David Gergen

I think there is some prospect of getting a jobs bill through. I think that should be the name of the game tomorrow night with Republicans.

It's bigger than we thought, Anderson.

Sounds like he is proposing legislation in September and we should welcome the fact that he has new job proposals and he's going to put on the table his deficit reduction proposals.

Yes, so it's late. But I think he deserves credit for recognizing we do need something on jobs.

I think a lot of Americans would like to see less campaigning and more action in Washington.

We need help now. You know, we're really hurting.

I give credit to the president tonight for saying I am going to put forward a plan on the deficit. We've been waiting for that. Good for him. He's going to put it forward.

One has a sense that the campaign really officially launched this weekend. We moved off spring training and we have now gotten the official campaign with the Ames poll and now the president coming out and answering his critics, slamming…

There's a growing sense that there's no one in charge. Normally in a crisis there's someone who steps forward, usually the president, who steps forward and you have a sense that someone has their hands on the wheel and knows where we're…

I think a lot of growing number of people think he ought to get off the campaign trail, pull people together, and see if he can't get some answer, a bipartisan answer, on jobs.

I think a growing number of people think he ought to get off the campaign trail, pull people together and see if he can't get some answer, a bipartisan answer, on jobs.

There is a growing sense that there is no one in charge that normally in a crisis there is someone who steps forward, usually the President who steps forward and you have a sense of somebody's got their hands on the wheel, knows where…

But I must say, the Democrats generally are very supportive of Senator Reid's choices.

Republicans are saying, A, we think these people are too way too political and, B, we're going to put some people in there who will not raise revenues.

Senator Murray, are very political. That she -- that not only will she be out there raising money, but her number one job is to protect Democrats who are up for reelection.

The Democrats generally are very supportive of Senator Reid's choices. They think they're good experienced legislators who have been willing to be bipartisan in the past.

President Obama did his best today to reassure the markets, but it is clear now that words alone are not enough.

The president ought to stop his 2012 campaign for a while and get some focus on -- try to get this economy reignited, and then everybody can go back to the politics and the sandbox and everything else.

He could call the congressional leader back to Washington from their vacation and see if he can cut a deal on jobs.

Both sides said, we take our responsibility. We've all done wrong here and we need to get together and get some of these problems solved.

He could call the congressional leaders back to Washington from their vacations and see if he can cut a deal on jobs -- not only the debt, but on jobs. That's the most urgent issue.

It would be so helpful to the country. I can't tell you how disgusted people are and frustrated they are with the politics dominating everything as opposed to some really constructive national effort.

It's clear now that we have not just a financial crisis that's building up in this country but a political crisis.

The compromise has to be good enough in effect to get enough of those caucus members and Democrats to pass it in order to get a solution.

Neither of these plans as presented takes on entitlement reform.