amy stoddard, associate editor for the hill paper. thank you all for joining us. let me start off with you. we are going to show our audience later the headlines or a couple of the headlines out there. if you look at one, you can find one within a second that said the opposite meaning some say the talks are stalled. others say that things are moving along behind the scenes. how would you describe what's happening? >> what i hear from my sources on the hill is contradictory things. there seems to be more optimism and confidence on the democratic side. they feel like this is going to happen. republicans are as you say much more lick le to point out how far apart they still are and how little progress has been made. that is true. there hasn't been movement by either side from the positions they started with. i think the discrepancy comes from the fact that democrats are watching republicans peel off one by one and have these internal conversations that makes it sound like there is openness even if nothing has come on the table that is concrete. will we be here throug

joining me around the table amy stoddard, associates editor for "the hill" and montana governor briancarly fiorina and susan paige. thank you all. i wanted to start with that soundbyte because the president was talking about who is naughty and who is nice. i talk to lawmakers, both democrats and republican who said, really, is this -- we're offended by it. is this idea of gathering public support working for the president? >> well, as you discussed with secretary geithner, these discussions at least to republicans are moving backwards now. he has enflamed the situation on the republican side making john boehner's challenge much deeper. they see it as a waste of four weeks, as you also pointed out because they've known what their ultimate opening bid would be all along. they need to get down to business. going out on the campaign -- on a campaign style trip and calling them scrooged snkt going to help, and i think they have to get in a room and get going. a deal takes more than an hour to put together, and serious talks have to begin. republicans are really very angry about the way thi