Political experts say President Obama needs to use this speech to gain traction and turn his presidency around.

We talked with one local expert about how important this speech is for the president. Experts say history is a telling tale when it comes to the Office of the President. They say right now President Obama has his back to the political wall but Wednesday’s speech could be a turning point.

President Obama talked a lot about the economy and health care. Alec Kirby is a professor of history and government at UW Stout and he says Obama has a tough road ahead of him. He says the president has low poll numbers and hasn't been a roaring success in his first year.

"Skillful Presidents, Lyndon Johnson Ronald Reagan, achieved incredible accomplishments in that first year, then their success rate tapered off and slid into a directions morass," says Kirby.

Kirby says history is at odds with the President.

"The rule in politics is if a president doesn't achieve it in his first year he will not achieve it," says Kirby.

While he says that's the rule there are some exceptions.

"There's been one president who got off to a rocky start and pulled it together and was on an upward trajectory heading into his third year in office, that was John Kennedy," says Kirby.

Obama says his administration has seen setbacks this past year and many of them were deserved. Kirby says those types of admissions in presidential politics, are rare.

"The American public doesn't like to hear admission of mistakes from presidents, the last president to do so was Jimmy Carter, one term Jimmy Carter," says Kirby.

The President talked about a wide range of topics Kirby says the great State of the Union speeches are focused on just one or two themes.

Kirby also told us republicans are struggling this year and need to be careful with their responses, so they don't alienate voters.