Today we begin to mark the end of President Barack Obama’s administration with his final State of the Union address to the nation.

At 9 p.m. EST, the president will call us together again, but with more freedom with what he can say than in times past. Here are a few things we’re thinking about leading up to tonight:

A look ahead toward longterm, not just immediate, futures

There is no doubt that when Mr. Obama take the podium, his words will be ones of reflection on the work he was able to achieve during his tenure. But this address, has the opportunity to be different. He is not bound to appeasing a Congress who has shown no interest in being anything but a blockade. Rather, his next moves are open. He has the opportunity to set the terms of the conversation we aim to have in the months leading up the election, and that the next presidents will inherit after him. How will he envision his legacy?

Possible shade

Last year proved that if the president had any f*cks to give, they were few and fleeting. At his last SOTU, he shut down Republicans rejoicing he had no more campaigns to run by stating clearly that that was because, unlike their candidates, he won his.

Then there was his the point during the G20 Summit when called out conservatives for wanting to “pop off,” talking about how they’d handle terrorism attacks without any sign of a plan.

 

For more information on a retrospective of the president’s time in office, and a hint at what is to come tonight, check out the White House promo video:

 

Photo credit: YouTube screenshot