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.
