so clearly in this debate from the middleground has to be some balance between spending cuts and revenueincreases. so those on the right one a one way and those on the left and the other that ceos come somewhere in the middle. with that ratio is i don't think ceos whether it's two, three, four to one, one to one. we don't know. but there has to be some ratio. so i think that is, you know, the statement saying yes, there should be revenue increases that separates them from some of the hard-line positions taken by others. on the willingness to say yes to have been an increase in our individual tax rate is acceptable in the context of an overall deal is something that is uniform agreement. beyond that with an particular policy deliberations come you have a little more fragmentation in terms of the viewpoint. certainly the goal of the corporate tax code for now to keep it revenue neutral and to broaden the base that has wide support, not unanimous support an obvious that those who benefit by certain exemptions are probably less supportive of that. i think it is wide support there. i would al

. >> let's talk about we are there might be middleground, whether could be some movement because we sin john boehner and the president negotiate some of the same issues over the course of the last two years without success. what's different this time, in the area taxes, the president said he won't accept an extension of the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. could he accept something short of 39.6 for a topic for example, yet still have an increase over the 35% currently? >> i don't think, michael, at this point an hour before the meeting either add or subtract what the president said. but understand what's in the president's budget proposal right now, the president's current budget proposal raises 1.56 trillion as part of an overall package of over $4 trillion. in savings. it is true that about $950 billion of that come from not extending tax cuts in estate tax relief for those over 250,000. but it is another 500 billion that the president gets in this budget by limiting deductions, or excusing, limiting tax expenditures or capping them at 28%. it's very interesting is that yo

to him, the middleground as i don't expect people to accept this -- i don't expect them to accept my budget. democrats did not accept your budget. much less the gop. somebody needs to teach the president how to offer an olive branch. that has not happened. i know he starts every comment saying that he wants compromise and he wants to sit down with house republicans. but when you listen to the whole statement, you can't help but take away that i have my position, i won the election, it's my way or the highway. which comes to the point that i think bothers me the most, the mandate to help the middle-class. what about the rest of the country that sits on both sides? gerri: 250,000 in this area and other parts of the country, if you are a family with 250,000, that is median income. that is the middle of the income stream. no doubt about it. i think a lot of people out there from the tone of the president's comments, he thinks the recovery is already here or operating right now. but let's not forget, and velazquez did not make this point, 23 million americans underemployed or not employed

and that speaks a lot to state that has a very large middleground population.it's a very slight edge, but he has had a few stumbles late in the game that have made it slightly difficult. again, republicans, this is a state where they needed to use resources. we are breathing a little bit easier about it. >> always a surprise or two on election night. the potential of spices to see? >> i think pennsylvania has been on the radar. that's another one that we certainly didn't predict early on. tom smith, a million or coal executive, he really didn't take this race seriously. we see the presidential race tighten, but obama has been narrow edge. republicans are certainly helping the outside groups there. i think what we are looking for, we are seeing scott brown in massachusetts early on, we are seeing the campaign, these early closing pools, it becomes very difficult for the republicans to even get through this. and republicans would be happy for a win. and democrats again give credit for getting good candidates in some of these races. they have made republicans and