State of the State Podcast

msu-today-with-russ-white__msu-ippsr-state-of-the-st (1) by Matt Grossmann and Charles Ballard

msu-today-with-russ-white__state-of-the-state-podcas (4) by Matt Grossmann and Charles Ballard

The latest MSU IPPSR State of the State podcast examines the political and economic impact of tariffs

As President Trump gets ready to implement a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada, the State of the State podcast team sat down with Former Michigan Governor and US Ambassador to Canada James Blanchard to discuss the possible ramifications

MAPPR Grant recipient Stephanie Nawyn joins the State of the State team to discuss Christian attitudes toward immigration.

State of the State is the monthly round up of policy and research for the state of Michigan from Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR). Matt Grossmann and Arnold Weinfeld from IPPSR are joined by economist Charley Ballard to discuss the latest in politics and the economy.

Gongwer News Service President for Michigan Operations Zach Gorchow joins the group to assess the homestretch of the 2024 general election.

This month, the group analyzes the impact of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut. Then, Matt moves from the co-host microphone to the guest microphone to tell Arnold and Charley about his new book Polarized By Degrees, How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics.

Kyle Melinn is editor and co-owner of the Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS). He joins Matt Grossmann and Arnold Weinfeld on this episode of the State of the State podcast to talk about the coming election, especially the recent primary in Michigan and how the upcoming general election may shake out in terms of control of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Matt Grossmann, Charley Ballard, and Arnold Weinfeld from MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research talk politics and the economy.

Show Notes

On this month’s State of the State Podcast, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research Assistant Director Arnold Weinfeld, along with Institute Director, Dr. Matt Grossmann and Economist Dr. Charles Ballard discuss the current state of the economy including the impact of the continued rates hikes by the Federal Reserve on the economy and the upcoming election.

The guest this month is Dr. Debra Horner, with the University of Michigan Ford School's Center for Local, State and Urban Policy where she serves as senior program manager on the Michigan Public Policy Survey program. The program surveys local government officials across the state of Michigan and just released findings on the attitudes of local election officials when it comes to confidence in election security.

This podcast comes to you from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and WKAR.”

MSU Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) Director Matt Grossmann, Professor Emeritus of Economics Charley Ballard, and IPPSR associate director Arnold Weinfeld break down the results and implications of the 2022 midterm election.

Show Notes

The trio talks about how the new maps from the redistricting process “significantly” impacted the results. And they talk about the issues that motivated voters most. They look ahead to 2023 in the Michigan Legislature and to the already-underway 2024 presidential election. The group reflects on whether President Biden will and should run for re-election in 2024.

Ballard looks ahead to the prospects for Michigan’s economy in 2023, and the group discusses Governor Whitmer’s potential national political future.

Conversation highlights:

1:18 – “The national House popular vote moved from about three percentage points in favor of Democrats to about three percentage points in favor of Republicans, which is a little less than normal for a midterm election.”

6:24 – “Certainly abortion is the top candidate for why Michigan performed differently than other states.”

7:43 – “Wherever abortion was on the ballot, Democrats did well.”

8:59 – “The economy is not in great shape, but are we in a recession? No. We are definitely not in a recession. Could we be in a recession six months from now? Maybe. I think avoiding a recession is a little bit less than 50/50, but it’s not zero.”

13:11 – “Candidates endorsed by Donald Trump performed about six points worse in House and Senate elections where he endorsed less experienced and more extreme candidates, and he made the election less of a referendum on President Biden and more of a choice between Biden-preferred and Trump-preferred candidates. That does seem to have made a difference. Trump endorsed a lot of people in winnable seats who lost.”

22:01 – “You can’t beat somebody with nobody. There would have to be consolidation around an alternative, and the same people who don’t want Joe Biden to be the nominee don’t necessarily want Kamala Harris to be the nominee, who would be the most likely alternative. We might wish for different, but we still might see Biden vs. Trump again.”

23:05 – “Certainly a Midwest governor winning by a large amount who already had some national profile is going to continue to be mentioned regularly. And she has an argument.”

24:35 – “We were the strongest economy in the world in the middle decades of the 20th Century. Then with the decline of manufacturing in general and autos in particular, we have struggled for decades.”

30:14 – “On average across the states, if you look at the ideal party position of the Republican Party versus the ideal position of the Democratic Party, we expect each year of full control by one party to move the state policy about one percent in their direction.”

MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.