SOTU: 7 Things Obama Always Says

Feb. 12, 2013 -- State of the Union speeches aren't too complicated.

Notorious as wish lists, they generally include sweeping benedictions of America's prowess, plus lots of ideas for things that may or may not happen. Tonight, Democrats will busily stand and sit and stand again, cheering President Obama's exhortations and admonitions, while Republicans (who control the House) sit stony-faced, resolute, and opposed. When cameras pan over GOP lawmakers, the reality of partisan politics will be brought back to light.

Watch the ABCNews.com/live Streaming Coverage of State of the Union 2013 at 9 p.m. ET

President Obama has said a lot of things during his four State of the Union speeches—including the 2009 address to Congress that the White House protested wasn't a "State of the Union," per se—and he's said a lot of those things more than once.

In fact, whatever his top messages are tonight (immigration and gun control are safe bets) there are some topics and tropes we should expect of him, mostly because he's said them in every State of the Union address he's given. Here are seven things Obama always says, and, if the past is prologue, will say again tonight, even if the words are slightly different:

Read on for things Obama says every year or click below for an interactive State of the Union history lesson:

3. Some Kind of Tax Credit. If history is any indication, Obama will call for some kind of tax credit, because he's done that in every SOTU so far. In 2009, it was a $2,500 credit for college tuition; in 2010, it was a credit for small businesses who hired new workers, and a $10,000 tuition credit for four years of college; in 2011, it was the same education credit; and in 2012, it was a doubling of the domestic-production credit for manufacturers. What will it be this time?