5 key takeaways from CNN's forum with Joe Biden

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(CNN) -

President Joe Biden spent 90 minutes this Thursday night answering questions from Anderson Cooper, CNN, and the public who participated in a forum in which he spoke on a wide variety of topics, from the destination of his agenda domestic supply chain problems and the dates for the distribution of vaccines for children.

I saw it all.

Here are five key takeaways.

Legislative obstruction

Biden made headlines on several fronts when asked directly whether he would support the removal of (a legislative obstruction known as) filibustering.

The president said he could not push for the filibuster review at the moment, because it would cost him three votes he needs to pass his domestic agenda.

But when asked if - if and when those bills pass - he would support eliminating the 60-vote standard needed to end unlimited debate on a bill that seeks to protect the right to vote, Biden it seemed to indicate that it would.

And he added: "And maybe more."

The political reality, of course, is that Biden's support (or lack thereof) for the elimination of legislative filibuster is not necessarily indicative of much.

Both West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema have said they oppose the removal of this procedure, and Democrats cannot change Senate rules with their party's 50 votes.

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Bipartisanship is not dead

Biden, as he has done throughout his presidency and since the campaign, relentlessly defended the idea that bipartisanship in this modern age of politics can not only exist, it has to exist.

"Bipartisanship and compromise have yet to be possible," Biden said of the start of the forum.

Of course, the real challenge for Biden is not recruiting Republicans into the House or Senate, but convincing Manchin and Sinema to join.

And Biden was very careful to just sing his praises.

He called Sinema "smart as the devil" and said that Manchin "is not a bad guy. He is a friend."

What is NOT in infrastructure projects

Questions from the public, one after another, focused on what was being pulled out of the social safety net measure - Biden called it the "care economy" bill - currently negotiated by Democrats in Congress.

There was a question about whether dental and hearing coverage was not covered in the bill.

And another on the elimination of the free community college from the legislation.

Over and over again there was talk of what was not in the bill rather than what is upheld.

And also one on provisions relating to climate change that are on the verge of being removed from the bill.

This is certainly not what Biden and his White House had hoped for when trying to sell the two bills to the public.

I've already been there, I've already achieved that

Biden opened the forum by joking that he had been in the Senate for "370 years" and emphasizing that he was "relatively good at creating deals."

He then insisted - to my surprise, at least - that efforts to pass the so-called hard infrastructure plan and legislation for a broader (and more expensive) social safety net were not the most difficult deal he had negotiated.

What was that agreement?

The assault weapons ban, which Biden noted was negotiated and passed.

He also repeatedly expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached, noting that they were "narrowed down to four or five issues."

"I think we can do it," he said.

A wise move on mental health

In a country where mental health remains a stigma for many, Biden took a moment to acknowledge that the pandemic has been extremely difficult not only on our physical health, but on our mental health as well.

"A broken spirit is no different than a broken arm," he said.

"Seek help."

After four years of a president who seemed completely lacking in empathy, it was a moment of true humanity that stood out.