9:27 p.m. Obama's phrase for the night is "middle-class economics." Although that's a new term, he's sweeping all of his previous policies—from the economic stimulus to the Affordable Care Act to the Dodd-Frank financial reforms—beneath that single rubric. "These policies will continue to work, as long as politics don’t get in the way," he said. That last bit feels a bit arch—after all, getting many of those things required bare knuckled fights, and Republicans are still searching for ways to reverse much of this agenda. —David A. Graham
9:23 p.m. The president asks, "will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has always propelled America forward?" I submit that the story of the United States and its rise has as often been the story of a country that has thrived, and grown wealthier, more populous, and more free, despite the fact that Americans have had radical disagreements about our purpose, as individuals and as a polity. From Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on down to the present day, the United States has managed to encompass people who are often at cross purposes. This thriving amidst diversity of purpose is a great strength–one seldom recognized in speeches that invoke myths about bygone times of national unity. —Conor Friedersdorf
9:17 p.m. Here's Obama's challenge: Things are looking up across the board, Americans seem to finally be feeling it, but he doesn't seem to get much credit. So leading up to his declaration that "the state of the union is strong," the president kicked off with stat-heavy rundown of what he feels he's accomplished—at home and abroad. —David A. Graham
9:16 p.m. One wonders how long the September 11 terrorist attacks will be the touchstone to begin every major speech. "Tonight, we turn the page," President Obama declared. But I'm betting that near the beginning of next year's State of the Union address, Al Qaeda's attack will once again be the device used to frame our era. —Conor Friedersdorf
9:14 p.m. What sets Obama’s latest State of the Union address apart from the 224 previous speeches? Find out for yourself, using this interactive tool designed by Benjamin M. Schmidt. Click any word in tonight’s speech as Obama delivers it, and see how frequently it’s been used by his predecessors in office. Or find out if, like “bustling,” it’s never been used at all. —Yoni Appelbaum
9:10 p.m. None of President Obama’s State of the Union addresses has been shorter than an hour, but amid so much chatter about the speech’s relevance in the digital age, this one is notably shorter. It weighs in at a comparatively slender 6,493 words, Obama's briefest since his first speech in 2009. Perhaps in a bid to keep viewers tuned in, Obama telegraphs early on that tonight’s address will more thematic, and less a laundry list of proposals. “So tonight, I want to focus less on a checklist of proposals, and focus more on the values at stake in the choices before us,” he will say. Still, as anyone can see in the text posted online, a shorter State of the Union is only concise in relative terms. —Russell Berman