Even in the era of declining television audiences, President Barack Obama's State of the Union address is still the biggest audience he'll have all year. Historically, seventh-year State of the Union speeches have a short shelf life. Every one of the five lame-duck presidents (that is, presidents constitutionally barred from running again -- Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama) have all had an opposition Congress, making the prospects for passing major parts of the president's agenda slim to none.
But on Tuesday Obama will try to use his speech to frame the debates for the next two years and set the table for the 2016 election.
Here are five things to watch:
1. How does the president talk about the economy?
We know he will make "middle-class Economics" the centerpiece of his speech, with a tax plan that raises taxes on the wealthiest and the biggest banks in order to pay for tax breaks for working families. How will he convince the country that his policies have led to an economy that's growing fast enough that it's now time to move beyond the debate about deficits and stimulus?