President Biden's prime-time speech comes at time American democracy at "critical juncture"
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a prime-time speech Thursday night from Independence Mall on what he calls "a battle for the soul of the nation." The president will deliver his speech beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday from the lawn before an invitation-only crowd.
The public will only be able to watch on TV, where he's expected to say that the country is at a critical moment right now. A political expert told us he agrees.
"I think it's at a critical juncture," professor Richardson Dilworth said, "which is in part why I don't think we've written the story of what American democracy is."
Dilworth is the director of the department of politics at Drexel University.
Looking at the state of American politics, he says the divisions are more than political theater
"The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are being reformulated with new forms of activists," Dilworth said, "and a new generation of voters and activists who have a very different sense of politics and political participation."
Dilworth says the country's political system is being tested by, among other things, gerrymandering, money and social media.
"The fact that this generation has grown up on social media gives them a very different sense of speech and the role of speech in politics," Dilworth said.
But despite the challenges facing the country's political system, he says American democracy isn't going anywhere.
"I think the real potential for the United States is the ability to sustain a multi-cultural democracy," Dilworth said, "which is a real challenge and something that is relatively rare in the history of democracies."
The White House says the president's speech will last from 20 to 30 minutes.
While the president is in town, the National Park Service says some attractions will have shortened hours.
CBS3 has already seen several Philadelphia police officers patrolling Independence Mall early Thursday morning.
There's no sign of the Secret Service yet, but we know they've been preparing for the president's speech, and this entire area will be shut down while he delivers it.
Security was tight on Wednesday at the mall.
Visitors couldn't help but notice all of the uniformed officers patrolling the area, and we're expecting much of the same Thursday.
Police say you can expect significant road closures around Independence Mall Thursday night.
They'll be shutting down about four blocks -- from 4th to 6th Street -- and from Market to Chestnut Street.
The road closures could start as early as 4 p.m.
Officials also say some SEPTA riders should expect detours and some Market-Frankford Line subways may bypass the 5th Street Station Thursday afternoon.
