house democrats today. what do we know about how that went? well, shep, house democrats took the short bus ride from capital to here to the white house at a time when republicans are hammering the rouse and the democrats to present is a plan to deal with our debt and spending issues. after the meeting of about 90 minutes or so, one key democrat came out and provided this readout. he said very clearly, failure is not an option when it comes to america paying its bills. and, secondly, he made it very clear that the middle class and senior also not get stiff-armed in these budget negotiations that we re engaged in right now. so the president telling democrats that failure is not an option. in terms of a balanced approach was what the white house wants. and that means continuing to spend on things like innovation, education, and things that the white house believes are necessary to be competitive in the 21st century, shep.