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I've been in this chamber for Joint Addresses/States of the Union from 4 presidents, at least 7 times total
The experience of being here for a pandemic address with just 200 people is beyond surreal
The casual atmosphere is visible in small ways
The experience of being here for a pandemic address with just 200 people is beyond surreal
The casual atmosphere is visible in small ways
Joe Manchin has his foot up on the seat in front of him as he takes notes from one of the galleries
Shelley Moore Capito had kicked her shoes off (they're back on now)
The whole place feels more like it does on your average Tuesday than a piece of history
It's much harder to tell where the applause lines are supposed to be. It seems to me that this speech is going to feel way, way longer than most of these addresses, even if it actually comes in shorter than most
One of the quirks of covering things in person is you actually sometimes miss major TV moments that Americans see -- like the view of Speaker Pelosi and VP Kamala Harris on the dais. I can't see it from where I sit -- reporters in the chamber sit behind & above it
(Now Joe Manchin is on his phone.)
Manchin is sitting a few seats down from Chris Coons, who's close to President Biden and sits in his old Senate seat
At least twice, FLOTUS Jill Biden has seemed to singlehandedly prompt Democrats to clap
(It's that kind of atmosphere, where if one person starts clapping it sticks out and people start doing it too so it seems less awkward.)
(Above tweet is intended to demonstrate contrast with previous years, where the roar of the crowd sort of swells up all together.)
