So far I’d say the President got off to a slow, rocky start. A skeptical audience not only on the Republican side, which is obvious, but weirdly from the Democrats too. But it’s picked up steam and momentum over the last half hour, hitting a few key themes over and over. The speech and delivery have urgency without seeming desperate.

The speech itself isn’t that big a thing, it’s ephemeral regardless of whether it’s great for the president or terrible. But it lays out a roadmap — both in policy and political terms. The question is how and whether they follow it.

Every last nugget of news from the speech right here at TPMLivewire.

7:08 PM: I’m at least glad, compared to the Stimulus Bill, that they’ve at least got the branding down a bit better now. This bill is apparently labeled like the the American Jobs Act for Jobs So that Everyone Can Have Jobs. Jobs.

7:19 PM: Sheesh, can’t the Democrats clap even?

7:19 PM: Camera just panned on John McCain. Barely realized he was even still in Congress.

7:20 PM: Check out live updates from our reporters up on the Hill at TPMLivewire.

7:22 PM: If I’m not mistaken President Obama just got a stand up clap from Sen. Scott Brown.

7:30 PM: Waiting for the President to scowl at House Republicans and yell “You Lie!”

I’m waiting for Speaker Boehner to call up the President and say sorry, something came up. Can we reschedule?

Live streaming video of President Obama’s address to Congress on the jobs crisis. Watch.

The clash between Rick Perry and Mitt Romney over Social Security continued to unfold today. Not only an important issue in its own right, but this is the first real substantive pivot point in the primary race thus far, so it’s fascinating politically as well.

Sen. Franken confronts notorious vote fraud bamboozler Hans von Spakovsky at senate hearing on voter suppression.

Jamie McFadden at Frum Forum has got more on why Rick Perry’s reiterating that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme could spell trouble for him.

McFadden also makes this point: “Perhaps not since George McGovern’s annihilation at the hands of Richard Nixon in 1972 has a candidate’s Primary base been so alienated from the center of American political thought as the Tea Party is today.”

There were signs today that Perry recognizes the trouble he’s in on this issue.

Stay tuned.

Are Mitt Romney’s economics advisors too sane for today’s GOP?

We’ve been covering it closely, but I haven’t had a chance to flag in here the bizarro situation in New York, where Democrats are scrambling to hold onto the House seat in the heavily Democratic 9th Congressional District.

That’s the seat which was held by Anthony Weiner until his Twitter meltdown so perhaps only fitting that the bizarreness continues.

What do I mean by “scrambling”? National Democrats are now involved, throwing money into the race to save the Democratic candidate, who by almost every measure has been a disaster. The election is Tuesday.

In a cycle with little margin of error for Democrats, this is a potentially big unforced error.