Mark Halperin’s Three Things

Mark Halperin's three things to watch for in presidential politics for Tuesday, February 24.

1. Watch President Obama’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress, tonight at 9 pm ET. Watch how the audience in the room – Democrats and Republicans –reacts to what the president says. Watch to see what kind of tone is set in the room, who applauds for what and how the president plays off both parties in the room.

2. Watch the reactions of TV pundits and other commentators. Watch to see whether they think he adopts the right tone and hits the right substantive parts. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether the administration has been driving optimism or pessimism, so watch to see where the discussion goes after tonight’s speech.

3. Watch to see how the American people react. Watch for media reports and, in the coming days, ratings for TV viewership of the primetime speech. Watch to see how people around the country react to the president at a time of great popularity but also great challenge.