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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We're going to end the show the way we started it, by previewing the State of the Union address in a certain way, but this time with a wishlist that you are going to create. We're going to invite you right now to help us make a State of the Union wishlist bingo card. What do we mean by that? We're inviting you to call in and tell us a word or phrase that you hope President Biden will utter in his speech tonight and why you would like to hear him say that. Call in and tell us a word or a phrase you hope President Biden will state in his speech tonight and why you would like to hear him say those words.

We'll call this your Brian Lehrer Show, State of the Union Wishlist Bingo Card. We can all listen tonight to see whether he invokes the things that Brian Lehrer Show listeners want him to say. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Think about it right now. You don't have to think about it too much. It's going to come right to mind probably because we haven't given you advance notice of this. Think about it, blink and you'll know the answer. Help us make a State of the Union Wishlist Bingo Card. Call in and give us a word or a phrase that you hope President Biden will utter in his State of the Union address tonight and why you would like him to say those words.

212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Now, to give you a minute to think about this and to model this a little bit, I'm going to play a clip of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on MSNBC this morning. She was, of course, on to preview the State of the Union address. While she said she wasn't going to upstage the president and steal the spotlight by giving the speech before he gives the speech, listen to this 30-second clip and how many potential bingo card wishlist items there are just in this one 30-second clip, obviously setting the stage. That's her job. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary on Morning Show on MSNBC. Here we go.

Karine Jean-Pierre: It's not just our democracy, it's also the extremism as you're seeing towards Medicare and social security. He'll certainly talk about that, and he is going to say, "I'm going to continue to fight for two important programs that Americans, taxpayers pay into. We're talking about our seniors, we're talking about our veterans." He's going to say, "I am going to veto anything that comes to his desk that attacks those two important programs," which is something that he's been very consistent about. Those are other extremes that we have seen from, especially, the House Republicans, and he'll speak to that for sure.

Brian Lehrer: The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre on MSNBC doing her job. Boy, was that chock-full of buzzwords in those 30 seconds, precisely 34 seconds. At the beginning she said, "It's not just our democracy." How many times are we going to hear him say our democracy? She said, "It's the extremism-" Will we hear him say extremism? Do you want him to say extremism? "-you're seeing toward Medicare and social security." Bing, bing, Medicare, social security. He'll certainly talk about those, she said.

How about the word fight? She said that he said that he will say, "I'm going to continue to fight for two important programs that Americans, taxpayers pay into, Medicare and Social Security. We're talking about our seniors," Bing, buzzword, seniors. "We're talking about our veterans," Bing, bingo card word, veterans. Also that he said, I'm going to veto anything that comes to his desk that attacks those two important programs, Karine Jean-Pierre said. Bing, veto, and she said, "Those are other extremes that we've seen from, especially, the House Republicans." Do you want him to say House Republicans and say what he doesn't like about them? There are some examples from the White House Press Secretary.

Which words or phrases do you hope Biden will say tonight that can go on our State of the Union 2023 wishlist bingo card? Maybe thinking about our conversation with Jelani Cobb just now, he'll say police reform. You want him to say police reform. Maybe you want him to say Tyree Nichols' name. Maybe you want him to say police accountability, or you tell us. Put words and phrases on our 2023 State of the Union Wishlist Bingo Card at 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. This is a good one for Twitter too, you can tweet your State of the Union wishlist bingo card words and phrases @BrianLehrer, we'll take your calls right after this.

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now to your calls and tweets with your State of the Union wishlist bingo card. Susan in Brooklyn. What would you like to see or hear the president say tonight? Hi, Susan.

Susan: Hi, you've covered this topic, child poverty.

Brian Lehrer: You want to hear the president say child poverty. Let's see if he does. Maybe he will in the context of-- We actually talked about this earlier on the show today. The child tax credit that was credited with cutting child poverty in half in the United States during the depths of the pandemic, and the Republicans blocked the child tax credit from being made permanent. We'll see if he says child poverty and child tax credit tonight. Ed in New Hampshire, you're on WNYC. Hi, Ed.

Ed: Hi, Brian. I want to hear balanced budget. Let's take some wind out of some Republican sales there.

Brian Lehrer: All right. Of course if he does that, then he'll have to say how to get there with the deficits and the debt as big as they are these days with balanced budget, the phrase on Ed's wishlist bingo card. Donald in Nassau County. You're on WNYC. Hi, Donald.

Donald: Hi. I think the word is housing. It's a major crisis across the country.

Brian Lehrer: That will really be interesting, I think, because it is so topic one or approximately topic one in New York and New Jersey right now. The federal government doesn't get involved in housing all that much these days. Of course, this is an issue in so many cities, so many places. Let's see if the president says housing in the State of the Union address tonight. Beverly in Georgia, you're on WNYC. Hi, Beverly.

Beverly: Hi, Brian. Thanks for taking my call. I suggest wealth gap. It seems to be at the heart of a lot of other problems.

Brian Lehrer: Doesn't it though? I wonder if they'll go there. We're actually planning on doing some Black History Month coverage of the persistence of the wealth gap along racial lines. White Americans have 10 times the wealth of Black Americans on average according to the most recent data I saw from the Fed. Is that any different from the 1960s before the main Civil Rights Acts were passed? Not really. How about really doing something about the wealth gap. That might affect all kinds of other problems that we talk about that are really downstream from that. Let's see if the president says wealth gap. Gerald in Tulsa, you're on WNYC. Hi, Gerald.

Gerald: Hello, Brian. My phrase is no joke. I'm thinking if he says no joke, that means he's swinging for the fences, he's doing something that folks say that's unbelievable or whatever they would say it in terms of their opposition. It says to me that he's saying it with courage and conviction, and that's what I want from my president.

Brian Lehrer: That's good. Is that a Bidenism?

Gerald: Yes.

Brian Lehrer: Our board up here, Matt has said, "Oh, my bingo card word is folks," because we know Biden says folks all that. Is that another one? I just don't know it. He says no joke.

Gerald: When he says no joke, he's saying, "No, I'm really there. I'm really convicted. This is what we're going to do." I love that. When I hear the no joke, I say, "Okay, he's doing it." [chuckles]

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Gerald. Thank you very much. All right, Gerald from Tulsa. Let's see. I'm just going to go down some tweets here. We're getting so many tweets with words or phrases that you want to put on a wishlist State of the Union bingo card. Let's see. Oh, another one says no joke. I guess that is a Bidenism. I'm serious, another Bidenism. More on the issues. Somebody tweets, "Immigrant work permits." Another one says, "Both parties compromise to achieve bipartisan agreement." A long phrase for a bigger bingo card square. Another one, "Biden should mention we have improved our ability to track balloons and Jewish space lasers. [laughs] Hello, Marjorie Taylor Greene." Another one says, "A drink for every time he says, "here's the deal."

Another one on Twitter says, "I would love to hear soft infrastructure and childcare." Another tweet for the bingo card, environmental justice. Another one says, "I will have Secretary Yellen mint platinum coins. [laughs]." Another one says, "No, no taxes," and another one says, "Arts and culture because they are extremely important, but extremely ignored." Arts and culture, now on the wishlist State of the Union bingo card. Maureen in Ewing, New Jersey. You're on WNYC. Hi, Maureen.

Maureen: Hi, Brian. Been wanting to talk to you for years. Yes, my word is proxy war, because I think that it's been avoided in the case of the Ukraine because proxy war has a negative connotation to it, but it's very important that people realize that if they lose Ukraine, we lose a tremendous bit of freedom. The possibility is magnified that the rest of the world will be under authoritarian leaders.

Brian Lehrer: Maureen, Thank you. Glad you finally called in. Do it again sometime. Susan in Manhattan. You're on WNYC. Hi, Susan.

Susan: Hi. I'd like united together and bipartisan.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. I think we are pretty likely to hear the word bipartisan. That would be one of my guesses. We'll see how he rolls it out. We'll see if he not only celebrates, which I'm sure he will, some of the bipartisan accomplishments that he can check off from his first-year and second-year bingo card, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. He'll probably say those words like that. The chips Act that we talked about earlier in the show was bipartisan. I wonder what he'll promote.

If he does anything to promote potential bipartisan areas of agreement that also fit his agenda. That'll be an interesting thing to listen for tonight, and if any of that lands. Dan in Hartsdale. You're on WNYC. Hi, Dan.

Dan: Hi, I'd like him to say climate crisis affecting the Gulf states, because I think those states--

Brian Lehrer: When you say Gulf states, are you talking about like Louisiana, or you're talking about Kuwait?

Dan: I'm talking about like Louisiana and Texas, which are also oil-producing or refining states and are working against doing something about the climate, shall we say-

Brian Lehrer: Yes.

Dan: -and promoting fossil fuels. I hope that he will be able to indicate that they have an interest in the climate.

Brian Lehrer: It affects you too. It hurts you too. I hear you, Dan. Thank you very much. Michelin in Floral Park, you're on WNYC. Hi, Michelin.

Michelin: Hi, Brian. Thank you. Mental Health.

Brian Lehrer: Yes, and such a New York issue right now. Let's see if he brings it up in a national context, mental health. He probably will. That will be my guess, but that's a good one. For the State of the Union wishlist bingo card. Thank you, Michelin. Paula in Manhattan. You're on WNYC. Hi, Paula.

Paula: Hi, Brian. Thank you. Tax cuts or tax cuts for the lower and middle class.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Let's see. Can we do one or two more? Bobby in Manchester, New Jersey. You are on WNYC. Hi, Bobby.

Barbara: Hi, my name is Barbara, actually.

Brian Lehrer: Sorry about that. I had it as Bobby, so we won't nickname you. Hi, Barbara.

Barbara: I'm sorry for the background noise. I'm in the bowling lane, and we just got here.

Brian Lehrer: Our first-ever call from a bowling alley. Go ahead.

Barbara: I haven't [unintelligible 00:14:46] seen your [unintelligible 00:14:48]

Brian Lehrer: Your wishlist bingo card item is?

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Brian Lehrer: Oh, I think we lost Barbie. Go to bowl, but she was going to say, "No Malarkey," which is a definite Bidenism, right? All right, Barbara, I hope you Bowl 300. Well, that's it. Thanks for all your wishlist bingo card items. We'll see how many of them he actually uttered. Again, don't forget our State of the Union coverage begins at eight o'clock tonight when I'll be back to host the pre-speech call-in, it'll be the state of our union is, and you fill in the blank. Then the speech begins at 09:00, here on WNYC.

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