Five Things at the State of the Union That You Didn't See on TV

Walking through the Capitol the evening of President Obama's big speech is a bit like trying to casually stroll through Fort Knox. Security checkpoints every 10 steps, and gaggles of reporters flanking members as they file into the chamber. Your Gaggler even passed, at one point, a hazmat team in full gear (one member of which said he's not supposed to talk to the press). Once the speech begins, the scene is quite different from how it seems on TV. For one, it's enormously louder—decibels and decibels louder. But that's not all. Here are five things you couldn't see while watching the scene on TV:

Republican resurgence: Obama must have known he was setting himself up for it, but when he told Republicans to "let me know" if they have better ideas on health care, the GOP members rose to their feet triumphantly. They cheered, but Boehner raised his hand, appearing to almost expect being called on. He clearly had a clever retort to shout back, but thought better of it and kept his mouth shut. On the other hand, earlier in the speech when talking about cutting taxes, Obama thought he deserved applause and got none. "I thought I'd get some applause," he quipped. Boehner threw up his hands as if to say, "What do you want me to do? The cameras are watching me."

Court of silence: Everyone knows the Supreme Court doesn't clap, stand, or yell. But it also doesn't smile, even during obvious laugh lines, as when Obama joked that health care wasn't good politics. All the members just stared straight. John Roberts pursed his lips. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, perhaps as a symptom of her ailing health, continued to nod her head downward during the entire speech. But Samuel Alito gave the slightest indication of what he was thinking, which some in the press gallery picked up on. When Obama criticized the latest SCOTUS decision on campaign-finance reform, did Alito just mouth "not true," we asked? Yes, he did.

A muted heckle: Many in the chamber were fearful of a repeat of the heckling the president got last time he spoke to a joint session. It happened, but was cut off quickly. As Obama mentioned impending consequences on the Iranian regime, an older man standing in the front corner of the House with several Hill staffers began to shout, "Mr. President, you need—" before rethinking his outburst. Several House members exchanged glances. One mouthed, "Who the hell is that?" No one knew, and he was escorted out quickly during the next round of applause.

Stadium of representatives: Obama compared the U.S. with other countries that were making leaps where America wasn't, then stated triumphantly that he wouldn't settle for the U.S. being No. 2. From the back of the chamber about 30 members, almost exclusively Democrats, began chanting, "We're No. 1!" as if at a baseball game. When the applause died down, they did too.

The spin room: After the speech, members file into Statuary Hall, the room adjacent to the well of the Senate. What happens next can be explained only as a giant and messy cluster of reporters, cameras, members of Congress, and their flacks. It's perhaps the textbook example of how government works—everyone diving over each other for their two-minute cable-news live shot. Everyone carries a BlackBerry. Everyone uses it furiously. And everyone is in everyone else's way.