"Watch" parties planned for State of the Union address

  When President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union speech Tuesday evening, Melissa Bernardi plans to watch it at Bo's Smokehouse BBQ in Pontiac.

  Bernardi, of Clarkston, is a field organizer for Organizing for America, which was spun off from the Obama campaign to the national Democratic Party following the 2008 election.
  The organization is holding several "watch" events around the county, continuing an activity the Obama campaign made use of prior to the 2008 election.
  "We are going to be talking about the accomplishments of the Obama administration over the past two years," Bernardi said of the event at Bo's. "I'm hoping some of the local electeds will be there, maybe a couple county commissioners."
  But critics of the president are also welcome, she said.
  "Criticism is good for the soul," Bernardi said. "It makes you think."
  The event at Bo's is from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  Bo's is on the corner of Huron and Saginaw streets in Pontiac.
  There are also at least three other "watch" events around the county:
• Clarkston — From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., people can watch the speech at The Union on Mainstreet in Clarkston.
• Auburn Hills — From 8:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. at the Oakland Center on the campus of Oakland University.
• Farmington Hills — From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the home of Carlos Whitmore, 29001 W. Nine Mile Road in Farmington Hills.
  People interested in attending can RSVP at the Organizing for America website at www.barackobama.com.
  The president's address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
  Besides network coverage of the event, the White House plans to livestream the address and is asking people to send in questions via Twitter, Facebook or by webform to the White House website.
  People can respond using Twitter by replying to @whitehouse and using the hashtag #sotu. Questions can also be posted on the wall at www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse, or at www.whitehouse.gov/sotu-questions.
  The Oakland Press is also interested in viewer's opinions of the address. Opinions can be posted on Twitter by replying to @TheOaklandPress or by logging on to www.facebook.com and searching for The Oakland Press.
  Contact Charles Crumm at 248-745-4649, charlie.crumm@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @crummc and on Facebook. More information is at oaklandmichiganpolitics.blogspot.com. Keep up with Gov. Rick Snyder at snyderwatch.blogspot.com.