Reporter's Notebook: State of the Union 2022, the Super Bowl of politics

Some members of Congress may soon find themselves channeling Vernon Hargreaves III at President Biden’s State of the Union speech. 

The annual State of the Union address is about the president. He’s the one "on the field." The president is "in the game." In a normal, non-pandemic time, the House chamber is packed with lawmakers, aides, media, the diplomatic corps, Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, along with assorted dignitaries and guests. But this is the president’s show. No one else is really "in the game."

Neither was Vernon Hargreaves. 

Hargreaves is a reserve defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals. Hargreaves wasn’t in uniform when the Bengals played the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl. But when the Bengals intercepted a Rams pass in the end zone, Hargreaves – wearing a grey Bengals sweatshirt and shower slides – loped onto the field waving a towel to whoop it up with his teammates.

Officials assessed Hargreaves an unsportsmanlike penalty – because he wasn’t even in the game.

Biden and his remarks will be the center of attention when he visits Capitol Hill next week for the State of the Union. But, like Hargreaves, it’s possible another "player" may command more attention than the president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently announced that all members of Congress – House and Senate – may attend the speech in person. The president spoke last year to a fairly vacant chamber with just a skeleton crew of members present due to the pandemic. About 200 persons in all. The scant attendance robbed the event of its typical pomp and energy.

In many ways, the U.S. Capitol has been like anyplace else in the world during the pandemic. The Capitol has struggled with proper coronavirus protocols. Masks, vaccines, social distancing, remote work. Many Republicans have started agitating to completely reopen the Capitol to visitors and tourists. Fox News is told that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., informed Republicans the Speaker’s Office indicated at one point that only 25 House Republicans would be allowed to attend this year’s speech. But everything is now opened back up to the current 539 members of the House and Senate, including the non-voting delegates from U.S. territories and Washington, D.C.

No guests, few aides, no special guests recognized in the gallery. Lawmakers will sit on the floor of the chamber and in the gallery above. A typical State of the Union can accommodate about 1,600 people in the chamber itself – on the floor and in the gallery. The total attendance to this year’s speech would likely be less than half of what they usually could squeeze into the chamber under normal circumstances – even if all lawmakers come – which never happens – and floor staff, security and the media are factored in.

This is the State of the Union during a pandemic. 

Still, there is one major shift. 

Pelosi’s office released guidelines for attendance at the speech from the House Sergeant-at-Arms Office after consulting with the Capitol Office of the Attending Physician. The memo stressed that those in attendance "must adhere to social distancing guidelines regarding seating separation distances." Those present "must avoid physical contact with all other individuals." And, then the bigger: those present "must continuously wear an issued, FDA-authorized, KN95 or N95 mask that completely covers the nose and mouth." 

Keep in mind that few Republicans have been wearing masks in the Capitol lately. Senators from both sides have ditched masks nearly completely. The House has imposed fines if members don’t wear a mask inside the chamber. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has racked up around $100,000 in fines for not wearing a mask in the chamber. A few other GOP members have also incurred significant fines. 

CAPITOL POLICE CONSIDERING TEMPORARY FENCE AHEAD OF STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH

Former President Obama came to the Capitol in September 2009 to make his case for health care reform before a Joint Session of Congress. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., interrupted the president, shouting, "You lie," when Obama asserted illegal immigrants wouldn’t qualify for the health care program. 

Few remember what President Obama said during that speech, but seemingly everyone remembered Wilson hectoring the president.

Few people knew much about Vernon Hargreaves – except that he got penalized during a game in which he wasn’t even dressed. And it wasn’t just any game. It was the Super Bowl.

Lawmakers are generally seen and not heard during State of the Union and other joint sessions of Congress. Lawmakers aren’t "in the game." This is the president’s forum. 

Not many people know much about Joe Wilson. But the one thing they do know is him browbeating the president of the United States during the Super Bowl of politics. In fact, Pelosi later said she was so disturbed by the outburst that she was prepared to have the sergeant-at-arms remove Wilson. 

The coronavirus protocols for the State of the Union are sure to create tension if Republicans shun the mandates. In fact, some Republicans could try to use the congressional health "mandate" as a reason to argue against a host of other COVID-19 restrictions, ranging from vaccine requirements to masks. Republicans – and many voters – are more than ready to move on from the pandemic. This could create a donnybrook if a member is asked to leave because they aren’t wearing a properly fitted mask "continuously" as stated in the guidelines. Or, if they otherwise make a scene. The guidelines for attendance said those who don’t adhere to the rules "will result in the attendee’s removal." 

AXELROD URGES BIDEN TO SHOW ‘HUMILITY’

Whether the rules are proper or not, many Republicans have ignored COVID-19 guidelines at the Capitol. We also are in an era of "performative politics." Some Republicans could use the Super Bowl of politics to stage a protest or concoct a stunt over COVID-19 policies. Anything like that is sure to dominate coverage of the speech. Kind of like the University of Michigan head basketball coach Juwan Howard flailing at the Wisconsin coaching staff during a brawl over the weekend. Everything about the game is forgotten. All people remember is the fight. 

That said, COVID politics can cut both ways. A fracas over masks and social distancing could make Republicans look bad if they push too far. At least one GOP lawmaker confided to Fox News that Democrats laid a trap for Republicans with their coronavirus standards for the State of the Union. The lawmaker suggested Pelosi was trying to goad Republicans into acting up and things would backfire on the GOP.

Or, perhaps everyone’s manners will be Emily Post. 

But, there is risk in this for Democrats, too. What if Democrats are seen flaunting the rules, glad-handing, backslapping and mingling – to say nothing of the optic of a socially distanced speech with masks. Some voters will view the event as "pandemic theater." After all, Republicans have tried to use various COVID policies against Democrats. A pandemic-centric speech where the protocols overshadow the substance is a problem for President Biden. And this comes as some Republicans are pushing to completely re-open the Capitol to visitors, tours and staff. 

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Biden is struggling for a reset with his poll numbers sagging. A big speech like State of the Union can help a president with that. 

But sometimes, players who aren’t even in the game can steal the spotlight. Joe Wilson. Vernon Hargreaves. And even though it’s the president delivering a prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress, the extracurriculars can outweigh the substance.