Washington ( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama delivers the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday . Here are five things to watch for as the president lays out his second-term agenda : . 1 . Slap and tickle . Sources say the president will point out bipartisan progress on immigration reform but he 'll take it to the GOP on debt and tax reform . Already , Republicans are bracing to play victim . Tally up the jabs and weigh them against mentions of common ground . That will be an early scorecard for Wednesday-morning quarterbacking . Obama set to challenge and persuade . 2 . Wish lists . Expect to forget what the president says . Nothing personal , Mr. President , but State of the Union addresses are notoriously forgotten . John F. Kennedy was a great orator -- quick , what did he say in his State of the Unions ? How about Reagan ? They 're just not great venues for rhetoric . Granted , the Monroe Doctrine and the Four Freedoms were both laid out in State of the Unions , but in general they tend to be laundry lists for party policy wishes . 8 memorable State of the Union moments . 3 . What he does n't say . An average of 44 million people have watched Obama deliver previous State of the Union addresses . His aides say a huge audience equals a huge opportunity . So , will he seize the opportunity to answer his critics and respond to his base on issues including : U.S. use of unmanned drones , the legal rationale for targeting Americans , U.S. policy in Syria , Iran 's nuclear program , and security of U.S. diplomatic posts ? On the domestic front , will he address poverty in the United States ? Will any of these controversial issues make the cut ? State of the Union to focus on jobs , wages and the economy . 4 . Keep count . Count how many times your issue gets mentioned . While presidential speechwriters insist the amount of time dedicated to an issue in most speeches does n't matter as much as the language used to describe it , the State of the Union is an exception . That 's because every word is debated . Aides say this speech will be heavy on economic themes . But look to see how much time Obama spends on the other issues he outlined in his inaugural address , including gay rights , women 's rights , climate change and education . Mentions matter . Republicans , Democrats suggest priorities ahead of State of the Union . 5 . Will she or wo n't she ? Serious people do n't care -- or so they say . But since first lady Michelle Obama shocked tout de D.C. by showing her guns in the heroes box during the president 's 2009 joint address to Congress , her outfit has become one of the best ( sometimes only ) surprises of the night . Will she bare her arms again ? Right now , it 's one of the most closely held secrets in Washington . Obama to announce 34,000 troops to come home .
Will Obama 's GOP jabs outweigh any olive branches ? State of the Union addresses can sometimes be policy laundry lists . Sometimes issues not mentioned say more than what 's in the speech . What Michelle Obama wears might be biggest surprise of the night .