carnie about that. and here's what he said. >> i have no idea who said that. i can tell you, that opinion has never been voiced in my presence, in the president's presence in the west wing. it does not represent the president's view or the white house's view or the administration's view. >> joining me to talk about it is david gergen and margaret hoover and editor of the daily beast. david, if this outreach from the president, the dinners to the capital, if it's symbolic, is there an importance to that symbolism? >> there's great importance to this. there are cynics in the white house press corps who think it's a joke. the president deserves the benefit of the doubt. he was frustrated. the strategy he had about campaigning against the congress. popularity going down. give him credit for trying. see how it turns out. if, down the road, the president presents a budget that is