As he delivers his "State Of The Union" speech tonight, President Joe Biden is going to be judged a whole lot more on the style of his delivery than on the substance of what he says. That's what the pundits are going to be looking for and it'll likely be the storyline afterwards. The average citizen watching is probably going to be more interested in both what is said and how it is said, but the "how" part of that is going to get a lot more headlines the next day. This could either turn into an opportunity for Biden or it could be a giant risk, but it will be at the center of the coverage, that much seems certain.

Will the vibe of Biden's speech delivery be strong and decisive, or will it be more of an "old-man vibe"? Biden is generally not known for his stirring oration, but on some occasions he has indeed given very powerful and forceful speeches. He is fully capable of doing so, in other words, but he doesn't always deliver at the same emotional level. He can be boring and mumbly at times, to put this in a less-polite way. But he can also be quite combative and energetic at other times. What mix of these will we see tonight?

Biden, as the media reminds us on a daily basis, is an old man. The importance voters place on this has yet to really be determined, although it is certainly a concern of many. But one has to wonder how much of a feedback loop exists here, since the media flogging one particular story ad nauseam for a prolonged period of time eventually gets reflected back in what the American public worries about -- whether it actually is true or not. I am thinking of the "recession that wasn't" when I say that. For over a year the media kept up the drumbeat of: "A recession is just around the corner and downright inevitable!" but in the end, no recession happened. People still got worried about the possibility, though. When you can't watch the evening news without seeing a story of a recession looming on the horizon, then you tend to start thinking about it, in other words. There's a similar thing going on with the: "This just in... Joe Biden is old!" breathless reporting that's being going on for months now.

Yes, Joe Biden is old. So is his opponent. They both have "senior moments" where they fumble a name or a word. There are plenty of video mashups of both men doing so available out there. But for some reason, Donald Trump's fumbles never seem to get the press coverage that Biden's do. This may be about to change, since we are now at the start of the general election campaign. But even fans of Biden have to admit that Trump seems more energetic while speaking than Biden does. This is a difference in the two men's style and it's always really been present, but it's exactly what the pundits will be looking for tonight: can Biden be energetic and project the same sort of verbal strength?

During last year's speech, Biden had one of the best moments any president has ever had in a State Of The Union address. Speaking of Social Security and Medicare, Biden was heckled by belligerent Republicans. Biden then deftly turned the heckles around and by a very informal "voice vote" achieved something no previous Democratic president ever had -- he took the very concept of cutting Social Security and Medicare completely off the table. There hasn't been a discussion about it since in Congress. That is a stunning political achievement that came about because Biden could think on his feet and toss down a gauntlet to his opponents in the most public way imaginable.

Will Biden have some sort of similar moment tonight? That's doubtful, although I would bet he has indeed been practicing a few snarky comebacks to heckling, since Republicans lost all sense of decorum during these speeches years ago. Like a stand-up comic, Biden is probably ready with a few putdowns for his vocal critics. But the doubtful part is that whatever happens it likely won't be as politically momentous as what Biden pulled off last year. Even having said that, though, if he has at least one "thinking fast on his feet" moment, it will go a long way to setting the tone of the media's coverage.

The problem with Biden's critics piling on his age and supposed mental infirmary is that they've been painting him as a barely-conscious doddering old man. They've set the bar so incredibly low, to put this another way, that Biden won't have to do much to beat the expectations that have been laid down. The way rightwing media types see Biden is a caricature, and showing that he's a lot better than they think he is shouldn't be too hard at all. If his vibe leaves average voters thinking along the lines of: "He seems fine..." then that'll be enough (and, as mentioned, it's a pretty low bar to clear).

But it's not all the fault of his opponents, I do have to say. President Biden has been noticeably absent from the bully pulpit during his term. When's the last full-blown press conference you remember him giving? Or hard-hitting journalistic interview? Biden does travel around quite a bit, but his appearances around the country just don't get much national attention. Biden will fly out to some factory or groundbreaking ceremony or whatever and give an address to the local crowd. Perhaps the local media covers it, but the national media doesn't. None of Biden's quotes make the evening news, none of his new proposals or ideas get talked about, which overall limits the effectiveness of such events. Biden and his team seem not to fully understand that. Biden even skipped the opportunity for a quick media interview just before the Super Bowl, which would have given him the largest television audience imaginable.

Now that the general election campaign has truly begin in earnest, Biden's going to have to change. He already stuck a toe in this water recently, by appearing on Late Night With Seth Meyers. This is the type of thing to get his face before a lot of different audiences -- go on late-night shows, talk to influencers on their social media shows or podcasts, and generally get outside the Washington bubble more.

As for tonight's speech, Biden will be walking a tightrope between showing some "Dark Brandon" fire in the belly and hitting emotional high points of hope for the future. Biden's brand has always been a guy willing to meet his political opponents halfway and hammer out a compromise, but he has been largely stymied in this effort by the faction of Republicans who will never compromise on anything -- even with the more-moderate members of their own party. Biden has to point this out (which he will likely do on the border security deal that Republicans demanded, negotiated, and then immediately killed when Trump didn't want them to pass it) but he also has to offer a way forward.

Biden will have to balance touting his own presidential record so far (which is not just impressive but record-setting in a number of metrics) with laying out a vision for his second term. The subtle implications to this will of course be a plea to the voters: "Send me more Democrats to Congress and we can actually get things done rather than just endlessly bicker and grandstand for the cameras."

Americans want to see their president fighting for them and for what is right. Joe Biden has to show he's still up to that task tonight. It doesn't even really matter which issues he chooses to do this on, because a lot of people are going to be watching the speech for a general sense of Biden's political style (and energy) more than his new proposals. If Biden manages to turn in a strong performance without any gigantic gaffes and if he appears vigorous and engaged while doing so then he'll doubtlessly get some good press tomorrow morning. He could change the entire media conversation surrounding his campaign with one good speech. Will he be able to pull it off? I'll be watching to see tonight, along with millions of other Americans.

[Program Note: I decided not to attempt a "snap reaction" column after the speech tonight, because I decided that doing that and then following it up with a "Friday Talking Points" column would be too much to handle (I usually do all the prep work for the Friday columns on Thursday nights). So there will be no "Friday Talking Points" column tomorrow, instead I will run my review of tonight's State Of The Union address. Just to warn everyone in advance.]

-- Chris Weigant

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant