking about an infrastructure decade,” Biden said.

Before his speech, I saw reports that Russians were shelling Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. That’s the city where my mother’s mom, Celia Dover, was born and raised. Biden deserves credit for coordinating the response of our allies, though it did not prevent the Russians from invading.

To a nervous world, a soothing Biden said, “I want you to know that we are going to be OK. When the history of this era is written, Putin’s war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger.”

While this war unfolds, Biden has to keep a focus on his domestic agenda. Biden only has a few more months before the November midterms to try to advance his domestic plans before Congress.

He needed to — and did — set the record straight — for the umpteenth time — that he has no intention to defund the police and never has.

“The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities,” Biden said.

The line was smart — and right. Republicans in the House chamber had to stand for that one.

Biden and his team last year passed the massive and historic American Rescue Plan with only Democratic votes. The infrastructure law had a bipartisan roll call. Then Biden and congressional Democrats got distracted and jumped over these achievements to try to pass the massive “Build Back Better” plan, always a long shot.

That haggling between moderate and progressive Democrats over BBB sucked the air out of Biden’s historic accomplishment.

If the Democratic disaster predicted in the midterms takes place and Republicans win control of the House and Senate, Biden’s chances of getting anything more done will be almost impossible.

Biden’s speech, which came as the real-time assaults continued in Ukraine, was an attempt to right the course.

“One of the first things I did as president was fight to pass the American Rescue Plan. Because people were hurting. We needed to act, and we did. Few pieces of legislation have done more in a critical moment in our history to lift us out of crisis.

“It fueled our efforts to vaccinate the nation and combat COVID-19. It delivered immediate economic relief for tens of millions of Americans. Helped put food on their table, keep a roof over their heads and cut the cost of health insurance,” Biden said.

On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits Chicago to tout Biden’s economic agenda and amplify his State of the Union remarks.

Yellen will tour the Innovation Center on the University of Illinois Chicago campus with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The center pulls together students, corporations and academics in a variety of disciplines.

To sort of set the stage for the State of the Union, Pritzker testified virtually Tuesday morning before a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the American Rescue Plan. The hearing was a showcase for House Democrats to throw a spotlight on the federal spending that flowed to every state and local government, no matter whether they were red or blue.

Pritzker said the program sent Illinois $8.128 billion, with Chicago and other local governments on track to receive another $5.93 billion.

The infrastructure law Biden signed last November is sending Illinois a colossal amount of money. Over the next five years, Illinois will get $9.8 billion for federal highway programs; $3.1 billion for bridge and water infrastructure; $4 billion for public transit plus millions for EV charging stations and broadband access.

Biden made a plea for unity, while he asked Republicans for support on some items that should not be controversial — battling opioid abuse and cancer.

This speech did not provide a lot more on what can or will be done to stop Putin — or what this war will mean to the U.S.

Said “Uncle Joe” Biden, at the end, as he ad libbed, “Go get ’em!”