and as we discussed last week, i think both bob reich and i would argue, you've really got to think abouteam back in this economy. >> secretary reich, let me come to you, you have been there in the thick of the politics of this when you served in the clinton administration, when the economy is not going well. we'll get to the substance in a minute or so. but just as a matter of politics, don't you think there has been a notable absence of articulation from the white house about what the white house is going to do and also to use president clinton's famous phrase, who is saying i feel your pain right now, where is that sense of empathy coming from, if anywhere? >> i think, eliot, the president has to get out in front on the jobs situation. i don't think the white house can any longer pretend that the economy is a recovery path. the recovery really has stalled. there is every evidence of a major stall here. and the president has got to say, look, here are my ideas for getting us out of the stall. even if those ideas can't go very far. even if republicans oppose them, he has got to not only

it echoed some of the things that bob reich has been saying here the last couple of weeks. and that is the administration needs to look to ways to create jobs and not sit here thinking this has been a bump on the road. >> you know, david, that's exactly right. in my view the vapid proposals on the republican party side are matched only by the vapid nature of what's not coming out of the white house right now. and it's too bad. the larry summers column was spectacular. talked about our being already halfway through a lost decade. an important point. anyway, thank you, robert reich, david gergen. as always, great to have you. >> thanks, eliot. >> thank you. >>> now that we've seen the current crop of candidates all together, who jumped out as the winner or loser in the crowd? here now to delve deeper is our own e.d. hill and cnn's senior political analyst jeffrey toppin. thank you both for being here. e.d., all right, winners and losers. who's up, who's down in this game? >> i think it's pretty early in the game. i didn't really see a whole lot of winners. i think you looked

reich was secretary of labor under president clinton. they have many more credentials, but that will do for now. welcome back to you both. bob, let me start with you. the administration is now thinking about further tax cuts, payroll tax cuts and things like that. wouldn't it be sensible if the great problem is jobs and the large part of that problem is in the construction industry, wouldn't it be sensible for the government to simply try to employ these people directly? i don't mean the government employing them but do roads, bridge, and highways which puts private contractors back into the hiring business and effectively create jobs directly, rather than hoping that people who get tax cuts will start spending again? >> i think that's right, fareed. i think it is useful because i think it's possible that the republicans would agree to exempting, let's say, the first $20,000 of income from the payroll tax for a year. that would put money directly in people's pockets and they would arguably spend at least 50% or 60% of that, and that would be a direct stimulus. as you point out, i think it's very useful to extend large public