in a way that a lot of folks are not. should dems be worried? >> they should be worried if they duck. they should be out there, proudly, i want paid leave, i want universal child care. say it proudly, say it loudly. don't duck. and then if they don't do that, they should be scared. >> and say that we want to keep our schools open, we're going to make sure that parents and teachers have all the support they need to do that safely. and not avoid the conversation because it feels like a political land mine. >> reporter: this is the first ever of one of the white house calls today. right? >> yes. >> reporter: too late, or is there still time? >> i would hope this is just the beginning of these conversations. i don't think most parents are thinking about how many days or months are there until the next election? like, they just want to be heard. >> right. >> reporter: so, john, the pandemic policy is all behind us now. the question is what comes next this year, this election year. katie says what democrats need